Ideas for Greenland research on the Arctic Circle Trail

[aaron l]

I'm headed to Greenland in the next week and am going to be doing the Arctic Circle Trail.

 

http://www.sisimiut.gl/Tourism/Activities/Hiking/Overnight-hikes/Arctic-Circle-Trail.aspx

 

I'm looking for ideas of things to study along the way, while crossing the arctic tundra. I'd like to spend a little bit of

time doing field research, if nothing else collecting data on the semi-frozen bogs I'll be crossing. It's a little strange,

but more field researech is something I've wanted to do for quite a while. It's a big part of The Explorers Club,

something I've also been interested in. The combination seems right, but I'm lacking in ideas or even enough

knowledge to ask the right questions.

 

Off the bat, I'm sure there's some sort of global warming or climatics to study but there, but as I'll be backpacking

and will only be on the trail for ~10 days, I'm not sure what I could squeeze out. I'm fishing for ideas, really. The PN

world is large and people here have been everywhere. Hopefully this will tap that vast knowledge.

[frank uhlig]

Professionally you are? A biologist, climatologist, zoologist, ... geologist?

 

Is this a pleasure hike, an amateur's walk on the cold side?

 

If you told us your purpose of being on the trail for 10 days, somebody might give you ideas. If you are out there for no

known purpose to yourself, we will be hard pressed to give reason to your life. Sorry.

 

Of course the scenery will be extraordinary and there will be plenty to depict photographically. So is that why you go there?

To photograph? I am lost, sorry.

[aaron l]

Frank,

 

I was looking for an adventure destination and came across the above described trail. I had originally planned to go to Kenya/Tanzania on a photography venture, but circumstances changed and that option became less attractive.

 

I'm an electrical engineer and computational scientist by training and professionally. The primary purpose of the trip is to expand my adventure resume, gain arctic experience and really get a taste of being way, way out from help and civilization. The plan is to use this experience, both physical and psychological, to learn and then head off for even greater things in the arctic, antarctic and other harsh places in the world.

 

I've got rough hikes under the belt, like the Grand Canyon rim-rim-rim in 24hr, Teton crest, Patagonia and such, but wanted to step things up a notch. No one I've spoken with yet has called slogging through arctic tundra as pleasure, but I view it as nearly such. It's fodder for treking experience.

 

However, with this purpose in mind, I would like to see what, if anything can be learned and reported on, written about, studied, shared with other people or otherwise. I write and photograph and plan to write up articles about the experience. Since I'm already going to be there, if I can add even more purpose to the activity, such as field research, then all the better.

 

Perhaps studying the mosquito population and how it is active or inactive in the early October weather was one idea. Another is examining the state of the bog at this time of year, whether frozen or not, how the geography might influence it was another idea. I know it's throwing crazy thoughts out there, but I'm sure there are people who have been in the same place physically and psychologically.

[matthew_newton]

Look through some organizational lists and university lists. Contact climatic, meterological and biological researchers and professors. Odds are decent one of them might like to get your help in some project of their while you are there. Beyond that, frankly I don't see what you might help with. Not that you couldn't help, but under taking a research project on your own, with no background in any field that might be interested in the area and with only 10 days spent there...

 

Most research projects collminate data over the course of at least months if not years of gathering it, so it would be best to help with an ongoing project and the above sources would be best to find out if there is one you could assist with.

[siggimatos]

Hi, Aaron.

Try through this address

 

http://www0.nat.ku.dk/as/indexuk.htm

 

to see if it could be of any use. I am quite convinced your skills could be set to good use by the researchers at

Arktisk Station.

 

Greenland is danish territory and this is the greenlandic extension of the University of Copenhagen, the institution in

charge of developping scientific research in Greenland. I would think its the best way for you to get the best out of

your greenlandic experience: You'll get good guiding and your work can be of good use to others if distrubuted (=>

made available) through academic channels.

 

Just a reminder: don't write to Arktisk Station saying you "plan is to use this experience [...] to learn and then head

off for even greater things in the arctic, antarctic and other harsh places in the world." For people there, Greenland is

THE ROUGHEST in the world... (and I can assure you it can get pretty tough).

[stemked]

Hmm. If I were in the same spot (I'm a microbiologists) I'd be thinking about global warming issues. I'd likely be doing assays to detect cell metabolism or simply cell numbers. Probably outside your area of expertise.

 

If I were an amateur chemists or physicists I'd come up with something to measure off gas or CO2 directly. The easiest way I can think of this would be to get a Vernier probe, either a CO2 or pressure probe, their software, a computer and take along a flask and tube. You could then take soil samples, warm them up, and make some calculations how much CO2 is released/unit soil/ rise in temperature as an effect of global warmering. Verner also has a hand-held device that you could use to lighten your weight, but it isn't cheap. You can plug the probes directly into the hand held device and store your readings.

 

Regardless I would highly recommend going to the following site:

http://www.vernier.com/

[stemked]

Sure wish you were passing this off to us with a tad more than a week.

 

Vernier as noted has a whole bunch of probes. Several are designed just for earthsciences. Check out http://www.vernier.com/pkgs/labquest/earthscience.html

 

The Vernier Labquest runs about $330, and then the probes vary in price. A check Temperature probe is as low as $60 upwards to a CO2 probe around $250

 

Instead of the flask I mentioned Vernier has a Nagene flask for $6. So a cheap way to do the CO2 experiment would run about $420 (Labquest+Pressure Probe ($80)+ Biochamber). Science ain't cheap. However since you have no prior experience using the equipment or doing the assays I might question the investment for this setup at this time.

[aaron l]

Thanks for the fast ideas response. I'm afraid this was a "last minute" opportunity, so it was an off chance that there would be something to come up with. However, the hand-held measurements and make the off-line computations later is quite appealing, Douglas. Nope, science isn't cheap, but neither is photography. :) I'm used to unbelievably expensive equipment.

 

Siggi - I have every confidence that Greenland is a/the rougest place in the world. That's why I'm headed there. Thank you for the link to the station. Based on what I see and from what has been written here, I believe this may be the first of many trips there...

 

It seems that there is quite a bit to do in Greenland and I greatly appreciate the ideas for future research.

[eike.welk]

There are not so many photos from Greenland in Google-Earth. Also most people have no idea about

the life in Greenland. You could put some photos (with GPS location) into Panoramio.

 

I think most interesting are man made structures and the way people live. Locals and tourists are

both interesting. So I suggest, in villages ask some people what their job is, and photograph them

in front of their workplaces. (Put this later into the image's legend.) Also photograph schools

and medical infrastructure. On the trail you should photograph every cabin with a realistic amount

of tourists included. Also shoot interiors; if they show how life is at this place they might get

included in Google-Earth.

[frédéric]

Hi Aaron,

You may have a look at my web site, it might give you some ideas. I was in Greenland in March this year. I have

updated my website with pictures of <a

href="http://www.paysagesdunord.com/Gallery/Greenland/gallery,1,Greenland,pictures,landscape.html" >

Landscape, Seal Hunting and Ice Fishing.</a>

Enjoy,

Frederic<div></div>

[aaron l]

<p>Thanks for the responses. I now have the journal up:<br>

<a href="http://aaronlinsdau.com/gear/articles/greenland08_1.html">http://aaronlinsdau.com/gear/articles/greenland08_1.html</a><br>

as well as the photogallery:<br>

<a href="http://aaronlinsdau.com/greenland/index.html">http://aaronlinsdau.com/greenland/index.html</a></p>

<p>I can't wait to go back there.</p>