Journal Entry

Stops and Starts

After many stops and starts (a game of “Chutes and Ladders” according to Julie’s husband, Roger!), we have finally arrived in the Arctic research station of Ny Ålesund!

On Thursday, we flew up to Longyearbyen. The flight was spectacular! We flew across many glaciers, including one that is surging, which means that it is temporarily moving moving forward at an accelerating pace. (Most glaciers these days are retreating, but some will temporarily surge forward. Note that this is almost definitely a process that will soon end, and the surging glaciers will eventually return to the trend of retreat.

Flying over SvalbardOne of the many glaciers we saw as we flew over Svalbard en route to Longyearbyen. This particular glacier is surging! Downtown LongyearbyenOur first afternoon in Svalbard, walking through downtown Longyearbyen. sign at Longyearbyen airportA funny sign at the Longyearbyen airport showing how far various places around the world are from there! Notice that the North Pole (Nordpolen in Norwegian) is only 1309 km away! Reindeer in LongyearbyenOne of the many reindeer we saw in Longyearbyen! Outside Radisson Blu Hotel in LongyearbyenSitting outside the Radisson Blu Hotel in Longyearbyen. Notice the reindeer pelts on the chairs to keep us warm!

We had a lovely evening in the small city of Longyearbyen, and yesterday we woke up excited to finally fly to the research base of Ny Ålesund. After a leisurely breakfast in our hotel, we got to the airport and boarded the tiny plane.

Morning run in LongyearbyenKelly and me on a morning run in Longyearbyen. Plane to Ny ÅlesundThe plane we took to Ny Ålesund.

But when we arrived at Ny Ålesund, the fog was so thick that the pilot couldn’t land. He made two attempts to do so, but because visual flight rules are required here, he had to turn back…

So we had another night in Longyearbyen, where we did get to spend some time with Bates College geologist Mike Retelle who is teaching at the University in Longyearbyen this summer.

Research team with Mike RetelleBecause of our delay, we had a chance to hang out with an old friend of PolarTREC - Mike Retelle from Bates College

To Ny Ålesund!

This morning we were told to get back to the airport quickly because the weather had improved. After a very uneventful flight and textbook landing, we arrived at Ny Ålesund!

Flying over KongsfjordFlying over the glaciers we will be studying, it was immediately obvious to me how much the glacier had retreated in ten years. Ny ÅlesundA panoramic view of the Ny Ålesund research base. View from Ny ÅlesundThe view from Ny Ålesund looking down the fjord towards the glaciers we will be studying.

We got here just in time for lunch - which was wonderful! Lots of options for a vegan like me. There are about 100 or so people staying here right now, mostly other scientists, and we eat cafeteria style. As an extra COVID precaution, our team plus the others on our flight are required to eat at a separate table until Monday. (Besides that and the expectation that we will stay at least 1 meter socially distanced from each other, we are not required to wear masks or any other restrictions.)

Safety Training

Right after lunch we had to participate in required safety training. This is essentially a mini course in how to be safe in Polar Bear country. Stian, who also runs the little airport here, was our instructor. He did a really great job of teaching us the most important things to know about Polar Bears and how to be as safe as possible in case of an encounter.

Then we had to learn how to use flare guns and rifles, just in case we find ourselves in a situation where a Polar Bear is threatening us. This is my second time going through this kind of safety training, and I had really forgotten a lot in the past 10 years! So it was incredibly worthwhile to learn about the guns, practice safely loading and carrying the weapons, and practice firing them.

In safety trainingOur instructor Stian showing us how to load and unload the rifles. (Don’t worry, we weren’t using live ammunition inside!)

We all did really well in the first part of target practice - I actually got almost all my shots in the center part of the target! That, of course, was with all the time we needed to aim and fire. But then we had to practice shooting under time pressure! Stian counted ten seconds and we had to fire four bullets in that time. He chose ten seconds, because that’s the time it takes a polar bear to run 150 meters… Well, I did really badly under pressure. I might need a little more target practice… Actually, the first thing we are instructed to do is to shoot a flare gun, which shoots a very loud cartridge which also releases a bright flare. The hope is that this will scare the bear away so there wouldn’t be a need for the rifle.

Target PracticeXander firing a rifle during target practice Target PracticeKelly firing a flare gun during target practice Target PracticeHere I am proud of my good aim (although this was without any time pressure!)

Here’s a video showing some of our shooting during target practice!

