19 November, 2008In North Carolina, I awoke this morning to our first "cold" weather of the season - cold enough to freeze a thin crust of ice over my Koi pond. The thin pond ice could not even support the weight of my shoe. This got me thinking about how strong the ice will need to be on Lake El'gygytgyn to support the 180,000 lb dill rig. Latest measurements put Lake E's ice at 30 cm - still too thin!
Morning ice on my Koi pond in Browns Summit, NC
Along with the cold weather, last night I received a long awaited email from Julie Brigham-Grette, the lead scientist on the expedition. After numerous delays and mountains of government paperwork, the final documents have arrived and the local and national governments have granted the final approval to begin drilling. Today was to be the first day of permafrost drilling on the western shore of Lake E. Deep drilling from the lake surface will have to wait until the ice strengthens, but with air temperatures dipping to 0o F, the ice is thickening by approximately 10 cm/week.
Later in the day I had a two hour conference call with Julie. We talked about the scientific results from earlier expeditions to Lake E. Because of its unique location in the Siberian tundra, the climate record from Lake E is important to understanding past Arctic climate change. If we understand the past, we will have a better understanding of current changes in the high Arctic.
I still find myself surprised that I will join this expedition. In just four short months, I will be packing my final bags and leaving for Siberia. I look forward to getting to meet many of you in the next few months. Thanks for virtually participating in the expedition!