This site is located about 6 km from Summit Station and is where the research team is drilling their core samples.
Upcoming Event: There will be a LIVE PolarConnect Event from Summit, Greenland with the team on Tuesday, June 20, 2017. Find out more about the event time and register here.
Much like yesterday, we decided to stay out at the drill site for the entire day to continue making progress on collecting our core samples. Overall, it was a successful day. We did however, experience several long delays when there were problems with the drill.
When drilling through the firn (the old snow that get compacted as it gets buried), the density of the firn changes greatly as you go down. This presents a challenge for the drillers because different drill heads are needed as you go down. When changing, it requires time for the new drill head to cool. Also, the new drill head doesn't always work properly, leading to more delays.
When the delays arose, the research team made the most of the time. We organized our data, took a break from the weather in the shelter tent, and even built a snowman. The snow here is very dry and compacted, meaning that it doesn't stick together. So, a traditional snowman wasn't possible. Instead, we cut cubes out of the snow using a handsaw to make our snowman.
This snowman was created at the drilling site during a break from drilling core samples.
To save the time of travelling back to the camp for lunch, we decided to just eat at the drill site. This was a nice break and a chance to relax and enjoy the company of the rest of the team.
The team takes a break from drilling to enjoy lunch and some social time with each other.
We did find a very interesting layer in one of the cores. It is hard to see, but there is a layer of ice in the picture below that is slightly darker than the other layers. This corresponds to a time in the 1880s when there was a huge melt across Greenland. This melt led to slightly different ice. These sorts of layers in core samples help scientists date the samples and understand changes that occurred in the past.
The slightly darker layer shown in the photo indicates a period of time when there was a general melt in Greenland.
By the end of the day, we had collected about 24 meters of core samples. At about 6:30 PM, we loaded these up on our sled and brought them back to camp where they are stored at -20 degrees Celsius (or lower).
After collecting the core samples, they must be transported back to Summit Station where they can be stored at cold enough temperatures.
Note on Videos
I will be making more videos while up here at Summit Station. But, due to internet issues, I will not be able to post many (if any) of them while here. I will post them all shortly after I leave Summit Station.
Polar Profile
Name: Travis Kamiya
Job Title: Trades Helper
Travis Kamiya works as a trades helper at Summit Station, Greenland.
Home: Durham, North Carolina
Length of Time Working in Polar Regions: Travis has worked in the Arctic and Antarctic since 2007.
Length of Current Assignment to Summit Station: Travis is here for about 2.5 months and will be going home at the end of June.
Job Description: Travis is a general assistant. That means that he works with anyone that is on station. This includes plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and anyone else that needs his help.
Favorite Part of Working at Summit Station: Travis says his favorite part of working at Summit Station is the landscape. He enjoys the beauty of the Arctic including such things as parhelion.
Hardest Part of Working at Summit Station: Travis says that the hardest part of working at Summit Station is the cold. He lives in a tent while here and being in the tent in such extreme cold weather can be hard.
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