Sunset from the field cabin in Healy, AK.
And so…Shovel Week 2013 at CiPEHR comes to a close.
The Shovel Crew standing at Plot C on piled snow at the end of Shovel Week at Carbon in Permafrost Experimental Heating Research Site. Left to right, John Krapek, Field Tech., Elizabeth Webb Researcher, Ted Schuur, PI CiPEHR, Catherine Johnston, Schuur Lab. Assoc., Verity Salmon Grad. Student, Kirsten K. Coe, Post-Doc and Site Manager, Thomas Lane, PolarTREC Tchr.
From this:
Snow level prior to Shovel Week at Plot B on the CiPEHR Site. In the distance I am measuring snow depth with John Krapek (field tech.).
http://youtu.be/Nza9gxBpwC8 Notice in the video I'm slurring words, my lips are frozen!
to this:
Snow level after Shovel Week at Plot B on the CiPEHR Site. Notice John (field tech.) and I removed the fences. This is to prevent snow buildup on the warming part of the experiment.
http://youtu.be/rx5a9W-I-0A
The way I figure it approximately 1300 cubic meters of snow was moved by hand 30 meters through snow that was mid thigh deep in places. That’s the equivalent of an area the size of 21 average homes being moved 100 feet while post-holing through 2 foot deep snow. This process took 9 people shoveling 6-8 hours a day a little over 4.5 days. Temperatures for the first couple of days with wind chill were -20 to -25F. Day Two featured a mini-blizzard. 5-6 inches of new snow accumulated which then after piling against the freshly shoveled fences had to be removed.
The Team:
Kristen K. Coe (Post- Doc. and Site Manager) and Ted Schuur (Principal Investigator) ready for shoveling.
Elizabeth Webb the researcher hosting me at CiPEHR gives the thumbs up to shovel week.
Verity Salmon (Grad. Student from Schuur Lab. University of Florida) with frozen eyelashes enjoying shoveling week.
Catherine Johnston field tech. last year at CiPEHR returned to help shovel.
Field Technician John Krapek is standing shovel ready at CiPEHR.
Here I am on a cold day during shovel week.
Shovel machine Jamie Hollingsworth overheating on the job.
Brian Charlton with Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research University of Alaska-Fairbanks helping out.
JJ Neville a local musher from Healy, AK. helping out shoveling at CiPEHR.
Caleb Johnson from Denali Park Education Center came over to help.