Greetings from the Alaskan tundra! The St. Olaf Crew (minus Seth, plus another Ole, Serina Robinson) has had the privilege to start our arctic research experience early at Sue Natali’s field site in Healy, Alaska. We are joined by Mike Loranty and his research student Kira, both from Colgate University. For some, this is our first exposure to research in an arctic context and for others this is a “science vacation.” Our feet are getting a practice trekking through the tundra and we are also getting a preview of the bird-sized arctic mosquitoes. Our trip has been a mix of research and adventure.

Ellen, Serina, and Kira taking terrestrial gas flux measurements on the hill slope

First, the research. After spending a good amount of time tramping through the tundra and making observations, we discovered a unique hill slope that terminates in a water track. The vegetation changes were pretty obvious. Huge dwarf birch shrubs dominate the upper portion of the hill, and closer to the stream it transitions to an area rich with mosses and tussocks. The water track itself has very distinct bands of shrub and graminoid vegetation. We decided to investigate what might be driving these vegetation changes, and so we designed an experiment to parse out the mechanisms behind the distribution. We’re now in the process of taking CO2 and methane flux measurements, doing some water sampling, and collecting soil and foliar samples for nutrient analysis. Our hill slope integrates terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, something we’re hoping to continue researching in Chersky.

(above) Ludda taking advantage of the downtime during methane flux incubation (below) Karin taking dissolved methane samples from the water track

In addition to the adventure of getting to our field site each day (including getting rather lost the second day), we have had many non-field adventures. Friday we headed into Denali National Park to take a shot at wildlife viewing and hike in one of the most pristine natural environments in the USA. We saw all of the major mega-fauna: caribou, a grizzly bear, moose, and Dall sheep. Our hike took us up the Toklat river bed, which is a braided river draining the glaciers amidst the mountains. We still have not seen Mt. McKinley, but given Alaska’s unpredictable weather patterns it is not at all surprising.

For all the students in the group, it’s our first trip to Alaska, and we’ve taken quite a liking to it. Our home base is a small but quaint dry cabin, nestled in a grove of birch and spruce trees. We’ve been enjoying nightly bonfires and the endless daylight in the land of the midnight sun. Hailing from the flat Midwest, the St. Olaf Crew has also been enjoying the stellar scenery provided by the mountains of the Alaskan Range. We have a couple more days of field sampling ahead of us, then it’s back home to prepare for the next adventure: China.

The whole crew in Denali National Park