We started a project in March where we have this large, great team of people investigating the relatioship between permafrost and regional hydrology in Interior Alaska. We have field sites from the Jarvis Glacier in the Alaska Range to the Tanana Flats across from Fairbanks and the Caribou-Poker Creek Research Watershed north of town.
In April we went to the Jarvis Glacier watershed to do some snow surveys and investigate the watershed.
In May we hitched a ride on an Air National Guard Pavehawk helicopter to some field sites in Tanana Flats.
Unloading equipment from a hot helicopter of that size is somewhat exciting. They were putting us down on some floating and mushy material so they did not want to shut down. The rotor wash is enough to knock you over.
An aerial view of an area that burned in 2010.
Close up of the same terrain.
Using a tall guy like Eric to install a pressure transducer to monitor water levels.
Miriam checking out the cores we got.
I like the motto of these combat rescue guys: "We fly where others have failed."
Here I am installing another pressure transducer.
The Tanana River in Fall foliage.
A forest fire near Fairbanks.
