We once again stayed in station today. Weather permitting, we will be going out to the drilling site tomorrow to gather a few surface samples that we need. We worked out a system for doing that today.
I also observed lots of the day-to-day operations that happen here. As I've said in previous logs, there are a lot of construction projects underway. Working in these conditions offers challenges that make that kind of work difficult. As you can see in the photo below, operating heavy equipment in snow can lead to unwanted consequences such as getting stuck. Luckily, another piece of equipment was able to tow out the stuck one.
Using heavy equipment in the snow can lead to getting stuck.
GISP 2
Back in 1989, a group of scientists worked with the National Science Foundation to undertake a very difficult project. Their goal was to drill ice core samples all the way from the top of the Greenland ice sheet down to the bedrock underneath. The project was called GISP2 which stands for Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 and was completed here at Summit Station. In fact, that is the reason that Summit Station was developed in the first place.
This pole was placed at the site of the 3000 meter ice core that was drilled from 1989-1993.
The GISP2 project continued for 5 seasons, with the bottom being reached in July 1993. The scientists and drillers drilled through over 3 km (or nearly 2 miles) of ice. The data they collected has been invaluable to trying to understand the past. Within the ice cores, scientists have found layers that indicate past events, air from the past that is trapped in bubbles within the ice, and chemicals in the ice that provide clues to past environments. As a sort of monument to this scientific achievement, a marker was placed within the bore hole and this is located just a few hundred yards from Summit Station.
The Skiway
I have written a little bit about this portion of Summit Station, but I wanted to give some more details about it. The skiway is essentially a very long runway made of snow. The skiway here at Summit Station is 3 miles long and is the longest skiway in the world. The reason that it is so long is that LC-130 aircraft are used to get to and from the station. This plane can weigh over 150,000 pounds when fully loaded. The high weight, combined with the thin air at Summit Station means that such a long skiway is needed. The thin air means that the airplane produces less lift than in denser air. This means that the plane needs space to accelerate to a higher speed.
The 3 mile ski way at Summit Station provides a runway for aircraft that come and go.
It is an ongoing process of keeping the skiway ready for planes to use. Heavy equipment operators regularly groom the skiway to make sure that it is as flat as possible and that is is packed down firmly. Once a week, the firmness is tested to ensure te usability of the skiway.
PolarTREC teacher Steve Kirsche tests the firmness of the skyway using a Rammsonde Penetrometer.
I had the opportunity to help out with this firmness test this morning. The test is done using a Rammsonde Penetrometer. Essentially, this is a long metal rod with a pointed end. The pointed end is put in the runway at several different spots and a 1 kg weight is dropped from a set distance on the top of the rod. The number of drops it takes to drive the rod in 50 cm is recorded. This data is then entered into a computer program that determines whether or not the skiway is suitable for landings.
One other benefit to having the skiway located here in the middle of the Greenland ice sheet is that it can be used as an emergency runway. A few days ago, the station received a call from a C-130 that was flying back to Kangerlussuaq but was running short on fuel. The station here quickly prepped and the plane landed here, got the fuel it needed, and then made it safely back to Kangerlussuaq.
Polar Profile
Name: Marissa Goerke
Job Title: NOAA Science Technician
Marissa Georke works as the NOAA Science Technician at Summit Station. (photo courtesy of Marissa Goerke)
Home: San Diego, California
Length of Time Working in Polar Regions: Marissa has worked in both the Arctic and Antarctic for the last 4 years.
Length of Current Assignment to Summit Station: Marissa is here on a 4 month assignment which will end in late August.
Job Description: Marissa is the eyes and hands on site for 10 long term science experiments. She calibrates, checks, and maintains all of the equipment for these projects.
Favorite Part of Working at Summit Station: Marissa really enjoys working at Summit Station. For her, it doesn't feel like work because she likes what she does so much. She likes the people that she works with and the fact that the work she does is very important in understanding the global climate.
Hardest Part of Working at Summit Station: Marissa says the hardest part of working at Summit Station is the lack of plants and topography.
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