Tuesday, February 28, 2006
There is a castle in a cloud...
I woke up this morning to discover that overnight Eureka had transformed into a tropical weather station, with the temperature at -15.8. Up from the -25 or so we had yesterday. The lab where we work, being 600 m above sea level, often enjoys a temperature inversion - where the temperature increases as you go up in altitude from the surface as opposed to the normal decrease. So ordinarily when you see that it's -40 at the station, it's more like -30 here. Yesterday it was -11. Today it's -9. Really. I invite you to check the weather where you are to see how it compares. Also, the cloud base in Eureka is about 590 m, so PEARL is sitting in a cloud. It's almost warm enough to make snow men, though you wouldn't be able to see them from a few feet away.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Best Day Ever in Eureka

After brunch, we decided that there was no real need to go up to the lab immediately (those running non-automated instruments had gone up at 8 as usual), so after doing a bit of work on my close-to-being-finished Mantra 2004 paper (really!), Oleg and I decided to go ice skating. The water up here comes from a diverted creek, which I suppose in the end comes from melted glaciers and snow. There's an open reservoir with pipes going to the station. Water at the lab is trucked in from this supply. Once the reservoir freezes over, people can skate on it. This is normally more of a fall activity, since (a) there's not as much snow that needs clearing off and (b) it's not -40, but Oleg and and I put on our St. Petersburg/Ottawa brave faces and out we went. There's not much snow up here, but it's packed REALLY well. I am quite sore today after our clearing efforts. But it's sort of my climbing muscles, so I maybe won't be as bad when I get home? (Ahh...it's funny because I'm going to be so terrible.) Anyways, the Eureka reservoir is not quite the Rideau Canal, but super-fun nonetheless. Ice acts differently at -40 than at warmer temperatures - it makes this cool squeeking noise that sort of sounds like the ice is cracking beneath you. Once we get more Sun we'll be able to go without skipping out on work at the lab for the day. Eureka is fun.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
The dangers of tobogganing in Eureka

Friday, February 24, 2006
Ozzy Ozone

Despite some errors or misrepresentations of the truth, it's a nice little explanation of the basics of ozone depletion for kids. So, if you've ever wondered why I come up here, this video is for you. Points to non-atmospheric scientists who can tell me what the errors are. This is your chance to prove you've been listening to me all these years! OK, points to atmospheric scientists too. Points can be redeemed for prizes, like musk ox and caribou jerky, fancy Arctic teas, or other products that can be purchased at the Yellowknife airport.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Survival skills and musk ox

Of course there IS other life around these parts, the most dangerous of which is the polar bear. They actually aren't seen all that often around here at this time of year, since they need open water to eat, but every now and then one does make it up here, and I've been told you don't want to run into a hungry polar bear. There are also wolves, who may be cute, but would eat you and your family without batting an eyelash. A somewhat wise man once taught me two survival skills for use in these parts. The first is to touch any exposed parts of your face with your bare hands every once in awhile to make sure you don't have frostbite. The second was to scan the horizon for predators when you're walking about. It occurred to me yesterday while practising this survival skill that if I did see a wolf or a polar bear on that horizon, I would have absolutely no plan of action. Do you run back to the station to avoid becoming dinner? What it the bear/wolf hasn't seen you yet, and this draws their attention? Do you stay still and wait for them to go away? This seems to be wasting precious getting-away time. I suppose I would quietly make my way back to other people, but I'm pretty sure that if the bear/wolf wanted to eat me it could. Maybe this is why I have to sign a waiver before the university lets me come up here. Maybe I shouldn't be walking outside. Maybe I should knock over Tobias on my dash back to the lab.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Picture-fest
So now that my spectrometer is up on the roof, and I have more access to free time and internet, I can provide you with shiny new pictures of shiny new adventures.
Me writing on the ceiling at Bullock's Bistro in Yellowknife, home of the giant buffalo steak:

Somewhere over the NWT, with the Sun behind us:

Oleg about to kick some shuffleboard ass:

Polar sunrise!

