June 10: Getting Set Up (kind of)

Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:25 pm

After an early start this morning (I got up at 5:00 a.m. to find the sun moving further south and up in the sky), I spent a couple of hours in front of the computer preparing stuff for posting.

I mentioned before that life in the field occasionally presents challenges that require flexibility, perseverance and creativity. In other words, getting set up can present unanticipated challenges, trying the patience and wits of the team.

A couple of hurdles we are still resolving:
1) We need ultra-pure water; the lab that was going to make it at Toolik Lake isn’t (at least for a couple of weeks). So we’ll have some ultra-pure water delivered from Fairbanks in the next couple of days. (The support staff at Toolik Lake and University of Alaska at Fairbanks is astounding!)

2) The gas chromatograph (more about this device in a later post) is attached to a computer that isn’t working! What to do with the broken computer? Call tech support, take out and reinstall cards, clean and inquire. Still working on this one.

3) The gas chromatograph requires the use of a precisely-controlled oven, but the regulator that controls the temperature is not working either.

It has been a long day with lots of fits and starts. I am again amazed at the ingenuity and resourcefulness of this amazing team of people, and the offers of help and ongoing support we have received from the staff at Toolik Lake and University of Alaska at Fairbanks.