Field Notes
During, before, and after the field course, Polaris students and faculty share their thoughts through journal entries.
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At AGU, appreciating the unknown
I stepped off the plane in San Francisco at 9pm local time on Sunday December 8th but it felt like midnight to my east coast-programmed body. I was tired. It was the end of my semester at Bowdoin College, we were coming up on exams, east coast winter with its
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Sailing & sampling slumps: Science on the tundra
Finally done with all of my sampling yesterday with the help of other DREAM TEAM (aquatic team) members featuring other beautiful souls! Yay! Today I can finally relax and take in this awesome experience. I have been thinking a lot about what to write about for this blog but I
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Polaris students bonded by science, tundra experiences
When we got here, we barely knew each other. We had spent just a few days together, a training weekend in April, a day in Anchorage, and two in Bethel. Although upon our arrival we were already laughing together like friends, we only knew each other on a superficial level.…
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Two unforgettable weeks on a stunning landscape
As our time at the Polaris Project field camp in the YK Delta comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on the past two weeks a lot. My knowledge of the Arctic tundra has increased exponentially since the first day we walked around camp observing the microtopography, cracking earth, soft
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Unsettling heat, storms & smoke on the tundra
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog in transit about the journey I was about to embark on to the tundra. In that fashion, I am now writing a blog reflecting on the journey as we begin the long trek back to Massachusetts.…
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Feeling the heat: Alaska Natives and the salmon they depend on
I was initially drawn to the Polaris project because of its focus on conducting field-based research about climate change in Alaska. The location, the YK Delta was the most important factor in my decision, since I am Alaska Native and my identity has always been the most influential factor in
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The joy of changing plans
For most of my peers and I, leaving for Alaska is a large change from our everyday norm. In fact, for many of us, it is our first time in this part of the world. Since arriving in Anchorage on June 25th, I have gained a much more intimate knowledge
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Studying the connection between grasses, fires, and methane
When we arrived at our field camp in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta last week, the term “fen” had been something I had only encountered in papers. After five days spent in and around fens, I have a new appreciation for this feature of the landscape that bridges the gap between
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Field-testing science in the YKD
My arrival in the tundra was three days ago when we float-planed to the remote Polaris field camp in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta (YKD). Flying over the fractal patterns of lakes, different colored vegetation, and burned and unburned areas was like entering a different world.…
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Coming back to camp
The 2019 Polaris team arrived at the field site today, after piling into two planes and flying across the tundra. I remembered the start to our journey last year, seeing the land for the first time, and all the questions I had pulsing through my brain.…
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As climate warms, tundra fire cycles are changing
While traveling in the slow-moving morning commute from the suburbs of Massachusetts to Boston, I have time to reflect on my experiences that have led to this point. As a returning student, knowing the unknown is refreshing. Like most people, before participating in the Polaris Project last year, I could
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Going to the tundra? There’s a map for that
“The number one rule of cartographia was that if you could not observe a phenomena, you were not allowed to depict it on your parchment” -The Selected works of T.S. Spivet p.32 I’m excited to be traveling with the Polaris Project group again this year.…
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A paradise of wonder
The ground of the tundra is almost as unpredictable as the weather. Just as the beating sun can turn into a screaming storm in under a minute, your feet go from the comfort of solid ground to being completely submerged in saturated mosses.…
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Aquatic sampling
It’s a little cold and damp this morning, the tents and sleeping bags are warm enough but sleeping on the tundra may take a little getting used to; imagine laying seven large sacks of potatoes under your ground sheet with a few uneven giant sponges to fill the gaps in
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A diverse – yet unified – group
The 2018 Polaris project participants are a diverse group of minds unified on the tundra of Alaska to investigate questions of climate change. The camp’s well-oiled machine is driven by new hypotheses and intense data collection. The researchers go to great lengths in the name of science, disregarding the discomfort
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