Me writing on the ceiling at Bullock's Bistro in Yellowknife, home of the giant buffalo steak:

Somewhere over the NWT, with the Sun behind us:

Oleg about to kick some shuffleboard ass:

Polar sunrise!

Monday, February 20, 2006
Eureka! I have found it! (The joke that never gets old)

Which is by far the best time to arrive. On account of the madness of Saturday night in Eureka. Really. Weekends don't mean much here, since if something breaks and that's your job, you have to fix it, regardless of the day/time. (This especially applies to the guy who looks after the power.) Sundays are the lazier day here, marked by the fact that breakfast is cancelled and brunch is served at 11. So the station staff treat it as a bit of a party night, and drinks are seved at the bar. The pool table is in full use, and everyone stays up until the wee hours of the morning. (Not to say that no drinking occurs on the other nights of the week, especially if it's someone's last night there...) In the past, our group has always ignored this fact and continued leaving for the station at 8 in the morning. When we arrived this time, the PEARL operators told us that we would leave after brunch, so we all got a sleep in morning. So we could fully partake in the Saturday night festivities. I learned how to play shuffleboard, not the old-person's game at the hotel in Florida, but the old-person's game on a table with couronne-like pucks. Pierre and I tied Kelly (met tech) and Oleg two games to two. Now that I know how to play we'll kick more ass next time.
The other exciting thing about being in Eureka this time around is the brand new station and accomodation. The past two summers have been a bit crazy here, as the new 13 million dollar facility has been built. It finally opened in September. It doesn't have quite the same charm as the old building (which was decorated like a 1960's basement, complete with wood panelling), but it is bigger and brighter. The bedrooms are huge, with plenty of room for me to do my pilates. (I swear I'll keep it up this year.) The staff now have their own private washrooms, so Kaley and I are left to share the "transient" women's washroom. One of the faucets still has that blue plastic protector stuff on the drain. It's shiny and new. They're still having a lot of growing pains, most of them a result of the fact that government contracts go to the lowest bidder, regardless of experience building in the high Arctic. Basically they built a building that would work fine in the south, but not so much here. The extra space is nice, but it takes a lot more energy to heat. The power generators keep overheating trying to keep up, and in the short time we've been here we've had three power outages. Which is three more than we've had any other year.
Measurement-wise things are going well. I got my spectrometer in its roof hatch this morning after a day of tests. They built a platform underneath the hatches over the summer, so I could do it all from the inside, without having to carry everything up on the roof and lower it in. I got my first spectra just before noon, and the spectrometer is happily clicking away now. So, after a few days of hectic-ness, I'm finally left to enjoy the quiet Arctic and the super-long sunrise. Pictures when the network is a bit less wonky.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Watch out Yukon and Newfoundland
I'm glad to hear winter's hit Toronto slightly, because damn it's cold out here. The wimpy winter we've had so far has not at all prepared me for even the -23 with windchill that Yellowknife is dishing out. I keep telling myself this is warm, but it isn't, and I am going to be cold come tomorrow and the final push north to Eureka.
95$ on taxis later and Tobias and I braved the cold and distance yesterday and checked out Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. We were trying to be all cool and "this isn't cold" and do some window shopping at the multiple cool stores, but in the end ended up hunkering down in an awesome tea shop while waiting to meet Vicky's sister for dinner. They had a giant wall of tea, and a very helpful guy to help us navigate. This was my whirlwind tour of wild rose country.
Today we flew to Yellowknife, diamond capital of North America. This is my first trip to the NWT, and leaves my list of provinces/territories not visited at two. (Though I might admit that Manitoba doesn't count.) It's a city of about 20 000, and SO different from Nunavut. For one, there's a lot of money here in diamonds and oil. We took a tour of the legislature (Kaley likes to collect them), and our awesome tour guide was super helpful with our ten thousand questions about the NWT. There's 11 official languages here. That's the biggest difference between here and Nunavut. (Or at least, the one that I've learned in my half day here.) There's really only one first nation there - the inuit - and so the government can easily promote traditional practices and customs. The school we visited in Resolute has even encorporated a lot of that into their curriculum. Here, with so much more diversity, the government can't very well promote one culture's values over another. As a result, the motivation to pass on the culture to the next generation has to be more community and family driven. I suppose this is probably a more traditional way of learning about your culture, but southern culture is pretty pervasive. Most kids would probably rather watch TV than learn their grandparents' language. Most of those 11 languages are in danger of dying out.
