Today was a wonderful day! We had a boat tour of the the area, and got a chance to observe up close the glaciers that we'll be studying. I love being in boats, and the weather was absolutely perfect - bright sunshine all day, and the temperature was about 45º. There was a light breeze, and with the movement of the boat it got a bit chilly out there. But as cold-loving people like to say, "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing..."
REU students suit up for their first boat excursion. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.
So we suited up in our survival suits (gotta wear those every time we're on the water) and Steinar Aksnes, one of the Norwegian Polar Institute guys, took us around (he drove one boat while Ross drove another). In addition to touring the nearby glaciers, Steinar took our boat into a little cave!
Steinar Aksnes, our driver for the day
Our boat in a little cave. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.
We stopped at the front of several large glaciers. It was amazing for me to see live what I've only read about and seen in videos. The front of the ice is really beautiful beyond words – unlike a rock face, you really get a sense that this is a moving and changing entity. The colors range from clean white to blue to brown (where there are sediments).
Ice front
Edge of a glacier. You can see the sediments along the edge - these sediments that build up along the side of the glacier are called a lateral moraine.
A medial moraine, which is where two glaciers meet
Seeing blue ice for the first time was amazing. (Anyone have any guesses as to why glacier ice can sometimes appear blue?) We could see the various moraines (piles of debris in and near glaciers). I will be writing at length about moraines in a subsequent blog post, so stay tuned...
Here I am enjoying the ride. Photo courtesy of Julie Brigham Grette
Unfortunately we didn't see any glaciers calving, which is when chunks of the glacier fall off and become icebergs, but since we're here for the next few weeks it's inevitable that we'll witness some good calving events. (Hopefully I'll capture a good one on video!)
We were also able to see numerous icebergs. They are really so unique – they seem to have their own personalities. Julie had us stop next to one particularly blue glacier which was covered in straight grooves called rills. These form when there is a fast moving stream under the glacier – when it hits the front of the glacier it flows up (because the water is fresh and has a lower density than the salt water in the ocean). The fast, upward flowing water cuts the rills into the glacier.
Iceberg with rills visible
Steinar takes us up onto one of the icebergs so we can observe its features. That's me up front taking photographs! Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.
An iceberg from the bottom of the glacier. Notice how brown it is, which means it holds a great deal of sediment.
Today we had a chance to see some of the wildlife that exists around here. As we drove along a rocky cliff we observed a rookery of what must have been several thousand kittiwakes, a common bird seen here. Below them were a few reindeer grazing on the plants that grow there. Probably the plants were so plentiful because of all the bird poop fertilizing the ground!
The REU boat in a 'sediment plume.'
Kittiwake resting on an iceberg
Kittiwake flying in front of a glacier
Kittiwake rookery on a rocky cliff. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.
Reindeer feeding on vegetation below the rookery. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.
In front of the ice front. Note the brown water, signifying a large amount of sediment in the water.
One of the highlights was seeing a bearded seal!
Bearded seal and birds
Bearded seal resting on an iceberg
As we approached Kongsbreen glacier, we saw another boat. In the boat was Geir Gabrielsen, a bird expert who spends a lot of his time up here in Ny Ålesund. Geir spent some time explaining to us the work he does with birds and what he's noticed about their behavior in recent years and how bird behavior seems to change with changes in water temperature (as a result of changing climate). In years where warmer water comes in from the Atlantic, there seems to be more food for the birds and more bird activity.
Liz enjoying today's excursion
After all this sightseeing, we headed back to Ny Ålesund for an afternoon of rest before our real work begins!
Julie bundled up for the ride
Iceberg