The mood during target practice was very upbeat, and Stian was super supportive and helpful. But he also did an excellent job reminding us how incredibly serious it is to be safe around polar bears. Obviously we don’t ever want to shoot a bear unless it is absolutely necessary, and, in fact, the Norwegian authorities will automatically launch an investigation if there is any shooting of a bear to decide whether it was actually necessary if not. If they decide that someone had any other alternative, the offender will face very stiff fines.

Settling in

Tonight was taco night! So again, we had another scrumptious meal. After that, we had a very thorough orientation led by Vera who runs the Norwegian Polar Institute here (we are renting space and equipment from them). They are very careful about making sure we understand all the risks - polar bears of course, but also making sure we understand procedures about being safe in such a remote area without ready access to emergency rescue or medical services.

Then we had a chance to settle into our rooms. They are really cozy!

Ny Ålesund roomMy cozy room here in Ny Ålesund. I definitely need to begin to unpack tonight!

Tomorrow we will spend time organizing our science gear and planning for the next few weeks.

Whew! We are finally here! I am feeling happy to be back in the Arctic, and thankful to Julie for giving me this amazing opportunity to return to this incredibly special place and to be immersed in science for the next few weeks.

Looking out over the fjordMe, looking very happy to be back in the Arctic!

Comments

Fri, 07/09/2021 - 13:52

Jim BILLINGS

I am so excited for you guys. What a desolate and yet beautiful place.
Have fun, learn a lot and keep us informed!

Fri, 07/09/2021 - 22:38

Mark Goldner

Thanks, Jim! The landscape here is completely breathtaking.
I hope you and Rachel are well!

Fri, 07/09/2021 - 14:41

Wally Lawrence

Hey Mr. Goldner!

I happen you are having a wonderful time on Svalbard. Here’s a quick question: What is the difference in the process of a forward-surging glacier and a retracting glacier?

Fri, 07/09/2021 - 22:37

Mark Goldner

Hi Wally! That's a good question. Most glaciers are in retreat, which means that the front of the glacier is moving back uphill over time. I hope to post some photos in the next few days where you will be able to see the clear retreat of some of the glaciers around here. Since I was here 10 years ago (and Julie has been here several times since 2005) we can simply look at the photos from earlier and compare. Basically, almost every glacier on the planet is retreating because of global warming.

However, glaciers can, for a short period of time, begin to move forward - *surge*. When it surges, a glacier can flow really quickly - even ten or even a hundred times faster than normal. What's important to know, though, is that when a glacier surges, this is temporary. It will eventually slow down and begin to retreat again. The surge can take several years before it goes back to retreat. It looks like one of the glaciers in our study area here near Ny Ålesund may be beginning to surge.

Why glaciers begin to surge is not completely understood. One idea is connected to the water that forms on the base of the glacier (remember in last year's class how we discussed meltwater forming under glaciers?). This water might lubricate the glacier and make it easier to flow.

Sat, 07/10/2021 - 09:00

Giulia Taranto…

Mr.Goldner,
I happy to hear that you have arrived safely, and hearing about all the good food has my stomach rumbling (right now it is around dinner time where I am.) Quick question when a glacier recedes does it move back quickly and if so does it create hills with the sediments that are left behind?
Thank you
Giulia

Mon, 07/12/2021 - 00:00

Mark Goldner

Hi Giulia, your question is an excellent one! Glaciers grind up rock as they flow over the landscape, and they deposit that broken up rock - the sediment - in front of and on the sides of the glacier. These hills of piled up sediment are known as moraines. If a glacier is stable (not receding or surging) then the pile in front of the glacier can get quite large; this is known as a terminal moraine. But, a fast receding glacier will leave much smaller moraines. Sometimes you can see a pattern of moraines created on a regular time scale (such as yearly) which can be used to track the rate at which the glacier is receding. One of the things we hope to be able to observe is any pattern of sediment left behind along the seafloor over the past several years. Also as the glacier recedes features that become exposed to the ocean can change over time. So we will be looking at data back to 2005 to look for changes along the seafloor.

Sun, 07/11/2021 - 08:34

Charlotte Pappas

Mr. Goldner,

Foremostly, from this post, it seems like you are busy after arriving at Ny Ålesund. It is interesting how you saw a glacier that is surging on a flight there, as I know that because of climate change, many glaciers these days are retreating, or moving back, due to their ice melting. I wonder what is the ratio of how many glaciers in the world are currently surging compared to how many glaciers in the world are currently retreating? Moreover, I also wonder if the ratio of the number of glaciers that are currently retreating in the world today is smaller than the number of glaciers that were retreating 100 years ago, around 1921?

