Impressions, anecdotes and experiences from the field. Authors are beneficiaries of SPI funding. The posts present the authors’ reflections of their field experiences.
Oslo, 4 August 2023 Between 2022 and 2023, the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO / HEPIA) has developed a towed CTD probe (conductivity, temperature, depth), of which an advanced prototype is now available.The principle is to carry out successive dive cycles using an autonomous control mechanism, thereby […]
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In August 2022 I spent three weeks sampling rivers in six fjords in the southernmost part Greenland, covering a range from the towns of Narsarsuaq to Nanortalik. For this SPI Fieldnotes post I’ll briefly introduce my project’s goals, describe the day-to-day activities, and highlight what was key to making this […]
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In October 2022, the research cruise along the Davis Strait onboard the American Research Vessel Neil Armstrong, was dominated by surprisingly good weather and a very supportive team. We departed from Nuuk in Greenland and sailed towards the north on a grey and quiet Labrador Sea, where we could see […]
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15 February 2023 “For a few days we will be a family, but an international family!” said the two tour guides with whom I am about to travel the 160 kilometres by dog sled to Sisimiut, where I will spend the next two weeks. The day before, I arrived in […]
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The surroundings are painted with shades of brown and orange, as if the land was dipped in a warm, earthy palette. The air is thick with dust, possibly from a mix of sand and soil. The mountains in the distance appear simultaneously immense and small, playing tricks on our sense […]
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In the Himalayas, glacier-fed rivers are an important source of freshwater for millions of people downstream. The cryosphere being very sensitive to rising temperatures, climate-change induced seasonal snow and glacier melt may have tremendous impact on streamflow in such basins. Its impact may be combined with anthropogenic interventions (e.g. hydropower) […]
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14.09.2022 – The protagonists 1936 – Arnold Heim and August Gansser 1939 – André Roch, Ernst Huber, Fritz Steuri, David Zogg Six Swiss mountaineers, geologists, topographers. Pioneers who explored the hidden valleys of the Garhwal range of the Indian Himalaya more than eight decades ago. They made impressive first ascents, […]
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Uf! It is 3 pm on 8 December, and we have finally finished setting up a weather station at 5366 metres above sea level on Cerro Tapado, in the dry Andes of northern Chile, after a kilometre-plus climb from the valley, and many weeks preparing sensors and logistics. I feel […]
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44% of Earth’s glaciers in high-relief mountains are covered by rock debris that insulate the ice from atmospheric forcing, reducing ice melt. However, as the debris cover is not homogeneous, space remains that produce differential melting under variable debris thicknesses, creating a surface morphology in the form of strongly incised […]
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