Vandal Science

We have had some really nice weather here at Summit this past week; mild temperatures, light winds, and clear sky.  Most of our instrumentation is in place and the instrument mentors are beginning to calibrate, make final adjustments, and collect preliminary data.  Since we are interested in cloud measurements, we are excited that a very timely low pressure system is moving in within the next couple days.  It will provide us with plenty of opportunity to make some initial cloud measurements while the majority of the ICECAPS crew is still on site.  This is important to Brad and I who are the two crew members planning to spend time as science techs for the project.  The instruments are largely autonomous, but we need to train on how to run them, interpret raw data output, monitor for problems, and troubleshoot common problems.
Our radiosounding (weather balloon) program is now up and running.  We launch twice daily in accordance with the international radiosonde network time standard of 0000 and 1200 UTC (9:30 AM and PM local time).  The radiosonde systems are helium filled balloons with humidity/temperature sensors and parachutes attached.  Each flight lasts about 90 minutes and reaches a height around 25-27 km above sea level.  During the flight the sensor continuously relays temperature and humidity readings to a ground station, providing the ICECAPS project with in situ vertical column measurements of these variables.  We are able to get a complete profile of the troposphere and much of the stratosphere.  We have been taking turns launching the radiosondes.  It was my turn to do this morning’s launch.  The picture below shows me in action.
It is very exciting for us that we are now at the dawn of the science phase of ICECAPS!

Me launching one of the first ICECAPS radiosondes.

I’ve been at Summit for over a week now.  I’m getting used to camp life and finding that I am enjoying it here very much.  There is a really great group of people up here.  The station staff in particular have been enormously friendly and helpful.  The heavy equipment operators and carpenters have done an amazing job getting the ICECAPS building (called the Mobile Science Facility or “MSF”) prepared and helping us move in.
What’s the coolest thing about MSF?  MSF is on skis!  It will be moved from time to time (maybe twice per year, we don’t know yet) between two “permanent” locations so that it can maintain a level orientation and be kept free of the drifts which would otherwise bury the building in snow.  The other day MSF was moved to one of these locations by being towed behind a bulldozer (see photo below).
Now that MSF is finished and in place, we are in the process of assembling the instruments which include three lidars, a radar, and several sophisticated infrared sensors.  Using this suite of instrumentation we will be able to build a picture of the atmospheric state over a very important, yet poorly understood region of the planet, the Greenland Ice Sheet.  We are interested in answering questions related to the surface energy budget, the processes involved in the development of clouds, surface-atmosphere-cloud interactions, and precipitation.  This research is very important to understanding and modeling the surface energy budget and mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet, processes that are closely coupled to the global climate.  In the next few days we should be receiving the first data streams.  At that time we will begin to launch radiosondes twice every day.
Having an interest in the atmosphere and being in the Arctic offers some rare treats.  In addition to the aurora borealis which is observed during the long polar night, the Arctic summer offers some pretty neat optical phenomena.  Today, while walking between buildings we noticed a particular type of halo called a parahelic circle.
A parahelic circle is a colorless halo that is parallel to the ground.  It passes through sundogs (bright spots to the side of the sun), the sun, and runs a full 360 degrees around you.  I couldn’t take a picture of the whole circle, but a portion of it is shown in a photo below along with another halo that appeared the other day.  The halos are formed by the refraction and reflection of light through small ice crystals in the air.
That’s all from Summit for now.  Thanks for reading!

They don't call it the Mobile Science Facility for nothing!

A segment of a parahelic circle behind the Big House.

ICECAPS PI Matt Shupe from UC Boulder and CIRRES on the MSF and in front of a halo.

Me in front of the Big House at 10:30 PM this evening.

We finally arrived at Summit Station around 5:00 PM yesterday (5/14).  Weather concerns at both the Kanger and Summit airstrips kept us grounded for two extra days.  Conditions must be optimal to land and take off again on Summit’s snow runway and bringing cargo planes into the station is a complicated affair.
Our arrival brought the local population to 31.  There can be as many as 60 people on site at any one time during the summer, but in winter, the station is usually occupied by 6 people.  The first hour or so was busy, but cautious.  Safety at a high altitude, remote field station is the first priority.  The paramedic took down our vitals and urged us to take it easy, drink lots of water, and watch each other for signs of altitude sickness.
We ate dinner and settled in to our sleeping quarters.  Most people on the station in summer (including me) stay in tents called Arctic Ovens.  Arctic Ovens act like greenhouses during the day, rising to temperatures exceeding 60 F.  Even though the sun does not set at this time of year and at this latitude, it is low on the horizon during the “night” and temperatures drop considerably.  The nighttime low was -22 F last night and without the more direct influence of the mid-day sun, the tents lose there heat rapidly.  A good sleeping bag is one of the most important thing you have on site!
Today we spent our time organizing our science gear.  We are also working with the construction crew who is building our new facility to make the particular modifications so that it can house the instruments (holes in the roof for instrument ports, workbenches, added structural support, etc.).  Early next week we will begin moving the larger instruments in.  Then we will concentrate on the more detailed work, such as networking the computers to a central workstation.
We have other responsibilities at Summit besides science.  The station is an isolated community and must work together to keep in running order.  Everyone pulls there weight with the responsibilities in the common quarters (dish washing, cleaning, shoveling, etc.).  Though everyone pitches in whenever they can, each day a particular person is assigned “house mouse” duties.  It’s a day off from their non-essential normal duties, where they lead in the house chores.  It is my turn on Monday.
Before I end today, I thought I’d give you an idea of the general layout of the station.  There are a number of buildings on the site including “The Green House” (long term and winter crew quarters), “tent city” (the Arctic Ovens), a workshop, “The Big House” (kitchen, dining, and common room), a workout room, and a couple small science facilities.  These buildings sit in about a thousand foot radius just southeast of a three mile snow airstrip which is used by the C-130s and sometimes Twin Otters to ferry crew and cargo between Kanger and Summit.

