Ice, Ice, Baby

Northbound on the Dalton Highway to Toolik Lake

Driving a truck from Fairbanks takes about 9 hours. The highway follows the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and crosses through the Brooks Mountains.

Yukon River

Boreal Forest and Marsh

Atigun Pass

First day of Field Work
Adrian and I went out to an area of tundra that burnt in the 2007 Anaktuvuk River Fire. We visited three sites along a burn gradient and set up that instruments that will be used to measure gas fluxes between the vegetation, soil and atmosphere throughout the growing season. The goal of this project is to better understand the carbon and energy balance of tundra as it recovers from fire.

Helicopter ride to the sites!

Instrument Tower

Solar panels had to be shoveled out so they can power the instruments

Toolik Field Station is the group of buildings in the foreground and the Brooks Range (located south of camp) is visible in the background. This picture was taken as we flew back into camp from the tower sites.

Spring has not yet Sprung
Today we went out to check on the long term fertilization plots and gather some frozen soil cores. The snow is still waist deep in spots so getting around can be a bit tricky!

Using a sledgehammer to drive in the soil corer

Soil core hole

Returning to Alaska!

~Time to head back to Alaska for the summer~
I have replaced my camera, purchased loads of DEET and packed my bags.
I will posting pictures here for next few months so check back if you feel so inclined!

Sad news-
After many years of service and much abuse, my camera has died. Pictures from Alaska will be limited from here on out! On the plus side, the falling rock that hit my camera (in my backpack at the time) missed my head by 6 inches. Better it then me!

View of camp from our lab with an awesome double rainbow

Field work- office with a view

Prudhoe Bay... ie, end of the world. Yes, it really is this ugly. AND you have to pay to go on an oilfield tour in order to see the Arctic Ocean. I didn't feel like shelling out the money, so this is my "most northern" photograph.

Doll Sheep on Slope Mt.

Foggy Molar Mt.

Dalton Highway and the Pipeline

FU Lake... more like FU all the false summits we saw before getting there

Caribou!

Atigun Gorge, from the North rim

Atigun Falls

The sun is going down these days!