Nalukataq and Hikes

Nalukataq

Monday a few of us, including Perry, Sandra, Alex, Santonu and myself went to the nalukataq that was hosted by the Hopson crew. The crew's flags hung over the celebration. Only the successful whaling crew captains throw a nalukataq, and it is a very important event. We pulled up to site and found a spot to park amongst the sea of cars. There were lots of people, and kids were running around playing. We saw a couple of young Inupiat boys get thrown into the air off the sealskin blanket that was teathered down by four ropes. They get some serious air time!

It was a little cold and rainy, so everyone had their coats on. The crew wore their "team" jackets, and many of the natives had on their traditional jackets. Some wore mucklucks. Both items are beautifully decorated with detail trim and fur. The kids played and jumped while the adults chilled out and conversed along the perimeter of the celebration. It was interesting, albeit somewhat uneventful; the real party doesn't begin until around 12 pm when the pros get on the blanket and the dances begin. We left the nalukataq just as the mucktuk was being passed around. On the way out we all saw Alice Brower (she works at BASC Barrow Arctic Science Consortium) with her baby girl. Many of the women here will keep their babies tucked in their jackets. They are tied to them with material and then placed on their backs, by the hood of the coat. All over town you can see women who at first glance appear to be hunchbacks, until you see a tiny little head poke out by the hood. I found the elders captivating and the little kids in their jackets so cute!

We all returned to the lab to get some work done until the real party began, but Chico came in and said it was cancelled due to the weather. I was tired anyway, and went to bed early. I heard the next day that the party did continuea afterall....at 12 pm until the wee hours of the morning.

There were two more naluqataq celebrations later the same week, on Wednesday and Thursday, but I didn't attend. Alex and Santonu went to the celebration on Thursday, and I heard Alex was thrown on the blanket. He said it was a lot of fun, but didn't know how high he got. I really want to jump on it, but refuse to and will refrain. I have weak ankles and it is just the begining of the field season. Other than that, Dave would not be too happy.

Diurnals: Tuesday was a field day. The previous night Dave, Adrian and I drilled holes into several pieces of 2 ft sections of PVC pipe to be used as water level meters. Alex, Dave and I left at about 9:00am to install the meters at the tramlines and then Dave and I would continue on with Diurnals from 4 - 8.

The installation went pretty smooth, we drilled holes every 30 meters into the permafrost and pounded in the PVC pipes. We installed a total of 66 meters along the three 300 meter tramlines. Perry joined us later the afternoon and brought us lunch. He and Alex continued on doing thaw depth measurements.

Diurnals measure NEE (net ecosystem exchange) and Respiration on a plot of land. We use a LI-6200, which utilizes an IRGA (infrared gas analyzer) to measure the change in a known amount of CO2. Each molecule has inherent properties which absorb infrared light at a discrete wavelenth of infrared light. Thus, each molecule has a characteristic absorption pattern that can be analyzed. This device is about 20 years old, so the technology is a little old, but very effective.

I began at about 4:30, and I was handed over the metal backpack frame with the licor attatched and the clear cylinder-like chamber hanging off the side. In addition to my load, I brought my backback with extra layers, snacks and two extra batteries for the Li-cor. I heaved the frame onto my back along with my provisions; it was really heavy and the frame was too big. The metal bars hung at the end of my shoulders near my deltoids, and the hip straps were below my butt. All the weight was displaced onto my shoulders and my scapulas. It was really painful. I began my journey along the 1.5 Kilometer boardwalk to the North tramway; whincing in pain every now and then. I kept on moving since I just wanted to get there and take the infernal thing off my back. By the time I got there, my shoulders were throbbing and my neck was achy, but I got there! (It's at this point I decided I would shop for a new smaller frame for Craig to purchase).

The measurement went smoothly; CO2 levels were normal, the PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) sensor and readings were ok. The measurements are sensitive to any changes in light, so I had to be wary of my shadow and where I placed things; I'm glad Dave was there just incase anything went wrong. I took two measurements at four plots (light and dark). One tram down, two more to go. I packed up the machine on the frame and lugged it to the next tramway (it was very very painful once again). I could feel the metal bars pressing into my now sore scapulas, so I picked up my pace to get to the Central Tramline faster. I arrived and removed it as quickly as I could. Relief. I was really happy Dave helped my carry my backpack to the next tram. Anyway, measurements here went smoothly as well, and I was doing awesome on time.