Furthermore, I also read about your rifle practice. I personally do not like guns, and it sounds dangerous using them, but I understand that they have to be used at times for safety reasons, such as protecting yourself from a poler bear attack. Therefore, from this information, I am now pondering if there is transmitter dart option that people can use instead of real guns when they are exploring near Ny Ålesund? I am wondering about this question, because I know that transmitter darts are usually able to stop animals from possibly harming people by putting them temporary to sleep, but they also do not kill the animal. Hence, since poler bears are an endangered species, if people use transmitter darts instead of real guns, then it could help prevent some poler bears from getting killed.

That is all my thoughts for now.
Charlotte

Mon, 07/12/2021 - 00:19

Mark Goldner

Hi Charlotte! I don't know the exact answers to your question, but the number of surging glaciers is very very small compared to the number that are receding. It's also important to remember that a surging glacier is not growing - it's just flowing very fast so that its front edge is moving forward. But the total mass of ice is still shrinking due to global warming. (Think of a surging glacier as one that is stretching out rather than growing.)

Also I don't know the number of glaciers that are receding, but it's well known that the total amount of ice is shrinking faster now than it was a hundred years ago.

I can certainly understand your concerns about our use of firearms to defend against polar bears. I am also very uncomfortable around guns, and it was a strange experience to fire a gun. You definitely realize how powerful a gun is when you get a chance to fire one - and we were all trained to fully respect the danger of using them. Also we would only shoot a bear as an absolute last resort - like if the bear is quickly moving towards us. We would first try firing a flare, which would not injure the bear, just scare it away. If that was unsuccessful then we would fire the gun. The problem with your suggestion of a tranquilizer dart is that those take time to take effect, and bears can run really fast - like 150 meters in 10 seconds! But again, the risk is very low - in the entire Svalbard region, fewer than ten bears are shot every year in self defense.

Mon, 07/12/2021 - 05:09

Elliot English

Mr. Goldner,
I am happy for you and your team that you guys finally got out of quarantine. I bet it was fun in Oslo, but what you guys were really looking forward to is the chance to be in the arctic. When I was reading the part about the glaciers surging and receding, I started to wonder what would happen underground after the glacier surged the receded. Maybe an aquifer would form because of all the fresh water melting off the glacier. Maybe nothing would happen besides the glacier leaving sediment.
That is all for now,
Elliot

Tue, 07/13/2021 - 20:54

Mark Goldner

Hi Elliot, great to hear from you! Your question is really interesting. I haven't learned much about how glaciers affect deep water supplies in the rock, such as aquifers like you mentioned. (For those who don't know, an aquifer is a reservoir of water stored in the bedrock or loose material above the bedrock, which forms when water flows down through cracks in the rock or pores in the loose material.) Since glaciers like the ones here are grinding down the bedrock and are a huge source of water, they are sources of water for aquifers. They are also sources of loose gravel and other smaller sediment that can store water. Most of the aquifer water in New England, for example, was likely supplied by glaciers during the ice ages. So I am sure that the recession of glaciers will have an effect on the amount of water that is stored, and also sources of loose sediment available to store water. I imagine this is also dependent on the specific conditions in a specific location, and I don't know enough about the specific geology here. I'll ask around here to see if I can find out more information to answer your question.

Mon, 07/12/2021 - 10:29

Lexi Tringas

Hello Mr. Goldner,
I hope you are having a great time in the arctic. I was wondering what might cause a glacier to surge forward instead of backward, and if it has any affects on how the water moves inside the glacier? See you in the fall!
- Lexi Tringas

Tue, 07/13/2021 - 20:58

Mark Goldner

Hi Lexi, nice to hear from you! Great question. What you need to know is that a surging glacier is something temporary. Glaciers worldwide are retreating because of a warming atmosphere and a warming ocean. Sometimes they will surge forward - but they are not growing in that case. They are, in a sense, stretching out. So the total mass of the glacier is still going down. Mostly what would cause a glacier to do this is an increase in meltwater at the bottom of the glacier; the glacier is being lubricated by this extra water so it can flow faster. So while it may appear as if the glacier is growing, it's actually related to the fact that the glacier is shrinking, because as the air and ocean warm, there is more meltwater which can cause the glacier to surge.

