While we were in Fairbanks, Alaska for the PolarTREC Teacher Orientation, we finished the week with “Field Trip” day. We began the day by squeezing into the van and heading to Creamer’s Field, a wildlife preserve and nature center on the former site of a large working dairy. We visited the small visitor’s center and learned about the history of the area. I find it amazing that these dairy farmers could keep cows in an area where winter brings nearly 24 hour darkness and lows averaging -20⁰F!
As we walked the nature trail, we learned that Alaska has no native reptiles and only a few amphibians. And we did meet some famous, or infamous, Alaskan residents – HUGE mosquitoes! People joke that the mosquito is Alaska’s state bird and they are not exaggerating. Luckily, the mosquitoes seemed to like the other teachers more than me. I guess my blood didn’t taste as good! We also learned about “drunken forests,” areas where frozen ground (permafrost) below the active soil layer thaws and the ground starts to collapse. We looked for moose in an area where they are commonly seen, but no luck.
PolarTREC teachers walk the nature trails of Creamer's Field.
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Next we traveled to the CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory) Permafrost Tunnel, a tunnel dug into the side of a large hill by the Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of research. To keep the tunnel stable and frozen year-round, it is cooled to constant -5⁰ C (23⁰ F). We bundled up in our hats, gloves and jackets, as well as the required hard hats. Later we were very glad to be wearing hard hats as the ancient soil sifted down on us from the roof of the tunnel. As we walked down into the tunnel, we traveled through layers of soil which were essentially “layers of time,” from the shallower 10,000 year old layer down through more than 30,000 year old layers. Ancient bones, trees, and grasses were preserved in the layers, often sticking out into the tunnel. A musty odor reminded us of the organic material all around us. Also visible were ice wedges, areas where water filled in cracks in the top active layer and was later frozen and buried. Ice lenses were ancient ponds where water filled in low areas in the soil and later froze. It was amazing to think of the age of the soil, bones, and plants preserved around us!
Anne Marie inside the Permafrost Tunnel where the temperature is maintained at about 23 degrees F.
There are layers of ancient bones buried in the permafrost surrounding the tunnel. Constant temperatures below freezing have preserved the bones, branches, and roots for thousands of years.
Ice lenses in the permafrost formed thousands of years ago when pools of water formed in low lying areas, froze, and were buried over time without melting.
After “defrosting” a bit, we traveled to a viewing point on the Alaskan Pipeline. I never realized how massive the pipes and supports were! The pipeline is above ground to prevent freezing, and the pipes rest unattached on their supports so they can bend and flex as the ground moves slightly when it freezes and thaws through the seasons.
The Alaskan Pipeline was an important achievement in the development of the Alaskan wilderness.
The Alaskan pipeline was constructed with the pipes sitting unattached on their supports so they can flex or move when the ground moves.
We spent the afternoon at the ARCUS offices in Fairbanks where we learned more about their operations and about many ongoing polar research projects. We also visited a great used bookstore where I found 3 books related to Antarctica and a Swedish language course on tape. Lots of summer homework for me!
Finally, we finished the day with a visit to Chena Hot Springs, which is located 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks .This 100 year old resort features a natural outdoor hot springs and the Aurora Ice Museum. The ice museum is housed inside a temperature controlled permanent tent structure which is cooled during summer months. I found it interesting that geothermal energy from the 165 degree hot springs is used to chill the structure. Inside we saw amazing ice carvings, including life size knights jousting on horseback, an ice xylophone that really played music, and ice "hotel rooms" where you can spend the night, paying for the experience of sleeping on an ice bed! We even enjoyed a drink at the ice bar, seated on an ice stool, sipping from an ice glass. After dinner, a dip in the hot spring left us warm and refreshed, and smelling a little like sulfur. That was a small price to pay for such a memorable experience!
The Chen hot Springs Ice Museum is housed inside this structure, where temperatures are kept below freezing year-round, using geothermal energy from the hot springs.
Anne Marie Wotkyns tries out the ice bed in the ice hotel at Chena Hot Springs.
Keri Rodgers and Anne Marie Wotkyns seated on ice stools at the ice bar in the Chena Hot Springs Ice Museum.
Several of the PolarTREC teachers enjoy a soak in Chena Hot Springs, complete with a frozen ice
Lesson Learned: Seek out the wonders of new places- even if they they are cold or smell a little funky!