We are now several days into our trip and we’ll finally reach Cherskiy, our final destination, tomorrow (if all goes as planned).  Things have gone mostly smoothly so far, with one notable exception.  One of the undergraduate students had a health issue (sinus infection) that was quite severe when we were in Moscow, and after several agonizing hours of discussion we decided that we couldn’t take the chance of her condition worsening as we headed to our remote field site in the Siberian Arctic.  With prudence and safety as the guiding principle, the student spent an extra day in Moscow and then headed home.  We’re all very sad about the situation, but the show goes on.

Max Holmes

Project Director, Woods Hole Research Center