Greenland 2005 Journal

Wednesday: July 20, 2005

Today was a very productive day! During the morning the last miscellaneous tasks were completed by John, Torry and Pannir to allow the SAR radar surveys to the GRIP ice core site to begin. Also in the morning, Tim and David used a snowmobile to pull the plane-wave radar sled five kilometers from camp to the location where a 100-m ice core was being drilled. They conducted a survey of internal snow layers in the area where a snow pit was to be excavated by pushing the sled to minimize the use of engines in the area. This survey did not take long and they were back in camp by lunch time.

By 1 p.m., the Tucker and SAR radar and antennas were ready. Torry and John ate a quick lunch, grabbed some dinner to take with them and plenty of snacks, fueled the Tucker, and drove out of Summit camp to complete the first two survey lines of the grid. Kirby and David followed them on a snowmobile to get some video of the Tucker in action. During the entire SAR survey, Guna monitored the GPS logging to assure that the data were being recorded.

In the afternoon Tim, Pannir, David and Kirby pulled the plane-wave radar sled out to the �ATM� snow accumulation line to resurvey part of the line, and to dig a snow pit. Everyone pitched in to dig the snow pit and within an hour it was 2.3 m deep and ready for analysis. The pit wall was cleaned with a trowel and a paintbrush, and a ruler was aligned with the surface and held in place with U-bolts pushed into the pit wall. The internal layers were identified and recorded in a log book, and digital pictures taken throughout the pit. The layers were amazing, and David described the mechanisms that produce the different types of internal layers seen in the pit. Next, a temperature probe was inserted into the pit wall, and temperature was recorded every 5 centimeters. The GPS location of the pit was recorded, and then the pit was filled back in, since large deep holes are safety hazards. By the time we drove back to camp, stopping by the fuel drums to fill the generator and the snowmobile, it was dinner time. We packed up our equipment, plugged in the engine heater of the snowmobile and covered it, and returned to the Big House for a fine dinner that consisted of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, and strawberry rhubarb crisp. We don�t expect John and Torry back until late tonight as they are traveling a very long distance at quite a slow pace. Maybe they will be as surprised as we were to see how high the Big House is now! It has risen about 6 feet now. Hopefully they will get back in time to get a good night�s sleep before they go out again tomorrow.

NOTE: This was entire journal entry, not just page 1.

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