Julie Waite

Studying the connection between grasses, fires, and methane
Posted on July 9, 2019
When we arrived at our field camp in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta last week, the term “fen” had been something I had only encountered in papers. After five days spent in and around fens, I have a new appreciation for this feature of the landscape that bridges the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.…
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Field-testing science in the YKD
Posted on July 3, 2019
My arrival in the tundra was three days ago when we float-planed to the remote Polaris field camp in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta (YKD). Flying over the fractal patterns of lakes, different colored vegetation, and burned and unburned areas was like entering a different world.…
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Coming back to camp
Posted on July 1, 2019
The 2019 Polaris team arrived at the field site today, after piling into two planes and flying across the tundra. I remembered the start to our journey last year, seeing the land for the first time, and all the questions I had pulsing through my brain.…
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As climate warms, tundra fire cycles are changing
Posted on June 28, 2019
While traveling in the slow-moving morning commute from the suburbs of Massachusetts to Boston, I have time to reflect on my experiences that have led to this point. As a returning student, knowing the unknown is refreshing. Like most people, before participating in the Polaris Project last year, I could only imagine what the tundra looked like, felt like, sounded like, etc.…
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Going to the tundra? There’s a map for that
Posted on June 25, 2019
“The number one rule of cartographia was that if you could not observe a phenomena, you were not allowed to depict it on your parchment” -The Selected works of T.S. Spivet p.32 I’m excited to be traveling with the Polaris Project group again this year.…
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Polaris 2019 team chosen
Posted on February 25, 2019
We are very excited to announce the team for the 2019 Polaris Project expedition to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. We’ll be 19 people strong, including 11 students (8 new undergraduates and 3 returning for another round) who were selected from a strong set of applicants.…
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Studying the connection between grasses, fires, and methane

Field-testing science in the YKD

Coming back to camp

As climate warms, tundra fire cycles are changing

Going to the tundra? There’s a map for that

Polaris 2019 team chosen