We have returned safely back home, with mixed feelings, at least in my case. I’m happy to be back, but miss the friends we left behind at the Northeast Science Station, and the immersion in a world unlike anything else I ever get to experience.

I carry home with me great memories of new and surprising aspects of the Siberian Arctic.; of long field days, marmots and ground squirrels and bears, racing a moose along the beach in Nikita’s boat, and deep conversations about carbon and permafrost and moss and gas flux and hydrology. Every year is different, every year the Arctic shows me something I have never seen before. Every year our scientific understanding grows in new directions thanks to the hard work of our core students.

Over the next few months, answers to many of our research questions will emerge. We generated mountains of data in our last few days in Cherskiy and have yet to plumb the full depth of new knowledge we have produced. So pay attention over the next couple of months as we enter the next phase of our work and the Core students report on the final results of their research.

I end with a big Thank You to my colleagues, here in the states and at the station, who worked hard to make this a great and productive trip. You are a joy to work with. And to the Core students, who are growing into great colleagues. I look forward to what comes next.