So what is daily life like for a PolarTREC teacher with the REU Svalbard, 2014 team?
Here is a typical day:
5 AM- I wake up, not because I set my alarm, but because I just do. It is still day outside. The sun never set. I have really adjusted to sleeping through the day, however and am having no problems.
My little room is comfy.
5:10 AM- My dorm building has a little kitchen so I trot on down and heat up some water for my Starbucks instant coffee.
The kitchen where I make my coffee
5:30 to 6:15ish AM- I answer emails, comment on my journals, post journals, etc. (OK, look at Facebook :)
This is the building where I am living.
6:30ish AM- Time to get my treadmill on. I choose this over running with a rifle outside. The gym is in the same building as my room which is super convenient.
Pretty nice gym. I always have the place to myself.
7:30 AM- Quick shower and head over to breakfast. The food here is delicious. But if you stay long enough, you start to notice "casseroles" that are simply made up of a combination of what you had a few days ago. "Leftovers casserole?" Also, the breakfast entrees can be interesting. This morning it was meatballs and beans. Huh. But there is always a variety of fresh breads, jams, cereals and yogurts.
The delicious breakfast spread
8:15- Head down to the King's Bay Marinlaboratorium. This is where we have our lab set up. Here, I continue to work and interact with the students until we all meet to go over the day's plan. The "plan" determines who will go in each boat, what the data collection plan for the day will be, what takes priority and where each boat is going to go.
King's Bay Marinlaboratorium
10:00- I suit up and head down to the dock. This takes awhile because I layer up and the suits are difficult to don. I feel like an astronaut while wearing one. Additionally all of the equipment has to be organized and carried down to the dock. The students are responsible for their science equipment. I get the radio, satellite phone, extra batteries, first aid kit, flare gun, rifle and GPS.
The dock where we load each morning
10:00 to 10:30- I pilot the Stromlinjet "down fjord" to Kronebreen glacier with the other two boats. This can take 20 minutes on a day when the water is ice free to over an hour when much of the fjord is clogged with ice.
Heading down fjord. Julie's boat as viewed from mine.
10:30 to 5:00 PM- We are out doing our work. My job includes getting us and keeping us "on station" during measurements. I also log data for the students in their notebooks: time of measurement, time of drop or pick up, latitude, longitude and depth. I blab a little, watch calving events, offer as much guidance as I can, take pictures, laugh at jokes, soak in the scenery and have a few philosophical discussions. Overall- can't think of a better way to spend a day! I eat the lunch that I packed at breakfast when I can. I use a radio to touch base with the other two boats because we are often out of sight of each other.
This is where we get to work. That huge iceberg just calved off the glacier!
Me and the boys
6:00PM- I return to the dock with the other boats. I do a quick check of the propellor, shut everything down, make sure the lines are secure and then I have to gas up. I lug a couple of 10 gallon jugs of gasoline from the end of the dock, open up the tank and pour it in. This is all kind of clumsy in the big suit.
7:00- We get late dinner because we missed regular dinner time. Tonight- meatloaf and potatoes! One of my favorites and I'll look forward to the leftover casserole later in the week. I might even see this again for breakfast!
This is where all the meals are served.
Inside the dining hall
8:00- I head back to the Marinlaboratorium where I find some of the students downloading their data and uploading it to the group drive. It is easy to work late because the sun never goes down. I have to be conscious of getting enough sleep. We discuss preliminary plans and meeting time for tomorrow morning.
My workspace in the marinlaboratorium
10:00- Back at my room, I answer emails and post comments on my journals again as well as organize any pictures I took for the day and maybe write another journal. I get in bed. It's been a great day.
STATS: Number of days working out on the water in a row: 12
Number of CTD casts made in the Stromlinjet: 90
Number of gravity core attempted (Stromlinjet): 15
Number of sediment traps dropped off/recovered (Stromlinjet): 30 (some were lost)
“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.” ― Thomas Jefferson
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