You are browsing the archive for Arctic sea ice. climate change Archives - Page 3 of 9 - The Field.
August 6, 2020
Postcards from a (formerly) frozen icebreaker: Part 44
Flying out over this diverse ice pack. One thing that struck me about the flight was the number of dirty ice floes. There are many others like our floe, and some that are much dirtier, black and gray.
August 5, 2020
Postcards from a (formerly) frozen icebreaker: Part 43
Last week there would be periods of the day when melt was rampant, but then periods when the surface would freeze. Thin layers of ice would form on the top of melt ponds. That phenomenon has shifted now and we are not really seeing major shifts during the day anymore; the system appears to be mostly in a permanent melt state.
August 4, 2020
Postcards from a (formerly) frozen icebreaker: Part 42
The many faces of ice. So fascinating. Today I found myself sitting on the surface, digging through little pockets of this ice and that ice. Exploring their different textures and sounds. And tastes (mostly fresh!).
August 3, 2020
Postcards from a (formerly) frozen icebreaker: Part 41
“…out here in our Arctic bubble there are actually days that I don’t even think about the coronavirus. It doesn’t even pop into my head. I guess this would be impossible at home. But out here there is no virus, no social distance needed.”
July 22, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 40
Another day of intense sun and this changes the surface in dramatic ways. The snow is melting fast. We’ve put down some boards to minimize melt near the tower, and these work, but the snow all around melts, leaving pillars with boards on top.
July 21, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 39
There are these beautiful days out over the Arctic ice. Vibrant blue sky with a piercing sun. Today was one of those days. Warm out, and the sun overpowering. Just like with a strong wind, I found myself turning away from the sun when possible. When facing the sun it feels like my skin is cooking.
July 20, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 38
If the ice decides to come together, it will simply destroy anything in its way. That’s what happened to our so-called ASFS50 station. A 1000-pound station flipped upside down by the ice back during Leg 2.
July 19, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 37
The ice around us, at least on the Fortress, is filthy. In many locations it is brown with sediment. Many small rocks have been found, suggesting that this ice was initially formed as land-fast ice along the Siberian Shelf. A recent satellite radar image shows that this floe is somewhat different from the ice around us.
July 18, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 36
Wow, it has been intense out. The skies cleared, leaving us bathed in full sun all day. Full bright sun, nearly twice as bright as a typical sunny day back home because of the high albedo surface. Photons coming in from all directions. It’s time to make sure you’ve got your sunscreen and sunglasses that can black out all stray light.
July 17, 2020
Postcards from a frozen icebreaker — Part 35
We ran into the floe. Directly. While scientifically we decided it would be best to moor to the floe along the ship’s port side to facilitate CTD operations, others onboard have been concerned about the Polarstern’s ability to hold its position alongside the floe in the face of ice pressure.
