Guest post by M.Sc. student Amanda Schevers
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The best way to carry the stand for the
precipitation collectors. This is at the top of the West River catchment, I’m just
about to install the final collector.
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I never thought I would ever
consider battling snowstorms, bone-chilling winds, and sub-zero temperatures
for an entire summer to be so rewarding and fun, yet somehow I ended up at Cape
Bounty. Despite hearing stories from past students, seeing pictures, and
reading more papers than I can remember, I still managed to be completely
shocked when I hopped off the plane onto the lake ice. No pictures will ever do
this place justice.
But
why am I here, in an uninhabited island in the middle of the High Arctic?
Sometimes, when I get caught up in the small details of things, stepping back
and re-reading my research proposal helps remind me what I am actually trying
to accomplish while I am here (which, by the way is for a total of 64 days).
We’ve heard all about climate change and how much it will change the world we
live in, but how exactly is it going to change the surface water we, and
countless aquatic ecosystems rely on?
To help answer this question, I’m going
to be monitoring two rivers and their respective watersheds. This may sound
easy, but it means I’m going to end up hiking 15-20 km carrying 10-12 litres of
water every single day. Luckily I have PhD candidate Casey to help me out. We
installed a network of monitoring stations, wells to collect subsurface water,
and four precipitation collectors across the landscape. My first week at camp
was spent out on the tundra, getting to know the land, the equipment, and
getting a taste of the wide range of research that occurs at Cape Bounty.
One
of the best parts of hiking such a large area every day is the chance to see so
many incredible things. Hiking up through snow lined channels, stopping to
admire the approaching wolves, caribou, and muskox, and checking out all the
bones scattered across the tundra are some of my favourites.
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| Before installing stations, we decided to walk up the East river channel. Water creates some pretty cool features. |
Life
at camp hasn’t been too shabby either. We’ve managed to bake a giant cookie,
brownie, and apple crisp all in a frying pan. After a long, cold day in the
field and in the lab a relaxing evening with dessert and camp stories are the
perfect way to end the day.
