Daily reports from the NGRIP-camp - week 20 year 2001
Monday, May 14th
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| Daily life |
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| Science |
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| Logistics |
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Tuesday, May 15th
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| Daily life |
The first plane this year arrived at camp in the morning. Before the
crew took off again people on ground were already starting up the first
generators and checking whether everything was OK. The camp seemd to be
in good shape, the temperature in the "dome" (the main building of the
camp) was -13C on the first floor, and -18C on the ground floor. Outside
the weather was nice with a temperature of -24C. During winter 2m high
snow dunes had accumulated around the dome, but this is just what one would
expect. The picture shows last years' opening of the main dome.
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| Science |
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| Logistics |
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Wednesday, May 16th
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| Daily life |
| The weather at NGRIP is nice. Sunny, with -25C to -35C, and hardly
any wind. |
| Science |
| The scientific work is slowly beginning. Then entrance
to the drill trench has been modified to account for the new snow layer.
A motor on the drill tower was broken, and spare parts have been ordered
in Copenhagen, so they can be ready for the next flight next week. A firn
sampling site has been selected. Firn cores will be drilled in order to
investigate the gradual transition from snow to ice at NGRIP, and to take
samples of the air in the firn. These samples have to be taken somewhat
outside the camp, and upwind from the camp. |
| Logistics |
| The startup of the camp is going fast. Several tents that had been
taken down for the winter have been put up again, the skiways have been
groomed, to prepare for the
flight next week, and smaller repairs on the e.g. the stove and dishwasher
have been completed. |
Thursday, May 17th
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| Daily life |
| The weather is still fine. It has been just perfect for all the outdoor
activities that have to take place at the startup of the camp. The cooks
freezer (which is just a cave in the snow) has been reopened, which is
about time, after the take-away pizza's from the put-in have all been eaten. |
| Science |
| The entrance to the drill trench
has now been finished and all drill equipment has been brought into the
trench. A manual tower tilting device has been installed, so the drill
tower can be tilted manually until the broken motor can be repaired. The
logger which measures temperature and inclination in the borehole has been
tested succesfully. |
| Logistics |
| All the weatherports on the surface have been re-erected, and beds
and power have been installed. Some of the snow drifts that had accumulated
during winter have been moved. The skiways are being groomed, and all the
flags around the skiway have to be lifted to the new surface. |
Friday, May 18th
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| Daily life |
| The weather has again been nice, with temperatures between -19C and
-35C. |
| Science |
| The logging of the borehole has been finished. This means, that the
temperature and inclination have been measured in the borehole. The logging
stopped at 2847m depth, where the hole was blocked. The blocking is connected
to all the problems we experienced last season, when the drill got stuck
(see last years diary). A relatively
large amount of glycol was left in the borehole when the season finished,
and the cleaning of the borehole will soon begin. |
| Logistics |
| The large startup of the camp has almost been finished. New food supplies
have been moved to the freezer, the skiways have had their initial grooming,
and all flags along the skiways have been raised to the present surface level. |
Saturday, May 19th
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| Daily life |
| There have been high clouds, and some blowing snow. Today was the first
saturday at NGRIP this year.
It is a tradition to dress nicely, have some nice food and to have a good
time, usually with dancing on saturday nights. This gives a very good break
in the otherwise somewhat uniform life on the ice. |
| Science |
| People have been working on the drill electronics and the gas sampling
device. This device will be used to take samples of the small air bubles
enclosed in the ice. This may e.g. give information on the variations in
greenhouse gas concentrations with time. |
| Logistics |
| There has been a general cleaning up in camp, and fuel drums and other
cargo have been moved, in order to be ready for the upcoming flights. |
Sunday, May 20th
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| Daily life |
| The sunny but cold weather continues. |
| Science |
The work on the drill electronics and the gas sampling device continued
today. Unfortunately there are still a few problems with the electronics
that will be used for the cleaning of the borehole and for the drilling.
When the last part of the core (hopefully) has been drilled, two electric
measurements will be performed, and different samples will be taken before
the ice is packed, and sent to Copenhagen. All other measurements will
be performed in the different laboratories around Europe. |
| Logistics |
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Continue to Week 21
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