OASIS field study- Barrow (2009, neighborhood, university)

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hey guys, A friend of mine will be working in Barrow, OASIS field study, between Feb 09 til April 09, his name is Steve Sjostedt, if you're in the neighborhood drop by and say hello to him, Tell him Dusty sent ya. Thanks.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Hey guys, A friend of mine will be working in Barrow, OASIS field study, between Feb 09 til April 09, his name is Steve Sjostedt, if you're in the neighborhood drop by and say hello to him, Tell him Dusty sent ya. Thanks.

There are going to be some very interesting studies done this summer. Here's their webpage for the Barrow project:

OASIS - Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack

The Barrow Arctic Science Consortium (BASC) has an outreach program which provides an opportunity for these visiting scientists to describe the specifics and the significance of their work to anyone who wants to spend a Saturday afternoon listening to them. Without any doubt at all someone from that program will do one or more presentations during the time frame of that study (which among other things will almost certainly mean that I'll meet, and probably photograph, your friend Steve).

[Dusty Rhodes]

Thanks Floyd, I hope you do get to meet him. I've known him for quite a while. He's not all that tall, about 6'2" or so, but.... he's about 325 lbs, he is an Olympic weight lifter, not all that quick, well......he played college football as an interior offensive lineman. He got his phd from Georgia Tech and has been on a post-doc at the University in Toronto for the last five years or so. He has spent extensive amounts of time at the S. Pole and Northern Greenland doing some sort of atmospheric studies. He is really looking forward to spending time in Barrow. He has run across the white bears before, and penguins, (not at the same time, of course) in the south he has photos of himself and penguins. In the north, he has photos of himself, and he has photos of White Bears, He said he has worked quite hard at not being in the same photo as the White Bears-he has good sense, an easy going disposition, and a good sense of humor. He was raised in New Hampshire, and never learned to hunt, primarily because he never learned to shoot. He has no qualms about eating any of the venison I brought in, or ducks, geese, dove et al.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, I see Steve is doing something with volatile organic compounds, interesting, I've known him for a while and I would have bet he was not the volatile sort, - more my style than his - but.... along the lines of environmental chemistry perhaps there is a differing meaning to the term.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Well, I see Steve is doing something with volatile organic compounds, interesting, I've known him for a while and I would have bet he was not the volatile sort, - more my style than his - but.... along the lines of environmental chemistry perhaps there is a differing meaning to the term.

LOL, man-guy almost self-destructs at anything volatile and exploding, won't tell him as he would be there to watch...

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Well, I see Steve is doing something with volatile organic compounds, interesting, I've known him for a while and I would have bet he was not the volatile sort, - more my style than his - but.... along the lines of environmental chemistry perhaps there is a differing meaning to the term.

There is a lot of really interesting research currently being done on the North Slope. I'm not positive that that one is the one I'm thinking of, and I don't remember a lot of the detail...

They are looking at a group of pollutants that have some extra ordinary characteristics. They can be measured in water, and are easily measured near virtually every industrial center along the western Pacific Rim in amounts that clearly indicates where the pollution is generated. But it is carried northward by storms (which originate in the Indian Ocean) that work their way along the Asian coast and into the Arctic. Most pollutants studied previously were carried by jet streams, these are not. There are larger amounts of these pollutants in places like Barrow than anywhere else.

It seems that these compounds are breaking down into something else, but nobody knows exactly where they go or what the chemical reaction actually is. They measured concentrations though, and found that it is clearly triggered by light, and the concentrations in the snow begin to change in February when there is more sunlight. But the oddest part is that apparently the chemical reaction is not faster when it is warmer, as are most chemical reactions.

Anyway, there will be a lot of study needed to determine exactly how the pollutants are breaking down, and what compounds are left when they are gone.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, jumping threads here, the date for my surgery is set for 21 January. The surgeon says he can put my shoulder back together without having to go to the junkyard for spare parts, they also say that the recoup time will be well into months.---------Back to you Floyd---------- hummm, light not heat, well there is at least one example of this one, photosynthesis is not heat dependant, that there are an inordinantly large number of plant specie in tropical areas is not because of any ease in photosythesitic reactions, just the heat allows for better sap flow in the organisms, but, photovoltaic cells work in any climate, at least when the sun is shining, the prolonged darkness at either of the poles does tend to slow down the process somewhat. But......in summer when the sun shines almost all of the time, these cells work overtime. (without the benefit of time and a half)

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hey there, just getting this back on the front page, Steve won't be arriving for a couple more weeks but, still want to keep him in yalls' minds. My surgery went ok, is some kinda sore at present, they hint that this may last for several months...... doncha just love encouragement!!!

[mal_flisk]

Makes me feel all warm and mushy inside when the doc says "You'll get used to it"

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Hey there, just getting this back on the front page, Steve won't be arriving for a couple more weeks but, still want to keep him in yalls' minds. My surgery went ok, is some kinda sore at present, they hint that this may last for several months...... doncha just love encouragement!!!

Glenn Sheenan, the head honcho out at BASC, says they will have 30 scientist arriving in two weeks. Until now it has been pretty lonesome out there at this time of year, but the rest of this winter is going to be just as busy as the summers are.