May's a little late, but when the snows first melt in Fairbanks, the parking lot of Creamer's Field - a Waterfowl Reserve managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game - is packed with bird watchers relieved to shrug the winter chill. Creamer's Field, in turn, is packed with birds: cranes and sparrows, robins and mallards, the usual suspects and a few unlikely vagrants.
The snipe, shown sitting atop a paper birch stump, is another of the birds you're likely to find come spring time at Creamer's Field (and evidence that 'snipe hunts' are not, in fact, wild goose chases).
More than just a home to birds and those who adore them, Creamer's Field is also prime territory for spotting flora and fauna typical of the taiga, the forests that abound in the subarctic. Paper birch trees and moose are typical species to spot in the region.
In order to determine what effect moose have on local vegetation, the Department of Fish and Game fenced off a section of land (shown here) after a field burn. As you can see, the vegetation protected from the moose has grown considerably higher than the flora left unprotected.
April and May sees water forming on the ground from river-overflow and melting ice in the soil itself. The surface of the Taiga consists of a mossy material that will literally spring beneath your feet.
Before becoming a wildlife refuge, Creamer's Field was the first dairy in Fairbanks. The owners, aptly named 'Creamer,' braved the elements with their livestock because they knew Fairbanksans would buy fresh milk at a premium price. The field always attracted migratory birds in the spring, and the Creamers' wish was to maintain the property for the birds and enthusiasts.
Karst lakes form in low depressions from melting active layers each spring.
Although it was sunny and in the high 50's on Friday, we had to bundle up for our next stop: the Army Corps of Engineers' Permafrost Tunnel Research Station. Permafrost is underground soil and sediment that stays frozen year round. As climate change occurs, this soil can thaw, and provide problems for structures built above ground. The soil on top of the permafrost is called the active layer, and freezes and melts every year in accordance with the seasons. The depth of this layer also varies with climate change, and this will be the focus of our work on the North Slope this summer.
The permafrost tunnel was built at an old gold-mining site outside of Fairbanks. Now, refrigeration keeps the tunnel at constant -5 degrees C to give researches a glimpse at the frozen world below. Fossils of megafauna are found in the frozen soil, some dating back 14,000 years. Some plant matter found in the frozen soil is so well preserved it still has hints of green chlorophyll. Because this organic matter is now exposed to air, it gives off a sort of sour odor, making visitors well aware it is decomposing.
The Permafrost Tunnel is kept at a constant -5 degrees Celsius in order to maintain research conditions year round. It also smells foul.
This horn protruding from a wall in the permafrost tunnel is the only observable portion of a presumed bison skull. Many fossils are found throughout the frozen soil of the permafrost tunnel - some over 14,000 years old.
Some ice within the permafrost tunnel was found to contain microbacteria over 25,000 years old. When scientists thawed this ice out, the bacteria were still alive, proving to be some of the oldest living organisms on record.
A 'text book example' of an ice wedge: these formations are created whern water in the soil freezes and expands, pushing soil apart on either side. As the ice melts, the larger wedge fills with water, freezes, expands, and further increases and deepens the magnitude of the wedge.
There will be much more material regarding permafrost posted this summer. For the time being, the PolarTREC Conference is coming to close. Expect updates as the expedition draws nigh and we nail down the nitty gritty of our North Slope perma-trek. For the time being, a shout out to Schwarz, Happy Mother's Day to Mom, and farewell from Fairbanks!
Josh
Outside Fairbanks and in front of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline, we're told how many miles lay between us and the Arctic Circle...