Hey Cristina,

Any idea as to how long before you may have ice thick enough to land and then conduct your exams/tests on the polar bears? I'm sure you all must be getting a lilttle antsy by now, as am I...but for a little different reason:-)

Love the journals and pics!! Keep 'em coming!! I've been plugging your expedition during my presentations!

Michele

Cristina Galvan

Hi Michele,People on board the ship were definitely getting antsy, but luckily this
afternoon the team was able to collect data on three bears!
I haven't been able to do a journal just yet, because as soon as the team
came back there was data to analyze and prep for tomorrow.
However, it's not just about the thickness of the ice - it's also about
the consistency of the ice. The ice needs to be a good 6 inches thick,
but it also needs to be at hard and fairly solid. The ice that we have
seen is like a slushy. It has been several inches thick, but not very
hard. Really, it's not that cold for the Arctic right now. It's a bit
alarming - the temperatures have not gotten below 24 F and we are
currently at a latitude of 77 degrees (about 300 miles north of Alaska!)
Check back tomorrow for more details on the bear captures and data
analysis that was completed last night.
Thanks,
Cristina