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Archive for October, 2008


Standing on Ye Shoulders of Giants

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND-- "If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants" -Sir Isaac Newton. There is a long and rich history of Terra Incognita. The place names identifying scientific research bases, mountain tops, nunataks, valleys, glaciers, ice shelves... {Read More »}



Refusing to Call It Fear

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA-- It’s not surprising that a trip to the bottom of the world might provoke thoughts of death. It’s true the risks we… {Read More »}



Trees among the tundra

TOOLIK LAKE STATION, ALASKA-- Balsam poplar is the northern-most tree species in North America. In Arctic Alaska, it occurs sporadically in isolated stands often adjacent to perennial springs or on south-facing slopes. Join our field crew as we venture... {Read More »}



Antarctic Fish and Climate Change

MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA– All Antarctic organisms have unique adaptations that allow them to survive the extreme freezing Antarctic environment. Antarctic fish, for example, have antifreeze proteins that keep their blood from freezing... {Read More »}



Is There Hope for Polar Bears?

MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA-- Polar bears have become the icon of climate change, stirring people’s emotions and bringing awareness to the issue in an unprecedented manner. And yet, both in the scientific research community and the media there is disagreement and discrepancies over what the real impacts of climate change on polar bears are... {Read More »}



“Pack it up, Pack it in…”

COLDFOOT, ALASKA-- After a weaving flight through the mountains beneath the cloud ceiling, we are back at Coldfoot, beer-in-hand and sun-in-face. Should it end any other way? Well, in fact, it shall... {Read More »}



People on the move

MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA– Among the variety of challenges facing polar societies is the melting permafrost and its effect on people who have been surviving in the Arctic for millennia... {Read More »}



Transportation in Support of Science: The LC-130 Hercules

SUMMIT CAMP, GREENLAND– (By Lisa Strong-Aufhauser) We, but even more so, I, spent a lot of time in LC-130 Hercules transport planes operated by the U.S. Air National Guard out of Stratton Air Force Base in New York... {Read More »}



Permafrost gone soft

MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA-- “Not only has climate change begun, but we are seeing a significant impact,” said Wayne Pollard from McGill University in Montreal, Canada in his plenary talk on “The effects of climate change on polar landscapes"... {Read More »}



The Home Stretch

COLVILLE RIVER, ALASKA– The science has reached the home stretch now, as has the entire summer’s field effort. We got a break in the cloudy weather last night, and sat around a fire labeling sample bags and weighing/organizing samples... {Read More »}