I have already journaled about the logistics involved in getting a team to Denali and am anticipating even more mind numbing events regarding supplies and science gear when we finally set up base camp on Kahiltna Glacier. I know the helicopter logistics to Mount Hunter are something that I am looking forward to learning about. I am also impressed with the collaboration of the various people and institutions. There are multiple universities involved, multiple contractors and many, many people behind the scenes. The entire group assembles in Anchorage on April 29th. We have a few days there. We then drive to Talkeetna and have some additional preparation days there. Then it’s on to Kahiltna Glacier and the Denali Climbing Base Camp.
It’s my pleasure to introduce some other members of the team below......
Cameron Wake is a research associate professor at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire and is the Josephine A. Lamprey Fellow in Climate and Sustainability at the UNH Sustainability Institute. Cameron leads a research program investigating regional climate and environmental change through the analysis of ice cores, instrumental data, and phenological records. Cameron also directs Carbon Solutions New England, a public-private partnership promoting collective action to achieve a clean, secure energy future while sustaining our unique cultural and natural resources, and helps lead the New Hampshire Energy and Climate Collaborative, established to track and facilitate the implementation of New Hampshire's 2009 Climate Action Plan. Dr. Wake received a B.Sc. in Geology (1984) from the University of Ottawa, an M.A. in Geography (1987) from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences (1993) from the University of New Hampshire. More on Cameron’s research is available online at: Cameron Wake
Cameron Wake
Liz Burakowski is wrapping up a Ph.D. in Earth Systems Science at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Liz’s dissertation research focuses on the climate impacts of surface albedo, a measure of how the land surface reflects the sun’s energy. Liz is very interested in snow because it reflects up to 85% of the sun’s energy and helps keep the land surface cool. The loss of snow cover in New England over the past few decades may be a strong contributor to the rapid warming in winter, which is warming up to five times faster than other seasons. She uses a combination of remote sensing from airplanes and satellites, a network of volunteer citizen scientists, and intensive snow sampling at field sites in Durham, NH and Hanover, NH. Check out Cocorahs. On the Denali Expedition, Liz will be collecting albedo and snow samples to understand how impurities like dust and black carbon affect the reflectivity of snow. Liz has been snowboarding for twenty years and also spends time advocating for Protect Our Winters, a group founded by professional free rider, Jeremy Jones, that is dedicated to mobilizing the winter sports community to lead the fight against climate change.
Liz Burakowski
My name is Tim Godaire, and I grew up in a small, rural town in Connecticut named Chaplin. I originally fell in love with ice and snow, cold and mountains and the state of Maine when I was a kid visiting my aunt and uncle in Rangeley, Maine. My love for Maine and all that is offers drew me to Unity College (Unity, ME) where I received my bachelors in environmental analysis. I decided to further my education in graduate school, and accepted a position at the University of Maine with the Climate Change Institute. This is where I am working with Dr. Karl Kreutz and Dr. Gordon Hamilton studying the relationships between albedo and mass balance in the Alaska Range. I am excited to explore, witness, and study the changes occurring in Alaskan mountains.
Tim Godaire
Karl is a Professor in the University of Maine Climate Change Institute and Department of Earth and Climate Sciences. His research focuses on using various geological archives to reconstruct past climate change, and to understand the fundamental processes controlling the Earth’s climate system. Much of Karl’s work involves glaciology and recovery of ice cores from polar and alpine regions, and his research has taken him to Antarctica, Greenland, and mountain ranges throughout South America, Asia, and the Arctic. The Denali project has been a 10-year odyssey for Karl, and he has lost count of the number of students who have spent time in the park. These days he tries to keep up with the current generation, including Seth and Tim. When not off doing research and skiing, he lives with his wife Sara, kids Noah and Phoebe, and dog Stuart in Orono.
Karl Kreutz
Bradley Markle is a PhD student at the University of Washington. He studies ice cores and climate variability. Brad has been a part of a number scientific expeditions to Antarctica and Alaska. In his free time, Brad enjoys climbing and adventuring in the mountains.
Bradley Markle
Dave grew up in Boston, MA and has resided in Vermont, Alaska, or Colorado most recently. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Outdoor Studies from Alaska Pacific University in 2008. His background is primarily in Snow Science and Glaciology and he has worked extensively in the field from 2006 to present. Dave has contributed to glaciology projects throughout Alaska including the Chugach, Brooks, Coastal, and Alaska Mountain Ranges. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dave is an avid skier and alpinist, enjoying these pursuits with his Alaskan husky, Tucker. He currently resides in Snowmass Village, Colorado, enjoying the mountain life while pursuing his scientific interests.
Dave Silverstone
Dominic Winski is a field scientist with two previous years of experience conducting glaciological research in Denali National Park. He graduated from the University of Maine in 2011 with a degree in Quaternary and Climate Studies. Mr. Winski specializes in understanding physical processes on glaciers relating to mass balance, including snow accumulation, melt layer formation and energy exchange between the atmosphere and the surface of glaciers. Currently, Mr. Winski works as an environmental geologist at Stantec Consulting in Hartford, Connecticut. Like the rest of the team, Mr. Winski is also an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending time in remote places whenever possible.
Dominic Winski
Erich is an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College in the Department of Earth Sciences. He researches past climate changes, the response of glaciers to climate change, and the history of atmospheric pollution primarily by studying the chemistry of ice cores collected from Alaska and Greenland. He received a BA in Geology from Middlebury College in 1999, an MSc in Geology from the University of Otago (New Zealand) in 2001, and a PhD in Earth Science from the University of Maine in 2007. Erich has worked with Karl, Cameron, Seth and Mike on the Denali project since 2007, and is looking forward to this all-important 2013 season when they plan to finally collect a deep ice core from this site. Once collected, Erich’s specialty is precisely melting and chemically analyzing the ice core using state-of-the-art technology in his Dartmouth lab to reveal the climate history preserved in the ice. His wife Laura and two young sons Owen and Elliot will be tracking the team’s progress from their home in Etna, NH.
Erich Osterberg