Digressions aside, Yellowknife is a really neat city, and I hope I can visit again. I had a buffalo steak for dinner. It would have been musx-ox, but they didn't have any in. Buffalo is pretty tasty too. The restaurant lets you sign the walls, so we of course left our campaign and CSA stickers, and I signed my name. Pictures to come when I get them from Tobias.
Tomorrow is the last leg of the journey, the eight hour trip to Eureka (with fuel stops in Cambridge Bay and Resolute). Our flight leaves at 7 in the morning, but they've promised a tasty lunch, so I might forgive them.
95$ on taxis later and Tobias and I braved the cold and distance yesterday and checked out Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. We were trying to be all cool and "this isn't cold" and do some window shopping at the multiple cool stores, but in the end ended up hunkering down in an awesome tea shop while waiting to meet Vicky's sister for dinner. They had a giant wall of tea, and a very helpful guy to help us navigate. This was my whirlwind tour of wild rose country.
Today we flew to Yellowknife, diamond capital of North America. This is my first trip to the NWT, and leaves my list of provinces/territories not visited at two. (Though I might admit that Manitoba doesn't count.) It's a city of about 20 000, and SO different from Nunavut. For one, there's a lot of money here in diamonds and oil. We took a tour of the legislature (Kaley likes to collect them), and our awesome tour guide was super helpful with our ten thousand questions about the NWT. There's 11 official languages here. That's the biggest difference between here and Nunavut. (Or at least, the one that I've learned in my half day here.) There's really only one first nation there - the inuit - and so the government can easily promote traditional practices and customs. The school we visited in Resolute has even encorporated a lot of that into their curriculum. Here, with so much more diversity, the government can't very well promote one culture's values over another. As a result, the motivation to pass on the culture to the next generation has to be more community and family driven. I suppose this is probably a more traditional way of learning about your culture, but southern culture is pretty pervasive. Most kids would probably rather watch TV than learn their grandparents' language. Most of those 11 languages are in danger of dying out.
Digressions aside, Yellowknife is a really neat city, and I hope I can visit again. I had a buffalo steak for dinner. It would have been musx-ox, but they didn't have any in. Buffalo is pretty tasty too. The restaurant lets you sign the walls, so we of course left our campaign and CSA stickers, and I signed my name. Pictures to come when I get them from Tobias.
Tomorrow is the last leg of the journey, the eight hour trip to Eureka (with fuel stops in Cambridge Bay and Resolute). Our flight leaves at 7 in the morning, but they've promised a tasty lunch, so I might forgive them.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Thanks for being cold, Alberta
The trip north has begun, and Edmonton is welcoming us with a taste of what is to come. It's slightly scary that this will seem warm in a few days, but until then, please allow me my complaints. It's -33 with the wind chill, -22 without. It was zero when I left Toronto. Brr.
It occurred to me on the flight here that the first time I ever flew it was to Edmonton, and I haven't been back since. We spent the week at the mall, which was super-awesome to a nine-year old. Tonight, I think we'll try to check out some more grown-up friendly places, once we figure out how exactly to get downtown from the mecca of suburbia that Leduc appears to be.
It occurred to me on the flight here that the first time I ever flew it was to Edmonton, and I haven't been back since. We spent the week at the mall, which was super-awesome to a nine-year old. Tonight, I think we'll try to check out some more grown-up friendly places, once we figure out how exactly to get downtown from the mecca of suburbia that Leduc appears to be.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
First Post Ever

In an effort to be the queen of the blogosphere (not pictured at left) before my trip up North, when the real blogging will begin, I am practicing this whole "posting" thing (read: procrastinating). I feel I have already mastered putting in pictures. And perhaps run-on sentences. Now I just need to master interesting things to say.