How about a peek into a day in the life of Svalbard REU? At this point of the expedition, we've gotten into a "routine" that's anything but routine given the nature of field research. Here we go...7AM: Wake up
8AM: Enjoy a Norwegian style breakfast buffet & pack a big lunch (up to 5 sandwiches for some, only 1 for me), including filling a thermos with hot tea, and finalize plans for the day. Dress for the day (base/skin layer, middle layer, and outwear), and pack a variety of clothing for the day because the weather here is like in Cape Cod, it changes every 10 minutes, although it is much colder here!
Our breakfasts include an array of cereals, cold cuts, breads, crackers, etc.
9:15AM: Muster around the garage while gathering supplies and equipment. At this point the students know what data they need to collect, and are gathering specific supplies for the field. Firearms and communication devices are distributed.
9:30-10:45 AM: Begin the 5km hike to the boats at the northwest side of the lake and take the boat to the south side of the lake. While hiking talk about anything and everything, tell a joke, sing a song, etc. Stop to take a picture or pick up something cool. Put on Gortex for the boat ride since it's guaranteed to be a soaker (especially for those in the red boat!) and it's very cold on the water.
10:45AM: Divide into teams, reconfirm that each team has a walkie talkie, rifle, and flare gun along with necessary supplies and equipment. Hike to work area which could be the Lake Linne using boats, Linne Glacier, Lake Kongress, or any of the Little Ice Age moraines in the Linne Valley. Change clothing to accommodate the work of the afternoon. This may mean putting on Muck boots, adding a layer to the top (or taking on off), adding a hat, etc...
Jesse and Kristen dressed for stream work.
Between noon and 1PM: Stop working and eat lunch. Find the lee side of the hut, or boulder to stay warm while eating. Enjoy the warm tea on a cold day. At noon, 1PM, and every hour on the hour, use the walkie talkie to contact other teams.
Keeping warm at lunch and eating enough is a priority.
1PM-5:30PM: Continue working in the field, and be sure to be back at the boats by 5:30PM. Working in the field could mean gathering sediment or rock samples, changing out sensors, measuring stream discharge, measuring the ablation of the glacier, digging snow pits, climbing moraines for altimeter data, measuring the size of a snow field, etc. Graze on leftover lunch items as needed throughout the afternoon.
5:30PM: Hop on the boat to head back to the station. Climb an obnoxious hill and start the 5km hike back to the station.
Al and Megan thinking about the warm and delicious dinner waiting for them at the end of the day.
6:45PM: Arrive back at the station and if back early get a shower. Total km hiked - at least 14 for everyone, and up to 20 for some.
7PM: Enjoy a wonderful and very filling dinner - more on that in a future journal entry.
Dinners at the station are family style with platters and platters of food
8:30PM: Download and discuss the data from the day and also a discussion on the activities for the next day.
Our lab (or workspace) is a section of one of the buildings.
11PM: Light's out (oops! not here in the Arctic summer where we have 24 hours of daylight!).
Of course this is pretty generic and doesn't include the challenges of working in the field that would throw this schedule totally out of whack. For instance, a hike to the Linne Glacier usually means an extra hour out in the field. Missing equipment parts means returning at a later date to perform the same task. The weather (rain, fog, mist) and landscape (boulders, deep streams, deep mud, snowfields) pose challenges that must be contended with, and may slow a team down in getting to their desired tasks. Would we swap any of this for a typical office job? No way!
Challenge of the day: What would you pack for a day in the field?