Then came the Southern Tramline : $ I followed protocol, and my first readings went well, other than the high CO2 levels. However, the proceeding three measurement took me about 2 hours. I think there was too much condensation in the tubes, or the CO2 scrub was old or something. I ran it over and over again, re-zeroing to no avail. Paulo came out to help me and he couldn't even get it working. The measurements began at 8:00 that morning and were supposed to run until 8:00 the next morning. The 8-12 and 12 - 8 shift were cancelled; all that work gone! I haven't done a diurnal since, and I hope if I do there will be a different frame.

Hiking: Wednesday Rob and I went out to help Adrian with his coastline surveying. We hiked a total of about 11 kilometers through the tundra and along the coast. We placed down a few transects and took DGPS (Differential GPS) measurements along the coastline. We saw lots of beautiful birds and nests along the way. The coast was amazing! You could look at the huge masses of land that are being eroded away and see the layers beneath your feet. The permafrost looks like solid ice. There's about 3-4 feet of tundra which is the active layer and then ice.

On the way back we walked across a huge basin and crossed over land that was wet and mucky. My boots would sink in to mid-calf and then I would have to pull them out from the tundra muck that sucked in around my foot. My thighs burned a little, but oddly enough I like that feeling. We saw some beautiful blooming wildflowers. I also collected a lot of owl feathers that I saw along the way. I was happy to finally reach the road after a long day of hiking in wet mucky terrain! I ended up with a few war wounds including a couple of blisters. We hiked between the two inlets south of Brant point through the BEO (Barrow Environmental Observatory).

The next day, REST yay! I still did some office work, but I appreciated the setting for once. I also went to the store to get some insoles.

The following day, Friday: 19-20 K hike!!! Well, I agreed to go out with adrian to hike from the road up by the second inlet south of Brandt point, past the twin lakes and Akegakrok Point, around the third inlet and to the road. This hike was awesome! On the way up the first inlet we saw a fox den of 7 kits. We saw the mother about 300 meters away hunting for them, so we inched closer and closer until they were at our feet. Two of them were fighting over a lemming, and the others ran into the small tundra tunnel to hide. Adrian right in one of their faces to get a picture and the little guy growled at him.

We continued our journey to see a variety of ducks, geese, golden plovers and other various shorebirds. The geese scared us, they blend in with the landscape and didn't move until we were practically on top of them. I found a really cool piece of drift wood along the way that resembles a whale. I have been calling it my "whale wood" in the lab...hehehe. I also collected many more feathers and some insects along the way.

The coast is beautiful. The ocean reflects the sky perfectly, so whatever mood is cast by the sky is mirrored by the sea and completely engulfs you. The morning began gloomy and drizzly and ended up bathed in a hue of orange cast by the sun. We left at 9:00 am and returned at 9:30 pm.

Adrian was assigned a high school student, Daniel, who is his intern. Daniel was born and raised in Barrow and is half Inupiat. He told us that in Barrow you are either dating your friend's ex or your ex's friend, which I thought was funny. He also said that he often talked to his grandparents about who he was dating to ensure no blood relation. Ah, gotta love small towns with no roads in or out. He told me that there are several stories to keep small children indoors and in fear. There was one about small creatures with razor sharp teeth that eat small children who wander out alone during the days that are full night. Another tale was about 8 foot tall skinny men that appear on the horizon of Barrow once every ten years and move so fast that they can barely be seen by the human eye. I asked him if there was a book about these tales, or if they were passed down orally from generation to generation. He said they are told by grandparents and parents to their kids.


The hike was quite enjoyable. The ground was firm and solid, unlike the previous hike, and the sights were amazing. I spent the next day recovering and found myself a little sore. I found out that Perry had hurt his leg at the ITEX site. That's a tale for next time though......