If you would like to learn more about the station or check current conditions you can visit: www.summitcamp.org

The Big House

An Arctic Oven with a sense of humor.

The journey to Summit Station takes several days and follows the same route as Von’s trip last summer.  Starting in Spokane we traveled to Albany, New York.  From there, the New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing (ANG) flew us to Greenland on a C-130.  The plane stopped halfway in Goose Bay, Labrador to refuel and then continued on to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (67 N 51 W).  “Kanger” is a small town (~600 people, mostly Inuit and some Danish) and a commercial airport near the west coast of the island just north of the Arctic Circle.  Kanger is where I am now.  We stay here for a day awaiting the final leg of the trip to Summit.  At the moment, we are experiencing some considerable wind which has blown up a lot of dust.  I was planning to hike to a nearby lake, but I’ll have to wait inside for a while.  I’ve decided that this is a good opportunity to fill you all in on the Idaho to Summit journey.

While in Kanger we are staying with Kangerlussuaq International Science Support (KISS).  Until the wind picked up an hour ago, we have had pretty nice weather.  It’s been mostly overcast, but the temperatures have been around 50 F.  Last night after dinner we took a walk along the river that empties into the Kangerlussuaq Fjord at the edge of town.  The river is pretty low right now, but will pick up considerably as the summer progresses.

Earlier today I traveled to Kellyville about 20 km away (to the end of what was, and still may be, the longest road in Greenland).  A large radar run by the Stanford Research Institute International (SRI) is there.  Some ICECAPS collaborators are testing a LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) at the site which will come up to Summit next week.

Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, we fly (again with the ANG) to Summit 250 km or so to the north east.

Back on the plane in Goose Bay.

The KISS building (red) in Kanger.

Kangerlussuaq Fjord

These are scattered about Kanger. They are empty rockets that were attached to C-130s for snow take-offs in case the snow is sticky. Presumably they are now used for spent cigarettes, or maybe just for decoration.

Looking into Kanger from the north side of the runway.

Hello Readers,

My name is Chris.  I am a PhD student in the Environmental Science program here at UI.  Over the next several years I will be working with a team of atmospheric scientists from the Universities of Idaho, Colorado (Boulder), and Wisconsin (Madison) studying atmospheric properties over the Greenland Ice Sheet.  The project is called ICECAPS (“An Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit”).  The goal is simple, but the task is far from it.  We are seeking to build a series of high temporal resolution data sets of atmospheric measurements using ground-based remote sensing instruments.  In situ measurements of the atmospheric column will be provided by radiosondes (weather balloons) that will be launched twice every day.  These data will be used by the project and by the greater scientific community to study the thermodynamic state of the atmosphere, as well as the radiative and physical properties of clouds and precipitation.  The site at which this will all happen is called Summit Station (72 N, 38 W).  Summit is a small research station located near the geographical center of Greenland at an elevation of 3200 m (10,500’), marking the top of the ice cap.
As some of you may remember (see previous posts) Dr. Von Walden of UI Geography (the project’s Principle Investigator) made a site visit in July and August of last year.  The station is small and our project is large, requiring a whole new building to be constructed to house our instruments.  Dr. Walden made the trip to help direct the preparation and logistics for the project.  Greenland is now emerging from the long winter and it is time to get busy and get the ICECAPS data rolling!  This is where my role begins.  As an early career scientist I am very excited to have the opportunity to do some field work.  I will be at Summit for several weeks from the middle of May through early June 2010 to assist with the deployment.  There is much to do, including integrating the various instruments into the building, getting them running order, setting up the network which will monitor and archive the data, setting up for our radiosonde launches, training our station “techs” on unfamiliar instruments, and, of course, doing our duties as members of the station as a whole.  In late winter of next year I will return to serve as the ICECAPS station tech for several months.
In addition to my colleagues from our collaborating institutions, I am joined by another UI team member, Brad Halter.  Brad will stay on through August as ICECAPS first station tech.

- Christopher J Cox