Mon, 07/19/2021 - 04:08

Ionait Mulligan

It's very interesting to hear about all the training you had to do, and the section about glaciers surging forward and receding caught my eye -- how many glaciers surging forward are there in comparison to receding glaciers? Are there any major differences between surging forward and receding glaciers, other than the direction they move? I also found it intriguing to learn about polar bears, and the protection methods in place. How likely is it that you encounter a polar bear?

Tue, 07/20/2021 - 04:11

Mark Goldner

Hi Ionait, great to hear from you! You're asking important questions about the differences between glaciers. What's important to know is that all glaciers are, in the long run, receding. Sometimes, they temporarily surge forward for a period of months or years, but eventually they will revert back to receding. This is because as the atmosphere and ocean are warming, the amount of ice covering the Earth is shrinking. When glaciers surge, they are not growing - it's more like they are stretching out and flowing faster. In fact, when a glacier is surging it can be a sign that it's melting faster - somethings the meltwater under the glacier helps lubricate it so it can move faster (surge forward). I hope that makes sense!

It's not that likely that we will encounter a polar bear. In fact, I've only seen two (together - a mother and cub) once, and from a safe distance and the safety of a building. (If you haven't seen my video of that, [here it is[(https://youtu.be/3c4Q4FpmEnY). When we're out on the fjord in boats, it's possible - but unlikely - that we will encounter a swimming polar bear. In that case, the risk is quite low. As far as I know there haven't been any documented cases of bears attacking humans on a motorboat. When we're on land (such as yesterday when I had to go searching for my drone), the risk is, of course, higher, but still pretty low. We are always in radio contact with the Norwegian Polar Institute here in Ny Ålesund, just in case something happens. And about once a day we hear a bulletin over the radio that someone has spotted a polar bear, somewhere in a 20km or so distance from here. And so far, all of those sightings have ended peacefully.

Mon, 08/09/2021 - 14:14

Asher

Dear Mr.G, what made you want to go on this trip? What influenced you? What scientific things were you hoping to see? I can't wait to see you this year
- Asher

Tue, 08/17/2021 - 06:13

Mark Goldner

Hi Asher, thanks for your question! I have always had a fascination for polar locations, like Greenland and Antarctica. I guess I've been intrigued by the stark landscape, and as someone who loves winter the idea of a landscape dominated by ice sounded very appealing! When I first went to Svalbard, back in 2011, I applied generally to PolarTREC which places teachers in a variety of polar locations. I didn't really get a choice as to where I went. But I fell in love with the landscape there, and have been eager to get back. Perhaps just as importantly, I see that this type of research is so important - we need to understand what is happening to our planet as a result of climate change, and we need to communicate with the wider world that this is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Finally, I have so much respect for Dr. Brigham-Grette, and I was really eager to reconnect with her and to get the opportunity to work with her again!

Fri, 08/27/2021 - 16:28

Thomas Ryan Kee

Dear Mr G,

Hello. Why has it become a trend for glaciers to retreat and not serge? Is this due to climate change or is this a natural thing that has been happening for thousands of years? When you were being trained to shoot firearms, what kind of rifle did you use? I hope you don’t run across any polar bears on your ventures!

( I am a new student at Heath and so I could not participate in this assignment during July)

Hope you have fun!

From,
Thomas Kee

Sun, 08/29/2021 - 11:04

Mark Goldner

Hi Thomas, welcome to Heath! Thank you for reading my blog and asking your questions. (No worries about doing it later!) The reason that glaciers are retreating is basically because the atmosphere and the oceans are warming. So it is harder and harder for ice to remain frozen. You have to understand that a glacier forms in a region where snow builds up and doesn't completely melt over the summer. So now there are more areas where the snow will melt over the summer, so the area under which ice can remain gets smaller and smaller. In addition, where glaciers meet ocean water, as the ocean warms that water will accelerate the melting of those glaciers.
The other thing to understand is that when glaciers surge they aren't really growing - they are just sort of stretching out. So the total volume of ice might actually be getting less even as it appears to be getting bigger.
As to your question about the rifle, we used a pretty simple hunting rifle that holds 4 cartridges (bullets) at a time. But we also had a flare pistol, which you would use to try to scare away the bear before you had to actually shoot it.

Sat, 08/28/2021 - 15:29

Andrew Flint

Hi Mr. Golder,
I saw in one of your earlier comments that you said that forward-surging glaciers can move uphill, how do they do that? Does pressure cause them to move uphill or something?

