At 12:00 UTC on April 8th, 2008 the NASA P3-B departed Fairbanks Alaska for Thule Greenland.  The NASA P3-B is flying as part of the ARCTAS mission, a POLARCAT airborne science field campaign during the International Polar Year.  During research flight six the aircraft performed a series of experiments designed to test the radiative properties of the Arctic troposphere.  The instruments aboard measure upwelling and downwelling radiation, ice/snow surface characteristics as well as trace gases and aerosols.

As we crossed the Arctic Ocean we frequently observed leads in the ice (Fig. 1) while flying as low as 200' in formation with the NASA DC-8 (Fig. 2).  Hours later we flew over Axel Heiberg Island with spectacular views of its once tropical now glacier ground then wind swept landscapes [Fig. 3 & 4].  Later we flew over the AERONET/LIDAR installation at Eureka Nunavut so we could compare to their observations in the high Arctic (Fig. 5).  Can you spot the igloo?

As we approached Thule Air Base the high winds meant that the DC-8 aircraft was diverted to Iqaluit, Nunavut.  The P3-B continued to Thule and made what NASA pilot Shane Dover described as a "sporty" landing - over drinks later the ground crew agreed it was impressive.  

All the native Greenlanders, Danes, Canadians and Americans we met were great.  At the community center we met a local woman who acted as translator for her friend, an older native Greenlander.  With obvious hand signals we watched as he explained through her that the thickness of the ice is changing and that he's worried about his livehood hunting on the ice.

Hope everyone's having as much fun as we are, wherever you are, studying the planet!  Best Wishes from the American-, Canadian-, German-, Hawaiian's in the High Arctic.

Steve, Cam, Steffen and Tony (back in Fairbanks)

--

Cameron S. McNaughton, MSc.

Earthstronaut

Department of Oceanography

University of Hawai'i at Manoa

1000 Pope Rd.

Honolulu, HI

96822, USA

Phone: (808) 956 5192

Fax:   (808) 956 7112

Email: csmcnaug@hawaii.edu

Web:   http://www.earthstronaut.org/