Journal Entry

At our breakfast meeting we decided to explore the glacial lake that lies just below base camp. That may sound easy enough until you realize that the inflatable motor boat and all its gear is on top of a steep glacial moraine. Like mountain goats, we carefully hauled are necessary equipment and tools down to our make-shift boat launch. While some worked on testing and repairing gear, others inflated the boat and prepped for launch. Silly me, I mentioned that I have handled out-boards before so Dr. Briner made me the Captain Black Diamond for the mapping project. Now usually, I would jump in full steam ahead; however, being responsible for any gear on a researcher's expedition is quite a daunting task.

View from my tentView from my tent (the glacial moraine we hiked down to get to Gnat Lake) Mountain goatsMountain goats on their way down Nat repairs gearNat repairs gear Knot tying lessonJason gives a knot tying lesson using a bunny and a tree Captain Black Diamond's vesselCaptain Black Diamond's vessel

Once we mapped the lake it was then time to determine where would be the best coring site. After analyzing our data, we found the 'sweet' spot. The results of the sediment coring where very promising. It may look like a mud slug to some, but to us the sample is evidence of a glaciological story.

Sediment coreSediment core Sediment coreWhat patterns do you see?

Comments

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 11:43

Sian Proctor

Hey Captain Black Diamond! I love the pictures. Looks like you have beautiful weather.

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 21:04

Peggy McNeal

Hey Tina-We are doing sediment coring too. So far yours look much better than ours. What beautiful scenery! How are the mosquitoes? What did you use to map the lake? Looks like you are having a great adventure! Enjoy!

Sat, 08/09/2014 - 09:24

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Sian,The weather has been amazing, however, today we are socked in by a front. We divided into two teams and took turns on the lake completing some sediment coring. We are drenched to the bone but have had some great chuckles at our own expense. I am out with an amazing team. Thanks for following along.
Team Backpack

Sat, 08/09/2014 - 09:24

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Peggy,The sediment cores today were FABULOUS! It was nature's token to us for enduring this cold, windy, rainy day all in the name of science. At one point, we extracted our a core on the boat and I went exploring for organisms that could be used. I opened up the core and there was a peat mass as big as my ring finger nail. Jackpot! We mapped the lake the old fashion way - dropping a bag full of rocks tied to a measuring tape. The team had brought other instruments but when the GPS unit updated its software, it no longer red the probe. So, plan B took form.

On the fair weather days, we have not had mosquitos but swarms of little black gnats. Thankfully they do not bite.

Thanks for following….

On

Sun, 08/10/2014 - 10:05

IMSShannonS

How do you determine where the best coring site is?

Sun, 08/10/2014 - 13:34

Tina Ciarametaro

GREAT QUESTION! There are a lot of factors that we take into consideration for the best coring site. First, we need to evaluate the land surrounding the lake - in this case, there are glacial moraines that encompass the lake. We also look for where the intake is for the lake. We then roughly map the bottom of the lake using a doinker. A doinker is basically a tape measure with a heavy bag of rocks tied on the end. We drop the bag of rocks overboard and let it settle on the bottom. When the bag reaches the bottom, we read the tape measure. After we map the lake bottom, we found that around 15 meters has been giving us the best results. We are trying to make sure that we actually get to the bottom of the lake and not end in the silt gyttcha. It can be a bit tricky because as you get further into the lake bottom it becomes quite difficult to pull the core tube out of the lake.

Sun, 08/10/2014 - 15:04

Guest

Tina.. glad you are doing well and exploring is going well..It looks beautiful there.. love the lake.. but we miss you alot... take care and we will be waiting for you to get back to the boat... Sue

Mon, 08/11/2014 - 09:35

Gabriel VerBerkmoes

Hi Mrs.Ciarametaro! I'd like to know what you had for breakfast. Haha, just kidding. What gear/equipment did you find necessary for survival, or just completing your mission?

Mon, 08/11/2014 - 17:41

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Sue, just got to base camp 2. I cannot even begin to tell you what it looks like - I will post pics tomorrow-too late tonight. Glad you are keeping in touch - how are the whales?
Tina

Mon, 08/11/2014 - 17:41

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Gabriel,we have oatmeal with dried fruit, walnuts and brown sugar each morning. As far as gear, I brought a bit of everything - clothes for sunny warm weather to cold weather below freezing. However, I did not bring a lot of any type of clothes. Don't get grossed out, but I have been wearing the same pants since I got here and I alternate 3 pairs of wool socks. It's just what you do in field research. There is so much equipment (like an inflatable boat and motor) that needs to be brought into the field, and the helicopter can only hold a certain amount of weight, therefore, personal items are limited.

Tue, 08/12/2014 - 08:07

Carter T

What do you eat for breakfast at the base camp. Did you bring your food or do you have to hunt for food.

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 01:50

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Carter T,we usually have some oatmeal with dried berries, walnuts and either maple syrup or brown sugar. The only thing that could be hunted here is caribou - we actually have seen 4 now; however, we have no means to hunt, we would have no way to harvest the meat AND I could not possibly eat something so majestic. Today, we had hike about 1000 feet UP in elevation in just less than a mile, when this massive caribou (14 points) came around the bend to check us out. He made hiking look so easy; I wondered if he had ever seen a human before.

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 13:10

IMSAlexandraSanidas

It looks amazing in Greenland! The coring looks like a cool experiment to do. I hope your having an awesome time experiencing and experimenting in Greenland!

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 13:45

IMSCourtneyK

Hey Mrs. C, I was just wondering, since you talk about weather during your entires and the comments, what is the worst weather you have had so far?

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 16:07

Liliana

A glacial lake sounds cold, is it? and what temperature? did you measure the temperature?

Thu, 08/14/2014 - 04:57

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSCourtneyK,read my blog from August 12 and 14 and you will get a detailed version of the weather. They should be posted later today!

Thu, 08/14/2014 - 04:57

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Liliana,a glacial lake is surreal. So very beautiful. I have not measured the temperature; however, my guess would be that it is 4 degrees on the bottom. Try to figure out why…

On

Sat, 08/23/2014 - 08:09

IMSTessaD

Hope you are having an awesome time! Glacial lake looks gorgeous. How can you tell if sediment results were promising?

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 15:49

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSTessaD,There are specific layers we are looking for and we do not want a major layer of sand on the bottom. Hopefully, in class this year I can show you a core.