This is my first time on a scientific cruise and my first trip to the Arctic. I’m still adjusting to the geographical weirdness of being not only at such a high latitude (around 79 North at last reckoning) but of such an easterly longitude (115 East). That’s a similar longitude to Hong Kong! It’s quite convenient to cover such long leaps in longitude in a relatively short distance. The Arctic also provides an opportunity to observe sea ice and icebergs, of which I have seen neither previous to this trip. I found the icebergs to be an incredible shade of blue, and the sea ice to make quite a racket when it is being torn apart by our ship.
Field work starts tomorrow, and the group received training this evening for making cloud observations. This is of quite an interest for me as someone who works with Arctic clouds and the effects that aerosols have on them (aerosols are small particles that can affect radiation and the properties of clouds). However, I have only ever seen Arctic clouds as part of a computer model. We’ll be recording cloud type, cloud fraction, and cloud height. We’ll be using a ceilometer (the white instrument, pictured), which measures cloud height by sending a laser pulse from the ship to the cloud and measuring the time it takes to bounce back. I’m expecting a lot of low level stratus! Oh, and on a final note, we saw polar bears today!
– Eric Stofferahn
Hey Iam one of Ms.Glibert students I was wondering is there a connection between sunspots and climate change in the arctic ?
Antwantique, interesting question, because my background is astronomy – sunspots, and the sunspot cycle, can directly affect the Earth, like in the auroras (northern lights), but they have not been proven to have an impact on long term climate change.
What is the duration of summer in the Arctic?
Hi Shannon, seasons are a little different here, because there aren’t really 4 seasons, there is mainly summer and winter, with just a bit of transition time between. So the Arctic summer is about 6 months – but here the warmest summer temperatures are just over freezing!
Wow that’s different! Is it true that there are a few months every year where the sun doesn’t come up? If so how long?
Dear Shannon, yes that’s true, in the Arctic, there are a few months out of every year in total darkness, and the same goes for Antarctica too. When the Arctic is dark (Arctic winter), the Antarctic is bright (Antarctic summer) at the same time. (And vice versa.) If you take a globe and a flashlight (to represent the Sun), you’ll see what I mean. It’s because the Earth is tilted, and the side more facing the Sun will get more light, and the opposite side will be dark at that time.
Thank you for your clarification! I will be sure to try your demonstration with the globe and flashlight!
Hi Shannon, thanks for writing back, I’m glad it helped, and also that you’ll be trying out that demonstration with the globe and flashlight!
Hello, I’m a student at Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School, and I was wondering how will accelerated polar ice melting contribute to previous claims that certain parts of land would eventually be underwater?
Hi Emily, great question! Antarctic ice melt will certainly contribute to sea level rise, which is dangerous for some land areas that are close to sea level (like south Florida). Arctic ice less so, and here’s why. The main difference between melting of Arctic versus Antarctic ice is that Arctic ice is floating on ocean (but there is some ice on land, like Greenland), and Antarctic ice is on land (there is still some ice on the ocean surrounding the land). Ice that is on the ocean won’t make sea level rise, just like ice melting in a glass of water won’t make the water level rise. But ice melting off of land will continue to make sea level rise.