Field Notes
During, before, and after the field course, Polaris students and faculty share their thoughts through journal entries.
-
The Adventure Begins: An update from Moscow
Dixie cup of espresso in hand, I am happy to report that the core team made it to the Moscow airport! The first leg of our journey is complete and the 14 core team members are now piled upon a colorful mound of baggage using up what little internet bandwidth
Continue reading -
It’s all setting in
About four and a half months ago, a classmate of mine heard about my plans to travel to northeastern Siberia to study Arctic- environmental science. He was planning on writing a piece for a Science Writing Seminar and wished to interview me for his presentation. He was a good buddy
Continue reading -
The Trick to any Field Session
Today I began packing my bags and couldn't help but thinking about what I should be expecting when I board the plane next week.
Continue reading -
Go West!
Yesterday, we went west – up the western branch of the Kolyma River. After lunch, Nikita, Jorien and I packed up into the boat, and headed out to sample an area that Polaris had yet to sample.
Continue reading -
To the Taiga
Tomorrow, we fly to New York. Now that I've filled a small container of red pepper flakes (to avoid any future “spice hoarding,” that we've been told about) I’m sitting outside, without a bug net, enjoying my last Seattle sunset.
Continue reading -
My bags are packed
My bags are packed, and I believe I have not violated any weight restrictions. Seems like a miracle. I am a little nervous, but a lot excited that the day of departure is close. I have been following the activities of the group currently at the Northeast Science Station with
Continue reading -
More boat kilometers..
After a successfultrip to the Omolon river and a visit to Duvannyi Yar (see the post “mud, muddy, muddiest” by Elise) it was now time to go north. This time we drove the 60 hp boat with comfortable seats in the front and a bright new windshield.…
Continue reading -
Smooth Sailing Halfway Through
Today marks our two week anniversary at the Northeast Science Station. With a little more than half our trip completed, we look at the next 10 days with strategic planning to finish our experiments, projects, and sampling trips north and south along the Kolyma River.…
Continue reading -
Mud, muddy, muddiest
Yesterday we (Elise, Jorien, Sam and, Nikita) went to this amazing site called Duvanni Yar: cliff several tens of meters high, in which the ice wedges were still visible.
Continue reading -
Agroecology in China
Before departing for Cherskiy, the St. Olaf crew got a chance to take a quick trip to China as part of a new collaboration between St. Olaf College and Lanzhou University. The group was able to do some preliminary research in agroecology while learning about science in a cross-cultural context.
Continue reading -
A walk through the bush
Fully packed with empty sampling containers, coolers, measuring instruments, GPS and lunch we set out in “the 40” (40 horsepower boat) to drive south on the Kolyma towards the Omolon, a large tributary about 170km from Cherskii. The Kolyma was relatively flat and the 40 took the heavy load of
Continue reading -
Don’t Forget the DEET!
When I tell people I go to Siberia for field work, the first thing they ask is inevitably, “How cold will it be?” I usually ramble for a minute about how it can snow any day of the year, but because of the twenty-four hours of sunlight it is often
Continue reading -
An average day in the Arctic
Some may wonder what our daily activities are here in Cherskiy, Northeast Siberia. Besides the normal breakfast at 9, lunch at 2 and dinner at 9, we spend much of the day in the field, followed by preparing and filtering samples in the lab.…
Continue reading -
Returning to Cherskiy!
We have arrived safely in Cherskiy, a few nights ago now. Things have been busy! Travel went remarkably smoothly, with no delays , no lost baggage, and really no serious issues. After four to five flights for each of us, we’re all glad to have landed! …
Continue reading -
Starting a new adventure!
It is almost there, the time to leave the Netherlands behind and go to Siberia for a month! Today I got the last research stuff: vacuum air bags, a pump, funnel, and lots of papers to be sure I know what I am going to research.
Continue reading