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PAGE21 project is very actively involved in field activities in all 5 primary and 7 secondary sites within the project. During the spring and summer seasons research groups from almost all participant institutions go on expeditions, collecting data on permafrost temperature, CO2 and CH4 fluxes and different features impacting the temperatures and fluxes in the tundra.
While the project aims at comprehensively disseminating the final project results as widely as possible, we like to also give people a glimpse on how the final results actually came about. In these blogs the researchers explain the research done in each site and describe the life in remote tundra sites.

Display # 
Name Articles
Summer Blog: Seida 2013 9
Summer Blog: Seida 2014 4
Summer Blog: Svalbard 2013 1
Tundra Stories April-May 2013 12
University of Hamburg at Samoylov 2013 4
Winter blog: Cherskii 2013 5

Latest Blogs

BLOG: Yukon Coast 2015-Preparations in Inuvik

After a 36-hours long journey and 6 different flights we smoothly landed in Inuvik on July 16th. We were all quite happy to see the colors of the north, which contrasted with the white background formed by the clouds that were surrounding us during the hours of flight.

Inuvik is a small arctic town of 3400 inhabitants, mostly Inuvialuits and it is located along the Mackenzie River. The city is reachable via one road coming from the south, the Dempster Highway or by the air.
 
We stayed there for 4 days to get rid of our jet lag and prepare for Herschel Island. In fact we forgot about the jet lag and just jumped into the preparations. This implied scheduling and organizing the next flights to Herschel, packing and weighing the scientific equipment, shopping for more equipment, buying the food, and cooking.
We were hosted by the Aurora Research Institute, which provided us with housing and research facilities http://nwtresearch.com/.
 
This was actually the first priority as defined by the rule "Safety first: Food". We shopped and chopped, reshopped and rechopped and then we fried and stewed enough meals to keep 9 to 12 people away from hunger for the next 28 days. We put all dishes into bags and froze them to better transport them to the island. And we did not loose any finger on the cutting board!
 
Meanwhile, we prepared the scientific equipment. This implied buying tools that we did not ship to Inuvik, getting the guns, ammunition and bear sprays, packing and weighing the boxes of equipment, preparing the boat that would bring Hugues, George, Jan and the rangers to Herschel, and so many other things.
 
This has been an intensive 4-days preparation but we now feel ready for a 28-days and even more intense fieldwork!
 
 
 Picture11BLOG  Picture21
 Travel to Herschel Island through the Mackenzy river (Photo: Jan Kahl)  
 
 

Blog Samoylov 2015 - Last look back to the island

 
All good things come to an end, and so did this expedition.
 
After few weeks on holiday and already one week at the office again I have had time to look back and go over the expedition in my head.

While the data is still waiting to be checked and thus the real judgement on the success of the expedition is not yet there, I must say that all in all, the expedition was of course an experience of a lifetime.

The nature in the Arctic, in its roughness and minimalism, is simply beautiful. The tundra, the many small islands in the delta and the Lena itself compose a balanced, but powerful landscape in which peace of mind is not difficult to achieve.

The work itself was anything but boring. Just to see and learn to understand how the polygonal tundra has been formed over thousands of years was already worth the trip. To be able to discuss and ask questions on other peoples work and research in this unique environment was naturally priceless.

But what really stood out from this expedition, was the great atmosphere and good spirit in our group.
 
All 25 people staying on the island in July made an effort to make the month the best it could be.. and good it was.

I am very impressed by the level of cooperation and the overall willingness of everybody to share on their own research and understanding and above all the willingness of everybody to help each other in the field, lab or just in preparing the work.

For my part I want simply to say Thank you!
 
I had a great time, I learned a lot and I hope that I managed to do my small part well enough, so that it will help our scientists in their work.
 
Below, some last impressions from the past month.
 
 
 DSC 0065.small  a halo1
 Katja and Anna  Molo
 P1000742small  P1010031.jpgsmall
 Josi and Niko  DSC 0126.jpgunnidsmall
 20150715 102737.small  MMGamez Samoylov 2015 22 small
 DSC 0082.jpgunnid  the sandy beach of Lena river
Met station Stolb St.Basil Moscow

BLOG Samoylov 2015 – 101 years

P1000965 smallThere is one thing that has not failed the past 15 years here on the island; Molo’s birthday party.
 
Every July 21st, a feast has been prepared by the July crew together with the station staff to celebrate one more year of Molo.

Lucky me, July 21st is also my birthday, so this year I got to float along and had one of the most memorable birthdays of my life.
 
In a truly Russian style, we lacked nothing in the dinner table and I guess I will never again receive a gift as the one I got for this birthday from Ira and Olga; a real mammoth vertebra.
 
Unfortunately, since Samoylov is part of a nature reserve and nothing is allowed to be exported, or even collected, I had to leave the bone to the island. But I will certainly cherish the very beautiful gesture of the girls and tell anyone who just wants to listen that I have a mammoth bone..in a very good care in Siberia.

I would have loved to have some pictures from the evening, but I was just too busy eating and dancing to take any pictures. Instead, I will post one of the Arctic Poppy, one of the flowers growing on the island.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Title Location Date
BLOG: Samoylov 2015 – Life on the island Summer Blog: Samoylov 2015 2015-07-30
Blog Samoylov Expedition 2015 – Lake Measurements Summer Blog: Samoylov 2015 2015-07-28
Blog Samoylov Expedition 2015: Research and engineering Summer Blog: Samoylov 2015 2015-07-26
Blog: Samoylov 2015 , Scientists in Samoylov Summer Blog: Samoylov 2015 2015-07-25
BLOG: Yukon Coast 2015 –What is the “Expedition Yukon Coast 2015″? Summer blog: Yukon Coast 2015 2015-07-20
BLOG: Samoylov 2015 – History of research on the Lena delta Summer Blog: Samoylov 2015 2015-07-20
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