May 31, 2023

Three shuttle flights to Greendrill site and a warm evening

With temperatures above -10C the volleyball season has started.

Drilling continues in shifts 8 am – 10 pm with four long ice cores drilled today. The ice appears still to be in stratigraphic order with an age of the processed ice of about 97,500 years.
The pull out of the Greendrill site is ongoing. Today, the twin-Otter made three shuttle flights to the Greendrill site picking up equipment and two out of four scientists. Generators, skidoos, melt-water drill, and heavy odd-sized boxes of all kinds made it in and out of the Twin-Otter by manual lifting up and down a ramp. When at EGRIP, the plane is fueled by our crew in camp. The flight time to the site is about one hour each direction and the grounding time is another hour at each end, so a shuttle takes 4 hours. Today’s wind of 12-18 kt was an advantage, as it allows the plane to take off with a heavy load. After repeating the shuttling exercise three times, a good dinner was certainly well deserved for the crew. Emil had prepared tasty grilled lamb and selleri with cabbage and potato salad. If weather allows, the shuttling will continue tomorrow.
There are birds all over the place in camp. Yesterday, a small bird made it into the trenches where it is less windy and electronic equipment provides heat. Unfortunately, it was found dead next to a PC power supply this morning. In the night, other birds flying around camp tend to trigger the polar bear alarm. We have also seen several groups of migrating birds passing over camp the last days. Unfortunately, we are low in ornithologists, so the flying objects just remain ‘birds’ to us.

What we did today:

1. Four long ice cores drilled.
2. Logging depth: 2551.94 m. Processing depth: 2539.90 m.
3. Physical properties measurement 2530.00 m.
4. Made three shuttle flights with Twin-Otter to Greendrill site.
5. Worked on installation of drill pump in case it will be needed.
6. Worked on software for drill liquid level acoustic Pinger.
7. Hoped for an outdoor BBQ, but had to cancel due to high winds.

Weather today: Indeed, yesterday’s weather forecast was right, today has been the warmest day of the year with temperatures rising from -20°C last night to -8°C in the evening. At some point, we had high hopes for an outdoor evening BBQ, but unfortunately, it was too windy at dinner time. Later however, the volleyball net came to use in the sun. Wind, 8-16 kt from SW.

FL, Anders Svensson

The bird in the science trench sitting on a warming lamp.

Next morning next to a power supply – but dead.