Thinking about ice on the first day of summer.
Well, the first day of summer has come and gone which means that the amount of daylight has reached its maximum for us in the Northern Hemisphere. As I sit at the beach in Florida enjoying(enduring!) the heat and listening to the waves crashing on the shore, I begin to catch myself wondering what it will be like working and sleeping on an ice sheet 2.5 miles thick in two months. I then ponder the questions, what is Greenland like? Where will I be going? Is it cold or really, really cold? So, I decided to check out a website dedicated to the research station I will be visiting in August, www.summitcamp.org.
Summit Station website
As I perused the site, I immediately saw the current conditions on the left side of the screen. Temperature -11 degrees Fahrenheit, now that is cold especially since I am writing this journal with temperatures exceeding 93 degrees Fahrenheit! That’s over a 100-degree temperature swing! I then checked out the other info and pictures. The pictures are great. They show Summit Station from several locations and update them every few minutes. This is a great feature, especially for my wife and kids who will wonder what it is like where I will be going. Other resources are available to the general public like news that is happening at Summit Station, crews currently working there, and current research. There is a really cool link to the research buildings called Site. Clicking that link takes you to an aerial view of the camp.
Overhead view of Summit Station showing the location of the various buildings and
Click on a building or location and a detailed picture with description appears. After checking out the website, I can honestly say that I feel more prepared and familiar with Summit Station, Greenland. Until next time, this is Jim Pottinger signing off!