-Andrew

Sun, 08/29/2021 - 11:06

Mark Goldner

Hi Andrew, thanks for your question! I guess I didn't explain very well what I meant by "uphill". When glaciers are retreating, they are still flowing downhill, but the terminus (the end of the glacier) would, over time, move uphill. This is just because as it gets warmer the edge of where the glacier can stay frozen moves up to a higher altitude. This wouldn't happen with a surging glacier, but the surge is temporary - maybe only a couple of years - and then it would resume its retreat back up hill. I hope that makes sense!

Sat, 08/28/2021 - 15:38

Andrew Flint

Hi Mr. Goldner,

What would happen if a glacier moved downhill to a place where it couldn't move out of. Kind of like how water cannot flow out of a bowl. Would the glacier just keep getting snow and getting bigger until it could move out?

-Andrew

Sun, 08/29/2021 - 11:08

Mark Goldner

Hi Andrew, that's a great question! There is actually lots of evidence of this happening, and your guess is pretty accurate! The glacier might carve out a bowl-type feature with lots of ice and sediment piled up at the edge. If the glacier was advancing (getting bigger) then eventually the ice would "spill out" over the bowl and continue to advance. I'll see if I can find some good examples of this kind of thing being exposed by glaciers that have retreated. Remind me when I see you later this week!

Tue, 08/31/2021 - 06:43

Jad Torres

Hi Mr. Goldner,

I really enjoyed reading about the trip to Ny Ålesund. Reading about the safety precautions you had to take before exploring the glaciers was Interesting. A question that I have is are most of the glacier now just turned into water? Has this caused the water level to rise in Ny Ålesund? Another question that I have is did you see any polar bears with looking at glaciers?

- Jad

Tue, 08/31/2021 - 08:59

Mark Goldner

Hi Jad, thanks for your questions. In terms of how much of the glacier is gone, it's still only a small percentage of ice that has been lost. So that's good news - if we can really move quickly as a society to limit our carbon dioxide emissions hopefully we'll be able to preserve a lot of the ice that is still left.

One of things to realize is that when the ice melts, the water flows into the ocean and then spreads around the globe. It's like a bathtub - if you fill up in one spot the entire bathtub level goes up. The same goes with the ocean. So it's important to understand that when glaciers melt, the sea level will rise everywhere - even here in Boston...

The only time we actually saw polar bears was from the safety of a laboratory building in Ny Ålesund. We never saw any while we were out in the boats, but almost daily we would hear other scientists doing other work report sightings of polar bears over the two way radio that we had with us!

Tue, 09/07/2021 - 13:53

Sumedha Jalan

Hi Mr.Goldner,
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Ny Ålesund. I was just wondering one thing, you guys did safety training, like using flair guns and rifles. Did you ever get into a situation where you were being threatened by a polar bear?

Wed, 09/08/2021 - 15:28

Mark Goldner

Hi Sumedha, the short answer is no. But we were out in a boat most of the time, which is a pretty rare place to encounter polar bears. We did hear, almost daily, of polar bear sightings by other scientists. But fortunately for them as well, they never had to fend off the bears with weapons.

Mon, 09/13/2021 - 18:22

Kameron Williams

Hi Mr Goldner, What would cause the glacier to move forward and not backwards.

Tue, 09/14/2021 - 16:55

Mark Goldner

Hi Kameron, great question! So, the first thing you need to know is that a glacier is ice that is created due to snow falling and piling up. Because it's so cold in the Arctic, much of that snow never melts in the summer. So over many many years the snow piles up and is compressed into solid ice. More ice piles up in higher elevations, like in mountains. So gravity pulls that ice downhill and it flows. In some places it will flow all the way to the ocean.

Because of global warming, the air temperature and ocean temperature are rising, so that means that less and less of the ice will stay frozen all year. So, over time, the edge of the glacier retreats backwards. That's known as glacier retreat. But the glacier is still flowing downhill - just that the end of the glacier is slowly moving backward. Make sense?

Also, some glaciers can, at times surge forward which means that they begin to flow really fast and their edge will go forward instead of backward. What you need to know is that a surging glacier is something temporary. Glaciers worldwide will all eventually retreat because of a warming atmosphere and a warming ocean. Sometimes they will surge forward - but they are not growing in that case. They are, in a sense, stretching out. So the total mass of the glacier is still going down.

Mostly what would cause a glacier to do this is an increase in meltwater at the bottom of the glacier; the glacier is being lubricated by this extra water so it can flow faster. So while it may appear as if the glacier is growing, it's actually related to the fact that the glacier is shrinking, because as the air and ocean warm, there is more meltwater which can cause the glacier to surge.

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