Sunday a Day of Rest?
It's Sunday and for most people this is a day of rest. But not for this research team!!! We went out on to the tundra for most of the afternoon. It was another beautiful and sunny day. I think my scalp might have gotten even a little bit singed as I had my hair cut really short before I left. The wind is what makes these days so cold; it seems to go through every layer of clothing and chills you to the bone. Especially in this cold weather I find it really hard to stay hydrated as I don't want anything to drink.
Look at all of those basins!
Today Elliot and I went to set up the equipment at the Old basin. We had a general idea where the basin was located. We set off with our sled full of over 100 pounds of equipment in search of the red flag which indicated where the basin was located. However, the basin was not located where he thought it was and so we had to search for the basin. This search was like the proverbial "needle in a haystack". If you look at the picture above with all of the wet areas still covered in ice, these are all basins. Imagine walking through all of them, pulling a sled with over 100 pounds of equipment and trying to find the correct basin. It was not the most pleasant experience. Elliot and I took turns pulling the sled (got my workout for the day) and we finally found the basin after ½ hour of searching and being about ½ mile from where he thought it was going to be located.
Is that a work horse? No, it's just Jim pulling the sled with over 100 pounds of equipment across the tundra!
After we set up the equipment we had some down time so I took a tundra nap! Yep, took a nice little nap right there in the middle of the tundra. It was great! When I woke up Elliot and I finished our data collection. As I was walking back to get my backpack there was a bird acting like it was hurt. Many birds will act hurt if you are too close to their nest to try and lure you away from their eggs/young. I found the nest right on the ground in a little mound of grass. The 4 speckled eggs seemed to be fake as they sat perfectly in the nest. What a great find!
Nest with 4 eggs I found in the middle of the tundra. Doesn't it look fake?!?
Papa Bird - This bird is called a Dunlin and is a male because it is more colorful than the female.
Fact of the Day
Yesterday's Question: In most places in the U.S., a lot of homes are heated by propane. Why can't propane be used to heat homes here in Barrow?
Answer: Propane cannot be used to heat homes here in Barrow because it gets below -44 degrees. Why is that important you might ask? At -44 degrees propane goes through a physical change from a gas to a liquid and therefore cannot be used to heat the homes here in Barrow.
Today's Fact: Alaska is larger than the 4 largest states, combined!
One of the few flowers that are blooming at this point in the summer.
Inuit word of the day
Yesterday's Word: Imek = Water! Did you get it right?
Today's Word: Qikturiaq - Hint: These will bite you in the summer! What is the word of the day?