Category: research

I started running samples early (7 a.m.) with some coffee from the beach, because brunch was not on until 10.30. I am almost out of bottles and canisters, the remaining of which I will use on Sunday. It is now clear that I will not be able to measure all my snow samples up here, although I done a good chunk of them, about two-thirds.

Sample and standard runs went well and I now have decent calibration curves for both(!) headspace and liquid samples. I have used a mix of 20 standards in MilliQ water (with remaining traces of EtOH and MeOH, which served as solvents). I was done at 22.00, enough time to head to the bar for a drink.

It seems that this was the last complete day that I spent measuring at the GAW Lab and the SST. I discussed the coming days’ schedule with Brad and my samples have to be ready on Sunday night, if they should get on the same plane as myself. That means I will have a pretty tight schedule on Sunday, because I would like to pack the snow samples as late as possible.

Sampling went well and included pit sampling of six layers in a 60 cm pit that I dug. Despite the warm weather there is still quite a bit of snow left – not that surprising, when I measured -12.1 degrees C at the snow-soil interface. On they way up to the road and on some of the slopes, however a lot of the snow is already gone. I also emptied the bio-sampler and put on the MOUDI one more time. Finally I took some of my equipment down to the base for snow-sampling on the weekend. At TGIF I spoke to the SWO and we will be heading out to the BAY site on Sunday. Good – so I will get a second data point there, not much in total, but at least some indication of what is going on down there. I just hope that the wind will be fine, not blowing from the base and so that the truck will be located downwind (I will have to keep it running).

I was off to a smooth start today with everything prepared. Measurements were going fine – I ran 4 samples today together with the remaining standards. I now have retention times for them all and can start evaluating my data (at least qualitatively). I also started working on the calibration curves for all compounds.

Tomorrow I will be changing the bio-sampler for the MOUDI one more time. I will also sample snow at the SST for the last time. Saturday or Sunday I would like to go to the Bay site once more and Brad has put in a request for support (i.e. an armed guard and a vehicle with the military).

Next Monday I am going to pick up my stuff at the GAW Lab and the SST and start packing. On the weekend I will also run some more samples on the GC-FID. I should be able to do at least 4 other samples and finish the calibration curve. So that’s the plan. Let’s see, if it works out. I finished after a long day of measurements at 1 a.m. and went straight to bed. The bar was closed already anyway.

I sampled at the GAW Lab and the SST, again. I brought in some additional snow sampling bottles and a canister to have enough for the remaining measurements. I also left 2 canisters and some bottles at the base in order to have some left in case I go out sampling into Alert Inlet once more (which is still not sure). It was a very pleasant day without wind and temperatures just below freezing. The sun was quite strong – but only for the first hour. Then the fog started coming in from the coast (winds from the North and Northeast) and it stayed foggy throughout the day. Winds kept coming from the Northeast and died down eventually. Once the winds had subsided I sampled air with a canister and SPME fibres and bulk snow with glass bottles and HDPE containers.

I also dug a pit (50 cm deep) and sampled 5 different layers into glass bottles. I also performed the usual accompanying temperature measurements of snow and air (in the sun and in the shade). Finally I packed the first two boxes of canisters, which I will ship out on my last day at the SST. I checked the gauges and bubble-wrapped them for shipping. I made my way back through the fog, armed with radio and bear spray. The morning tracks were still fine, so I had no trouble finding the GAW Lab. But I could imagine how easily one can get lost in this slightly hilly and featureless terrain.

At the lab I checked the bio-sampler and the pump again; both were running fine. Initially we were waiting for a tour to come in, but the service flight got pushed back 24 hours due to the fog. If the plane will arrive tomorrow night, I will go up to the lab to disconnect the bio-sampler and put the MOUDI on again.

It is my birthday and I hope that I can make it a short working day, i.e. “only” working normal hours.I switched the bio-sampler for the MOUDI and then headed over to the SST for SPME air measurements and some snow sampling. The weather was pleasant – with the ever changing wind, which was not too strong. After return to the base in the afternoon, I just managed to phone my parents  and my sister in Austria in time for birthday wishes. I even got my brother on his mobile. I then ran the SPME fibres on the GC, which still is in excellent condition. I am very happy about it, because this way I can concentrate on sampling issues, which is challenging enough. Finally, I worked 9 hours – a record low 🙂 I spend the evening watching a video and I had a couple of drinks and toasts at the bar – the Wolf Den. Nice.

We headed out again, but not without taking additional precautions. We stocked up on bear spray and established communication guidelines via Radio. The visitors from Environment Canada departed today on an early service flight back to Trenton. They were lucky, because the usual Wednesday flight was pushed back 24 hrs.

