26 July, 2000

July 26, 2000

I am now back in Portland, Oregon where I am unwinding from, and working up some of the data that was collected during our fieldwork. I received word from PI Andrew Fountain that the lake began to drain yesterday. He received a message from surveyor Dennis Trabant that the lake had dropped 2 cm overnight. Typically the lake surface gains most of its elevation during the night, so when a drop was observed it was pretty clear that the lake was on its way out. By this morning the lake had dropped 40 meters. By this afternoon the lake had dropped 150 meters. This information also included elaborate descriptions of intense ice calving, lots of noise, and a dramatic drop of the ice dam where our first camp had been located. I would have liked to have been there - it would have been a sight to see and hear.

So, the drain of the lake brings an end to the fieldwork for this project. What remains is additional surveying for a couple of days, and than retrieval of the reflectors and data loggers. PSU grad student Michelle Cunico (who remained in the field) and Dennis Trabant will likely be heading for home in a few days.