Fogged in
Today we made a valiant effort to go out to the fjord. After a late brunch we got out in the boat around noon, but had to turn back as a thick bank of fog shrouded the glaciers. It’s just not safe to go out in the fog, given the dangers of icebergs, falling ice if you get too close to the glacier face, and the possibility (albeit remote) of swimming polar bears. Not to mention how difficult it could be to navigate with no visibility.
Ny Ålesund shrouded in fog
So after a couple of CTD casts further out in the fjord (we are interested in seeing where the warmer Atlantic water is, since the water close to the glacier is still colder than we’d expect at this time of year), we turned around and spent the afternoon in our office space. We have plenty to do - processing bathymetry and CTD data.
But we are getting somewhat nervous about the fact that the fog has settled in, even into the evening. We only really have two more field work days left. (We fly out on Thursday, and need to spend the bulk of Wednesday packing up our gear.) But, as we’ve learned all too well on this trip, unpredictability is the nature of field work!
Live Zoom event Monday!!
We also spent time getting ready for Monday's Zoom event (which we are very excited about!). If you are around - Monday July 16 at 3:30 EDT - please join us. You can register at this link. It will also be recorded if you can't make it.
Thoughts about the Interconnectedness of Nature
As we were working today, I noticed a reindeer slowly making its way through the research base. I made this really nice video from the top of the building where our office is. The reindeer on Svalbard are a subspecies of reindeer found in other parts of the Arctic - they are smaller and more solitary. This is a result of their isolation on the coastline of the islands of Svalbard which hold far fewer resources than in other parts of mainland Europe or North America. Watching this beautiful animal makes me think about how connected geology and biology are in how organisms evolve.
A Svalbard Reindeer munching on the grass in Ny Ålesund.
I’ve also been thinking about how connected animals and other organisms are to the cryosphere (the areas of the globe covered with permanent ice, like much of Svalbard). What would happen to those organisms if the ice disappears?
The ice margin of Kongsbreen Glacier, which has almost entirely retreated out of the ocean. I wonder how that has affected the ecology of the bay in front of the glacier?
Seals haul themselves out of the water onto icebergs to regulate their body temperature. How would the loss of icebergs affect their ability to do this? And polar bears can easily hunt seals when they are on the ice; how would the loss of ice affect the ability of polar bears to hunt seals?
A bearded seal hauled out onto an iceberg in front of Kongsvegen Glacier.
A seal swimming in the water in front of Kongsvegen Glacier.
Certain birds like the ivory gull depend on icebergs for nesting. They look for gravel-covered icebergs to build their nests, which are away from predators like foxes. Other birds, like fulmars and kittiwakes, depend on the upwelling plumes in front of glaciers for food (the cold freshwater coming off the glacier shocks small animals like krill making it easy prey for the birds). What will happen to these birds if glaciers retreat back away from the ocean. In that case no more upwelling plumes and no more icebergs from those glaciers. Organisms all the way up the food chain will be affected. I recently learned that Arctic Skuas raid other birds for their food! They will steal food from kittiwake nests, for example. (In fact, their scientific name is Stercorarius parasiticus which means “parasitic jaeger” because they parasitize other birds!) Without ice, what will happen to those birds?
Several herring gulls on an iceberg in front of Kongsvegen Glacier.
An Arctic Skua flying in front of Kronebreen Glacier looking out over Kongsfjord. (Photo taken by drone!)
As our project begins to wind down, and we go back to our lives in Massachusetts, I am left thinking about how interconnected our world is. On a much larger scale, I am thinking about how connected the Arctic is with the rest of the world. As I am reminded constantly, the decisions we make in our lives and in our society affect the geology - and ecology - of the Arctic. And this will connect back to us - in the form of changing sea levels and changing weather patterns. So, more than ever, we need to act to keep climate change from getting much worse.
Our boat in ice-free water in front of Kongsvegen Glacier. This part of the fjord was covered in ice when I was here ten years ago.
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