April 26, 2009
Poor weather conditions early last week provided us with the opportunity to enjoy the numerous comforts offered by the CNSC. Of particular note was a freezing rain event which changed the snow conditions and drastically altered the sea ice landscape.
Snow and sea ice was melted, and an ice crust 1-2cm thick covered the landscape. The weather stabilized for a few days and we eagerly entered the field once more, refreshed and rejuvenated, for
Weather station: Melissa with meteorological station #1 set up on the sea ice about one kilometre from shore. some much-anticipated data collection. A quick warming event surprised us and the ice crust layer disappeared in a single afternoon, only to be followed by a few more days of snow and gusting winds. It is currently cold, sunny and stable, perfect conditions to correspond with some amazing data collection and we are all thrilled with the prospects that the next few days hold.
April 23 was a particularly adventurous day as Operation Snowflake was put into action. Using two Backyard Blizzard machines, an attempt was made to make snow in the Arctic. Indeed, we set out early in the day for a relatively uniform patch of sea ice with minimal snow cover simply so that we could artificially make our own snow pack. Unfortunately the endeavour didn’t quite go according to plan, slushy sea water had difficulties passing through the pump and the generator lacked the power to keep everything running smoothly. It was a heroic effort by all and it is with great sadness that we have retired the Blizzards, at least for now.
On the home front, we have had a few crew member changes over the past week. It was with great sadness that due to illness we saw the departure of Jag and we wish him a speedy recovery. Another departure was that of Johnson who unfortunately saw very few field days because of the inconsistent weather. We welcomed Adrienne Cunnings as our newest team member later in the week, and we are thankful for her safe arrival in the middle of a blizzard. A final addition has been that of Dr. John Yackel, supervisor to Chris and myself, who promises to spoil us with some delicious home-style cooking.
- Melissa Peters