Sea ice field work training – preparations

My job at the Norwegian Polar Institute is both to write applications and to manage scientific data. Since I’m not a scientist it’s hard to understand sometimes, how data is collected and digitalised.

To learn more about this I’ll participate a sea ice field work training tomorrow. It is organised by the polar institute and UiT, the Arctic University of Norway. We’ll be on the sea ice of Sørbotn – part of the fjord Ramfjorden the whole day and learn different measurement methods as coring and magna probe. (Don’t ask me any questions today. I hope I’ll know a bit more tomorrow.)

The instructors measured the ice depth yesterday. It is round 50 cm and absolutely safe to walk and work on. We had two preparative meetings where we discussed possible risks and how to dress properly. Although it is forecasted to be only -5 °C and hardly any wind it’s always good to have enough stuff to stay warm when being outside on the ice. I started packing today.

Clothes for the sea ice workshop

Some of the items I’ll take with me:

  • Thick Kamik rubber boots with inner shoe – really warm!
  • Red hard shell jacket and matching bibs. Not warm, but absolutely wind proof.
  • Grey down parka. For resting and having lunch outside.
  • The brown fur hat. 100% polyester, H&M, EUR 9.90. I used it once in -37 °C and although cheap it’s warm and works well.
  • Ski goggles – just in case.

The hard shell jacket and bibs are not mine. Yet. They belong to the polar institute and I got them recently. After five work years they are mine. The attached fur is my private one.

Maybe some of us will get a Regatta floatation suit, a warm, water- and windproof coverall, but I’m not sure yet so I’ll take all the private stuff with me. I love winter. I do not love freezing.

More to come after the training …

Oh, what a beautiful sunrise!

Wintry sunrise mountains IIIWintry sunrise mountains IIWintry sunrise mountains IWintry sunrise mountains IV

Mountains on Kvaløya photographed from Sydspissen, Tromsøya.

While the first images are made with a strong (though non-professional) telephoto lens (500–600 mm, ƒ/6.3), this gives a bit more impression of the mountains this morning:

Wintry sunrise mountains 200mm

January sun in Tromsø

After ten days with snow and wind, rain and storm and many, many clouds – there it is – the sun. The first time i see the sun in Tromsø since some day in November.

January sun in Tromsø

Photo taken with my iPhone through the window pane of the canteen at lunch break.

 

I couldn’t sleep

I couldn’t sleep. Not at all! At 1:30 I gave up and went out for a walk. And took some photos. Black and white. By the coast. Snow showers.

Night cliffNight tree

Now I try to catch some sleep. Good night!

____

Not I see, that the 2nd JPEG has quite strong colour artefacts. I may correct that. Later.

I walk to work

Back in Tromsø I decided to walk to work this week. 2½ km to the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Framsenteret and 2½ km back home. So I get at least a bit of motion each day. And a bit of outdoor feeling, too.

Monday, 17 January

It has snowed quite a bit the night and is still snowing. It’s -4 °C and the wind is calm. It’s fun to trudge through the powder snow.

Monday – gentle snowfallMonday – powder snow

Lunch time. We get the table by the panoramic window. Some boat owners clear the landing of the marina from snow.

Monday – view from the canteen

Tuesday, 18 January

-3 °C and snow fall again but now the wind is stronger and squally. Luckily I have it in the back.

Tuesday – snow squall ITuesday – snow squall II

It gets warmer the whole day and it starts to rain. Wet ice and deep puddles on my way back.

Tuesday – ice and puddles

Wednesday, 19 January

+2 °C, a bit of rain. Rubber boots, slush, ice, water puddles.

Wednesday – puddles

Thursday, 20 January

-1 °C and fresh snow.

Thursday – fresh snow

I don’t trust the snow. I know that ice and slush lurk beneath the surface. Therefore I wear rubber boots again with attached spikes to avoid slipping on the wet ice. The gloves protect against the wind, the reflective wristbands with the blinking LEDs and the high visibility vest against not being seen by car drivers. No cyclists the last days.

Glove and wristband with blinking LEDsSpikes and rubber boots

Friday, 21 January

-6 °C, almost like winter. The canteen invites to “sun buns” and cacao because it is “soldagen”, the day where the sun is finally visible in Tromsø again after 8 weeks. Unfortunately clouds block the low hanging sun.

Friday – “sun day”Friday – the sun is hiding

This weekend I won’t see the sun neither. We got warm weather and storm and unfortunately a lot of rain. So I’ll probably keep myself mostly inside.

 

Fresh snow in Tromsø

Since yesterday evening I am back in my “work town” Tromsø. How I got here after 17 hours of travelling is another story. I only mention that it among others had to do with snow.

And snow we got in Tromsø as well. Round 30 cm of fresh, clean snow cover the ground, the houses, the trees and build fields of slush in the shallow parts of the sea.

These photos are from a short promenade from Telegrafbukta and Sydspissen.

Southern Tromsøya in the snow ISouthern Tromsøya in the snow IISouthern Tromsøya in the snow III

The middle of the polar night

Today it’s the darkest day of the year, which means, that half of the polar night in Tromsø is over. With the risk of repeating myself, even the darkest day is not dark, especially when it’s a crisp, clear day with a lot of – well no sun – but cloudless sky and warm, colourful light.

The darkest day in Tromsø 2021 IThe darkest day in Tromsø 2021 II

No, you couldn’t see the sun, but the direction where it was, because a light pillar created by reflections of ice crystals in the air marked its position.

People where outdoors, not only on land but seaside, too. Two people clad in neoprene doing a long-distance winter swim. Three women paddling and taking a rest at Telegrafbukta. And finally me who after some hesitation took a winter bath. Air temperature -8 °C, water temperature +4 °C, alas no wind. Perfect conditions!

Winter swimmersPaddling IPaddling IIMe taking a winter bath (Photo: Annika Kramer)

How long it will take until you can see the sun again? Well in Tromsø probably in a month but I’m cheating. In a week Annika and I head to our home in Sweden, where there’ll be at least four hours of sun every day. Beach holiday in the south ;-)

 

Thaw and cloudbursts

Why, oh why was the forecast of Yr right? Already a week ago it forecasted a period of thaw and heavy rainfall. And Wednesday it started to rain. Just now I’m listening to another cloudburst bucketing down on the roof.

The snow is gone and the ways and small streets are very icy. When it continues raining like this even the ice may have thawed and washed away soon.

Icy and slippery IIcy and slippery IIAutumn like coast IAutumn like coast II

It looks almost like autumn but with a huge difference: It’s dark. The photos above I made at lunch break on my last working day this year.

It’s a pity! Just today my wife Annika will arrive so that we can spend Christmas time together. It would have been lovely with a lot of snow but even though it shall be colder again soon it does not look like we get some.