June 7, 2008 – Meet "Sat Camp”
We spend our days setting up research equipment and analyzing data at a place called Sat Camp (Satellite Camp). It is named because of its distance from the main camp (~1 km or .6 miles) and is located in the "clean air sector” of Summit Camp (which means no gas vehicles allowed…walking is the mode of transport). The clean air sector is downwind (south) from the generators and heavy equipment and offers unaltered air and clean snow for analysis.
![Home Away From Home Away From Home](/files/members/craig-beals/images/satcampexterior.jpg "Satellite "Sat" Camp is located ~1km south of the main camp. It is filled with scientists and equipment. The yellow tent to the left is the "porta potty".")
Satellite "Sat" Camp is located ~1km south of the main camp. It is filled with scientists and equipment. The yellow tent to the left is the "porta potty".
Five research teams all work together in this small space as they perform various experiments to help answer questions about the atmosphere and snow. The main focus is to see how sunlight changes the compounds in the snow. This data will be analyzed to help understand pollution, climate, and weather, among other things.
Inside Sat Camp (also known as Captain Jack's Shack after Jack Dibbs) researchers are busy pouring over incoming data and monitoring instruments.
The following schools all have scientists (or teachers :) working out of Sat Camp: University of Houston, San Jose State University, University of Maryland, University of New Hampshire, Georgia Tech, University of California-Irvine, University of California – Los Angeles, Billings Senior High School. Most of them are contributing to another blog at http://greenland-2008.blogspot.com , check it out!
My small space in Sat Camp offers an amazing view of the vast Greenland Ice Sheet. Each night as I write in my journal, this is the what I get to see.
Food update:
Lunch – Cheeseburgers, fries, sweet potato fries, salad, and cookies
Dinner – Pizza of all types. Several people went to the kitchen and used various toppings to create their masterpiece. The rest of us got to eat their masterpieces. Also had salad and gooey chocolate brownies.
Stay Warm!!
PS. My lovely, wonderful wife said I should stop using "Stay Warm!!” at the end of my journals. What do you think? Suggestions for something new?