Living in the desert does not provide you with many opportunities to experience ice. Yet, I never would have expected to fall in love with it. A few years ago I set sail towards Antarctica. Since then, my love for ice has only grown. The beauty and vibrancy of this state of matter in mesmerizing to the point that it keeps calling you back.
Hexagonal ice crystals in the ceiling of a permafrost tunnel in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
In the arctic ice is very closely related to the health of the tundra. Without the necessary permafrost that lives underground, there will be devastating consequences to the communities that live in this amazing place. For more on permafrost click here. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ice that sits under the top layer of soil that reaches the surface called active layer. The active layer is the layer that freezes and thaws as the seasons change in the arctic regions. This is where the tundra vegetation thrives.
Graduate student, Mariana Orejel, measures of the depth of the active layer of tundra found above the permafrost in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
In order to study permafrost much more extensively, you have to get to the ice. In Utqiagvik, scientists continue to maintain a small permafrost tunnel on the outskirts of town. This small ice cave is located about 25 ft. underground. The temperature in the tunnel is a comfortable 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You have to trek through the tunnel on your hands and knees to not disturb the crystal formations that hang from the ceiling. This tunnel, a claustrophobic and confining space that is breathtakingly beautiful altogether is worth the eerie descent.
PolarTrec Fellow, Monica Nuñez, descends into the permafrost tunnel in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
Earlier in the year, I visited the permafrost tunnel located in Fairbanks, Alaska. This giant tunnel is maintained and run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The tunnel is gigantic in comparison to the tunnel in Utqiagvik. Yet, both tunnels help scientists monitor and study permafrost in the northernmost regions of the United States.
Ice wedge found within the permafrost tunnel in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The beauty found within these tunnels is indescribable. Unfortunately, while traveling along the North Slope Alaska I have not seen ice floes as they have receded for the summer months. Being able to see the ice once again in these tunnels has been a big highlight of this experience.
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