Ophelia's blog

November 19, 2007

The end of my Arctic journey has finally arrived. Though there were moments, when I was out in the cold staring into the dark abyss of the frigid north, that I hoped to be in warmer climate, I found that it was with a heavy heart that I set out to leave the Amundsen. After all, those six weeks were such good times.

November 16, 2007

I've now been a month in the Arctic on board the ice baker CCGS Amundsen. What used to be something I could barely imagine, becomes my ordinary days. As usual, I am surrounded by the sound of ice crashing. Also, now that we are in the end of october, more ice is forming and the days also have become shorter. From Sachs Harbour we have been crisscrossing the Beaufort Sea, moving to station after station to sample water, ice, sediments, and of course on my part, air.

October 25, 2007

It's my third week in the Amundsen and I'm half way through my Arctic adventure. We had some exciting times. After our second week we headed back to Resolute Bay where the helicopter dropped off a few people from the ship and picked up new ones. Among those who had to leave us is Brad from University of Alberta, who I still have to thank for helping me change the high volume sampler filters. Among the new one who joined us were the BBC crew who were doing a story about the Northwest passage.

The CCGS Amundsen at sea I now have spent 2 weeks in the arctic on board an ice breaker. Now that instruments are running smoothly and air sampling is on schedule, I can finally sit down and write.

Arctic at night I ask myself, what is someone like me, who lived in a tropical country where +10 C is considered cold, doing above the Arctic circle on board an ice breaker?