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.