I had company on the way to the lab, because it is still too dangerous to go out alone. Sampling went well and back at the lab I started running the SPME air samples and some snow samples as well. It was a long evening – I finished well after midnight, but the bar was still open and I followed an invitation to celebrate my birthday on early May 30 with a few drinks – nice, so at least staying up late paid off in the end.

After getting ready and a late breakfast at 10.30 (it was the “Brunch” routine again), we were ready to head out, when a bear warning was announced. Fresh tracks were found at the Met-Shack and near the gym, and everybody was advised to stay inside. Let’s see how the situation develops. I have checked the possibility to get an armed guard and a BV for sampling at the “Bay” site again, but it won’t be before the end of the week. Planes are scheduled to come in tomorrow and Tuesday, so people are going to be busy.

So I ran standards and samples instead. I do not mind the day at the lab, because I am lagging behind a bit anyway. However, I was not prepared for a lab day and melting samples delayed my measurements further. So I could have made more of the day, but bears usually do not phone ahead.

Today I had my first visit to the “Bay” Site. Better late than never. It was a beautiful day and after shutting down the Bio-sampler and starting the MOUDI at the GAW Lab, Brad drove me to Alert Inlet. I made my way across the ice with my equipment on a sled, approximately 500 m from the truck.

Although the wind was changing throughout the day, it never blew from the direction, where the truck was parked with engine running and neither did it blow directly from the base with the exception of 20 min. I had a wind from SW during canister sampling, but the SPME measurements could be affected. For snow sampling I did not only the usual grab sampling, but I also sampled 3 different snow layers that covered the ice (a snow pack of 23 cm in total). On my return to the truck, the ice had opened up a little with small cracks appearing (but I could not see the water yet).

Well the past two days I was busy sampling. There were a few minor delays – truck not starting, … nothing that could not be fixed. At the GAW Lab and the SST, things went smoothly. I set up a power line to the deck of the GAW Lab and started the MOUDI – for an overnight run.

I fixed it to the guard rails and set up an “umbrella” of tin foil in case it starts snowing. It was -10°C today, so it was pretty chilly in the trailer. The snow flakes have transformed to plate like structures as opposed to flakes two days earlier (beautiful!). When we got back, we noticed that one of the bogey-wheels on one of the tracks became loose. With a bit of luck and thanks to a super-nice mechanic we will be on the road tomorrow. GC measurements went well (although I have not done any data analysis yet). The instrument is behaving well with a good baseline and well-timed measurements. On bothdays, I finished at 10.30 p.m., 16 hrs again.

I have now established a fine routine, starting at the GAW lab to switch from Biosampler to MOUDI (or vice versa). These two instruments run reliably overnight on the deck. When done, I head over to the SST to do my snow sampling with scoop and shovel and air sampling with SPME fibres and canisters. I have also started sampling snow layers, differentiating between loose, powdery and packed snow. Sampling goes well by removing layer by layer and filling a new bottle for each one.

It usually takes 4 hours to get everything done. Including transfer times it usually is a 6-7 hour day. Back at the base I clean up, run the SPME fibres on the GC and prepare them for the next day. If there is time, I also run two snow samples (headspace & liquid, in duplicates).

I have been thinking hard about going out sampling today, but in the end I decided to run the snow samples and blanks that I have collected so far in order to not fall behind with my measurements. After labeling and putting them out of the freezer for melting, I was running my morning routine.

Today is “Plane Day”, so the base is a bit of a beehive. Around 11.30 I went outside to take photos of the plane touching down on the gravel runway – an impressive picture. Otherwise I was busy with measurements. I was running snow samples and standards to determine the retention time on the recently clipped column. I have prepared solutions apart from each other and in well ventilated areas in order not to introduce any contamination into the snow samples.

After running individual compounds by injecting 0.5 μL of headspace from the ampoule I mixed – so far – 9 standards in a common stock solution. I had problems with solubility in water, which I solved by adding ethanol. This worked fine. From this stock I will prepare
dilutions and set-up calibration curves for all compounds under investigation.

I have also learned from the electricians that a new transformer will not be available until next week’s flight. That means that the MOUDI will stay at the GAW Lab for the week and I will also move the bio-sampler and use it with the mains-powered pump (because the batteries are too short-lived, when it is this cold (currently -10°C). For all other measurements I will stay at the (unheated) trailer.

Not enough bad news today – the other truck broke down on the way back and will be out of service until at least next week. We now have to use the only (replacement) truck – Nuuk. That means rescheduling and I have set-up a regimen, where I will run the MOUDI & bio-sampler alternately overnight (which is fine – the longer the better). This way I can do my other tasks within approx. 4-5 hrs, which is also the usual timeframe for work at the lab. It now seems unlikely that I will sample regularly at the BAY site. With just one truck and being alone it will be difficult. Bear tracks have been found in the vicinity and going out without a vehicle is too risky.I finished “early” today – at 10.30 p.m.