Today really felt like we were in the Arctic!! Our first couple of days here were actually beautiful. It was sunny, the winds were light, and the temperatures got up to 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit during the "heat of the day." This morning, however, a low pressure system moved through, causing a fairly drastic change in the weather.
When I got up at 6 AM, it was still fairly nice. But, by 7:30 AM, it had changed significantly. There were snow showers, the wind was blowing at 27 knots (about 31 MPH), and the visibility was greatly reduced. Unfortunately, this meant that it was too dangerous for us to travel out to our drilling site. The flags that lead us out to our drilling site are spaced at about 100 meters apart. Visibility was less than 100 meters which posed a danger to the team.
The building pictured is only a couple hundred meters away, but the blowing snow has reduced visibility.
Science at Summit Station
Summit Station is a National Science Foundation (NSF) facility. This means that the main goal of the station is to support scientists and scientific endeavors. One way they do so is by hosting research teams such as ours. Another way they achieve their goal is by ongoing scientific data collection and transmission.
Since we were at the station for the day, I spent much of the morning with Marci Beitch, one of the science technicians (you can read more about her in her Polar Profile below). I accompanied her through her morning rounds of checking and maintaining the equipment.
The first thing we did was launch a weather balloon. A weather balloon is launched every morning and night to collect and transmit atmospheric data back to the station. The first step was to activate and calibrate the data collection device that hangs under the balloon. Once this was done, we blew up the balloon using helium. Finally, we attached the sensor (on a long piece of line) to the bottom of the balloon, and then took it outside to launch it.
Science Technician Marci Beitch launches a weather balloon to gather atmospheric data.
As the balloon rises, it measure the temperature, pressure, and humidity of the air. The sensor also has a GPS built in so that it can report its location. The balloon will continue to report this information as it passes through the troposphere. As it gets higher, the air pressure around the balloon goes down, meaning that the balloon gets bigger and bigger. Eventually, at about 28,000 meters (or about 16 miles) above sea level, the balloon will pop. All of the data collected is used by scientists at various facilities. It is also sent to a global weather collection center to help with forecasting and tracking weather around the globe.
As the weather balloon rises, it sends back data in realtime.
After the balloon launch, we went to check several sensors that are located near the station. This is a cold endeavor when the winds are blowing as much as they were today! There is a vast array of sensors located in and near the Mobile Science Facility (MSF), a building here on Summit Station. This is where Marci works out of and where most of the sensor data is collected for transmission.
The Mobile Science Facility houses the computers and other equipment that gather and process the data from the various ICECAPS sensors.
There are a number of systems that capture and process data in the Mobile Science Facility at Summit Station.
PolarTREC teacher Steve Kirsche gets to see the scientific equipment located on top of the Mobile Science Facility at Summit Station.
There is a field of snow located near the MSF which remains undisturbed. In it, there are sensors that record the solar energy coming down from the sun. It also reflects the infrared energy that is reflected back up into the sky. This gives scientists a good idea of whether more energy is being absorbed or reflected from the Sun's rays.
This sensor contains cameras and lights to take pictures and record snowflakes that pass through it.
Polar Profile
Name: Marci Beitch
Job Title: Science Technician (Primarily working on the ICECAPS project)
Marci Beitch is the main technician to help keep the ICECAPS sensors operating properly and reporting their data.
Home: Santa Cruz, CA
Length of Time Working in Polar Regions: Marci has worked in both the Arctic and Antarctic since 2012.
Length of Current Assignment to Summit Station: Marci has been here since mid-May and will be leaving in late July (a total of about 10 weeks).
Job Description: Marci's job is to be the hands in the field for the scientists who collect data from Summit Station. She maintains the continuous collection of weather and atmospheric data.
Favorite Part of Working at Summit Station: Marci says that her favorite part of working here is the people. She also enjoys living in and experiencing such an extreme place. She feels privileged to be part of a small group of people who get to study and do science in Polar regions.
Hardest Part of Working at Summit Station: Marci says the hardest part of working here is that you can't go home if need be. She also misses trees!
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