June 25: Aufeis

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 2:51 am

Today was the first time it felt like the “Arctic” since we’ve been here… a cold wind from the north sliding through camp, carrying intermittent rain and fog.

Of course, the cold fog does not diminish the beauty of Toolik Lake.

Today in lab, we continued to wrap up our final experiments and began to pack. It is astounding how quickly time has gone by (and astounding how much stuff we have used… analysis can be equipment intensive).

Packing for one person to get here took a small bit of planning; packing a lab is a significant exercise in logistics…. Thank goodness Amanda is here to keep all the equipment straight!

After dinner this evening, we took a short drive to Galbreath Lake (about 20 minutes south on the Dalton Highway).

Finally freed from the ice, tundra flowers burst into blossom.

We took a short hike up a stream bed until we encountered the aufeis (from German, auf – out and eis – ice).

From what I understand , aufeis occurs when a hot spring bubbles up from the ground all winter. As the warm water reaches the cold surface the water freezes. More water bubbles up, forming another layer of ice… and another… and another. The aufeis can grow to be many meters thick and flows like a glacier.

When we returned (about 11 p.m.), we stopped into the cafeteria for a quick snack and ended up joining the 15 or so people already there… Game night, apparently: Scrabble, Stratego and Euchre… until 2 a.m.!

Molly, right, is the camp safety coordinator. She is EMT-certified, interested in pursuing biology and is an all-around wonderful person. (She is also a very lucky euchre player.) (There is a rumor going around camp that she is also a superhero in her spare time.)

Interesting Fact to Make You Smarter.
The gas chromatograph measures chemicals in parts per million. Your nose can detect some chemicals at concentrations of parts per trillion (1,000 times more sensitive than our machine!) and your tongue can detect chemical at parts per million. For older readers (and precocious younger readers): check out the following URL for a technical description of how your tongue and nose work.
http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Psychology/psych2e03/lecture8/taste-smell.html

Penney’s haiku
Aufeis

A water’s trickle
Captured in ice, seeks heaven
With misty fingers