In just a couple of days I have traveled from Toolik to Barrow to Atqasuk. Journeying from truck to small airplane to another small airplane and even an ATV. This is the life of field researcher. You have a tight agenda, with limited time to complete all the work before the short summer season ends in Alaska. This means you are continually on the go for a time span of about 2 months while the arctic vegetation completes its rapid growth cycle!
A salmonberry growing in the Atqasuk arctic tundra.
Throughout this experience, I have come to realize how the North Slope of Alaska’s way of life relies on shipments coming into the ports or on airplanes. As I arrived in Atqasuk, I was immediately surprised that the airport in town was only a graveled airstrip. There was no building and trucks would drive right up to the plane to receive their cargo. Much of this cargo consisted of essential groceries and supplies for the townspeople. The town has a population of about 250 residents. As soon as we landed in this small town, we started unloading our supplies and gear from the small plane, including our own food for the days that we would be in Atqasuk.
Cargo being unloaded from a Ravn airplane in Atqasuk, Alaska.
While in Atqasuk, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in all of the data collecting and research that is taking place out in the field. We would head out into the field through wet, muddy tundra and working in the cold, rainy weather. If you get warm, you take layers off, if you get cold you put layers on. When you are wet, you endure it and try to work around the weather conditions by tracking weather patterns and even flight information. Gathering the data is of utmost importance, the scientific community is relying on your team to get the job done.
Florida International University Postdoctoral Associate, Jeremy May, drives an ATV through a newly repaired bridge in Atqasuk, Alaska.
Ataqasuk is a place where words and pictures do not quite describe it. It is pristine and untouched in many senses. With the small population of people living here, you can see the river and wildlife for miles. I immediately saw arctic squirrels, caribou and a variety of birds. The vegetation holds a variety of shrubs, moss, lichen, and even salmonberries. My most memorable moment of this place was eating a sandwich in the middle of nowhere and enjoying every single moment of it, mosquitoes and all!
A lone caribou watches strangers from a distance in Atqasuk, Alaska.
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