These questions from Ms. Maxfield's students at Lebanon High School, came in an email. Mr. Harris has responded to many of them below.
1.How is measuring ice thickness relevant to anyone studying global warming? (Travis Berwick)
2. After taking the polar bear safety course, did you think you were ever going to take action against one?
No, I actually like Polar Bears and hope I never have a bad run in with one.
3. Why do you have to stand tall in the event of seeing a bear?
The current theory is that bears will think twice about attacking a large animal. I am not so sure about this theory. Grizzly bears used to attack and eat buffalo on the American plains.
4. Have you seen a bear yet? (A question asked by Reed O'Brien)
No I haven't. We saw some Arctic Fox tracks. Then today 4.11 two scientists saw the fox.
5. Did you see any other animals? (asked by Joe Harlow)
In Fairbanks I saw two moose.
6. Have you noticed any changes in Alaska from 20 years ago due to global warming?
There have been a lot of changes, mostly new buildings and roads. There has been some anecdotal evidence from people. Such as, permafrost melting, mud season coming earlier, and animals seen further north. Apparently a grizzly bear was spotted last summer north of the Brooks Range. Several marine fish species have moved north.
7. What is it like to be under the great chunks of ice in the freezing water? (Jake Decato)
Hi Jake,
For this one I went to one of the scientific divers. The divers have special dry suits that help to keep them warm. Under the ice there is a bluish glow as the sunlight filters through the ice.
The bottom of the ice is smooth in places with first year ice. Pressure ridges extend down into the water. Multiyear ice can be rough. What happens with multiyear ice is the pulls and pushes can break the ice into blocks which refreeze, melt, break and refreeze. This makes the bottom rough and the ice thick and strong. The feature that the divers like the most is that _the visibility is amazing_. There isn't any wave action to keep particles suspended and there isn't any phytoplankton to speak of in the water. There are some light patches of golden brown diatoms on the underside of the ice.
8. Is it nerve-wracking knowing that a bear could be anywhere near you? (Matt Henry)
Hey Matt,
A little bit. We scan around us before we move. Keep an eye around us and then scan again when we arrive. I think that it would be more of a worry if we had seen some bear sign: tracks or scat. But with lots of people heading out from camp in all directions, a helicopter flying around, and a plane coming in and out. So far we haven't seen one.
9. Did you bring tents (shelter) or will there be an already built shelter there? (Travis Berwick again)
The Navy set up the ice camp for us. The huts have gasoline (Jet A) heaters and are made with two pieces of plywood and 2-3 inches of Styrofoam in between. The floors stay cool. In fact the mess hut uses the floor as the refrigerator and puts frozen foods outside next to the mess. The other night the wind stopped and the hut turned into a sauna. So we cut several four inch holes along the roof line and have covered them with pieces of wood so we can adjust the temperature.
10. Does wearing so many layers make it hard to move and do work? Or are you used to it?
The idea with layering clothes is to trap air, so the clothes tend to be baggy. It is a little like walking around in a down sleeping bag. You do get used to it.
11. What kind of vehicles do you use to get around on the snow and ice up there?
We use snowmobiles, walk, or if we are going long distances schedule a ride in the Helicopter.
12. Do previous frostbite victims experience pain?
Frostbite freezes the tissues and can destroy nerve endings. As a result the feeling in the tips of your fingers and toes is not as good. People that have had frostbite, are more likely to have
frostbite reoccur. I think it has to do with reduced blood circulation.
13. What are you going to do with your research data?
The scientists are using many types of equipment to measure the ice thickness and other factors. This will allow them to compare the measurements done in this study. Then the measurement information can be used to compare with other scientists studies. The idea is
to build a math model which will be useful in predicting how the sea ice will behave.
14. What are the lifestyle differences between Alaska and New Hampshire/Vermont?
The big differences is the prolonged cold up here in Alaska. The houses and clothing are set up make people comfortable. There usually is a back up plan or system in case something breaks down. Some cabins don't have running water or indoor toilets, so that they don't have to be heated when the owner is away. The biggest difference is the lack of roads and the distances between towns and villages. Basketball is big up here and the teams travel to away
games by airplane.
15. Does it look like global warming is affecting icebergs? Have you seen any crumble? (Jeremy LaBombard)
16. What is the average thickness of ice where you are? (Ethan Gage)
Hey Ethan,
The multiyear ice under the camp is about 12 foot thick. The seasonal (first year ice) is 5 foot thick. Along the leads there can be open water or ice that is only a couple of inches thick so
you have to be careful. Being a hockey player, you might think that you could clear the ice of snow and skate. Usually what happens with ice skates is the pressure from the skater on the blade melts a little of the ice producing a little bit of water which lubricates and allows the skate to glide. Up here it can get too cold to melt the ice and then it is like skating in glue.
17. Are you cold?
More than anything you are constantly aware of the cold and the wind. Getting up in the morning, getting dressed, visiting the outhouse, working outdoors; a primary consideration is comfort and whether you are dressed appropriately for the conditions. It is also very dry here with little humidity. It is all most impossible to make a snowball. The snow just crumples. You have to be careful to keep putting lotion on and to not freeze dry your face, as well as being aware of frostbite.
18. Does it look like global warming is affecting icebergs? Have you seen any crumble? (Jeremy LaBombard)
19. What good do you think your research will do right now? I hope that the research will allow us to predict and plan for some of the changes that will occur in the Arctic in the next 25 years.
Hi Jeremy,
Many of the large icebergs come from glaciers. As the glacier warms large pieces crumble and break off. This is called calving. I haven't seen any glaciers on this trip. But I am told that many of the glaciers are retreating and getting smaller.
20. What good do you think your research will do right now?
I hope that the research will allow us to predict and plan for some of the changes that will occur in the Arctic in the next 25 years.
21. How's it going heard you are messing with some pretty serious stuff in Alaska. My question is how much does a polar bear weigh, and are they really white?
Hey Powell! How are you? Yeah I am playing around, working hard and having fun. Polarbears are in between a black bear and a brown bear in weight probably 900-1000lbs. You could google that to get a more accurate figure. Older polar bears tend to have a yellowish tint.
Polar bear hair is hollow, providing buoyancy and also acting as a small greenhouse to help provide warmth.
22. Are you afraid of falling through the ice? (This question was asked by about ten students.)
No. Most of the first year ice has had all winter to thicken (4-5 ft) and the multiyear ice is 12 feet thick. I am most worried when I am near the open water leads and then I am very careful. Another danger is being on a piece of ice and having a lead open up behind you. We carry radios and have someone in the communications hut at all times.
23. Why would you want to go up to the Arctic to look at ice and learn about global warming?
I like science, and I love the challenge of collecting data in the field. This experience also gives me the chance to make contacts with scientists and learn from them. With the idea that I can share some of this information with my classes and students in the upper valley and
elsewhere.
24. How cold does it get where you are?
In Prudhoe Bay there have been days where with the wind the windchill has been -100F
25. What is the warmest it gets there?
In the summer you might have a day in the 75-80 range.
26. Do you slip a lot? (Josh Jenkins)
Hi Josh,
No, I find that I break through the crust on the top of the snow a lot. It can make it a lot of work to walk anywhere. The other day I ended up walking seven kilometers. I couldn't helpwonder if it would have been less work with snowshoes.
27. How much does all your cold gear cost?
If you went to cabelas.com you could get an accurate figure, by pricing it out. I think that it is about $500. A lot of the cold weather gear is stuff that I normally wear in Vermont when I go out into the woods in the winter.