Tundra | Ice Stories: Dispatches From Polar Scientists

Hot Days in the Arctic

By John Whiteman · August 7, 2009 ·

OLIKTOK POINT, ALASKA-- Last week I made the trip back up to the Arctic coast. Along with two other students from the University of Wyoming who are helping with captures and sample processing, I flew from Denver to Anchorage on Thursday night, then onto Deadhorse... {Read More »}

Racing to Prepare

By John Whiteman · April 17, 2009 ·

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DEADHORSE, ALASKA-- Deadhorse is surprisingly accessible, but it is definitely in a wildly remote place; yesterday I woke to sunny skies and a temperature of -17 degrees (Fahrenheit). Spring warmth is coming – three weeks ago it was 30 below – but it is still winter here in the Arctic... {Read More »}

Trees among the tundra

By Amy Breen · October 14, 2008 ·

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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 »}

Permafrost gone soft

By Cassandra Brooks · October 6, 2008 ·

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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 »}

Science Underway in the Tundra

By Ken Tape · August 25, 2008 ·

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COLVILLE RIVER, ALASKA-- The four-person crew for this second float of the summer is led by Greta Myerchin and myself, both veterans of the first trip (Nimiuktuk/Noatak) and familiar with the science and wilderness protocols... {Read More »}

Trucks on the Tundra

By Amy Breen · August 22, 2008 ·

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TOOLIK FIELD STATION, ALASKA-- The field station maintains a small fleet of trucks to access field sites adjacent to the nearby Dalton Highway. These trucks… {Read More »}

Ptarmigan

By Amy Breen · August 19, 2008 ·

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TOOLIK FIELD STATION, ALASKA-- We often encounter ptarmigan hidden among the lichen-covered rock and tundra plants at Toolik Lake. Ptarmigan live year round in the Arctic. They are well camouflaged in both the winter and summer seasons... {Read More »}

Digging Soil Pits

By Amy Breen · August 8, 2008 ·

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TOOLIK FIELD STATION, ALASKA– The northern foothills of the Brooks Range, including Toolik Lake, received nearly 15 cm of rain over the past several months. In Fairbanks, the rivers are at levels not observed since 1967. The tundra is fully saturated... {Read More »}

Bringing It All Back Home

By Ken Tape · August 7, 2008 ·

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NOATAK VILLAGE, BROOKS RANGE, ALASKA-- Our wildlife list so far includes moose, grizzly bear, musk oxen, dall sheep, rough-legged hawk, peregrine falcon, and a whole bunch of smaller birds and rodents... {Read More »}