Lemming!

Many have failed, but here lies the winner. Perry has captured the elusive lemming on film after chasing and chasing until the little guy was tired and cornered.

Back to the adventures of a desert rat in the tundra.....

As I was saying, Perry hurt his leg while working at the ITEX site last week. He came hobbling in with a whincing grimace on his face. His leg was swollen behind his knee at the attatchment point of his gastrocnemius and hamstrings. I guess he fell between the boards of the platform like trail we walk on out there and torqued it somehow. I think he pulled a tendon or something. Sunday he, Santonu and I went to the hospital to find a knee brace for him. (Everyone has searched far and wide across Barrow, no crevace left, no stone unturned, but alas there are no ace knee bandages anywhere. Well, except for the hospital). Our quest was fruitful. We attained one knee brace size L for Mr. Perry I.Q. Houser with the hurt leg. Yesterday a mysterious bruise appeared in the front of his knee that was a lovely shade of purple and black. In the meantime, yours truly is taking on his field missions.

Oh yeah, Alex and Dave got to go seal hunting with Lewis on his boat on Sunday. I thought that was a really unique experience for them to have, so please check out Alex's blog on the event: www.benhumea.blogspot.com



After the hospital we stopped by the the King Eider's Inn to check it out. The outside was clean and free of random junk, officially making the King Eider's Inn the cleanest building in all of Barrow. There was a muck room in the entrance and we had to remove our shoes. To the left was a warm and welcoming fireplace with a really cool handcrafted chessboard. One side was composed of various handcarved and painted wooden ducks; the King Eider was, well, the king. The other side was composed of birds of prey; an eagle was king.

I asked to see a room, just for kicks and grins. They were very nice and seemed huge compared to my little room at NARL. The master suite was gargantuan and had a queen bed, fireplace, kitchen and jacuzzi bathtub. Any guest who stays is welcome to the sauna, which Perry and I both drooled at. (Santonu didn't come in; I think he didn't want to take his shoes off).

We went to Stuaqpak (literally "the big store"), aka AC Value Center to get some groceries after our infomative adventure at the Inn. Immediatley upon entering the store there were some craftmen selling their wares. One was selling titanium blades that had whale bone handles, while the other was selling pieces of whale baleen that he etched scenes of whaling on. You can find different craftsmen at any given time in Stuaqpak, and unfortunately I didn't have that much cash on me. I had to forego the goods and continue on my voyage, we needed food and a hungry scientist is not a pretty sight. It was a joyous time for all as we strolled through isles of overpriced food and goods.

The three of us attempted to go to the Inupiat Heritage Center, but they were closed. I am very interested in learning more about the history of the Inupiat culture and Barrow. I got to see some of it at the grand opening ceremony, and most of the museum was dedicated to whaling. The gift shop has been closed everytime I have gone :( I am hoping to bring home some items that are characteristic of Barrow and my experiences. I picked up a book called "Uqaluktuat 1980 Elders' Conference Women's Sessions." The book covers topics of preparing whales, games and songs, and an oral history of the weather changes. Half of it is in English, and you can flip it over to read it in Inupiat.

Sunday night: "Kill Bill: Volume 1"

Monday: I went out with Santonu to the field to help out with temperature readings along the tramlines. He and Perry have been assigned two kids who are earning college credit. However, his kids are pretty young (an 8th and 9th grader). One of them complained a lot and kept asking us to do less work and end the day early. The other one worked pretty hard and was taking good notes and was very inquizitive (which I like to see in a kid). I think this program is pretty cool; I wish I could've worked hands on with scientists to get college credit. Many of the researchers here are taking on kids. It seems that some of the students are working well, while others are completely miserable and don't want to be here; or third scenario: they want to be here and aren't fit with the right researcher. I think a lot of the students are pretty young, so it is difficult for them to put in hours out in the field. Daniel, Adrian's intern quit. I feel that this program should have a stricter application process to ensure motivated kids who are interested in the science. Field work is tough, even for adults and I think it takes a certain attitude to survive with your sanity.

The two students were funny though. I enjoyed talking about science with them and tried to get them enthused about it. Santonu enjoyed working with them as well, and even put together a few readings about the project he's working on. I think in a few years this program will be running smoothly. Either way I;m sure all of these students will come out with a greater understanding and appreciation for the science involved here (and the hard work it entails).

Tuesday: Tuesday was my birthday, and I received a lot of thoughtful birthday wishes from my friends and family that made me happy. A few of us stayed up pretty late the previous night, so I was a little tired. At the end of the day we went to Osaka's, a japanese restaurant. The food was delicious, and I thnk it was the best meal I've had here in Barrow. I ordered the Bento box #3 (as did 6 other people at the table), which includes sushi, rice, salad, terriyaki chicken, and tempura. MMMM..... After our meal we all joined in a glass of sake and I played the ukulele to my heart's content.

THANK YOU to all of my friends and family that made my day awesome!

Entertaining ourselves:

My Birthday Card From Perry

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......