Snow and Ice Scientists Challenged in Alaska

Julienne Stroeve of the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her research team measure temperatures and other variables at the snow/ice interface in Elson Lagoon in Barrow, Alaska, in March 2006. The researchers have planted thermometers in the frozen surface, which during that time of year is typically covered by an ice pack that is about 1 yard (1 meter) thick and a snow pack that is about 8.5 inches (22 centimeters) thick.

Throughout each of their long days in the field, Stroeve's research team conquered a bevy of extreme challenges, including air temperatures that ranged from about minus 20 to about 20 degrees Celsius, the threat of polar bear encounters (the researchers were accompanied by Inupiat guides and carried rifles, just in case), and the potential to become hopelessly lost. In order to help them keep their bearings, each researcher carried a GPS monitor.

The field data collected by Stroeve's team help validate models that predict the potential responses of arctic ecosystems to environmental changes. They also help validate satellite measurements and identify variables that can be reliably retrieved from satellites.  Because detailed field samplying of ice and snow conditions can only be conducted over limited distances, Stroeve's team also uses aircraft obervations to characterize snow and ice conditions in arctic environments.

-Lily Whiteman, NSF