SCHOLARSHIP DAY 71: Collecting methane gas from Cranberry Lake

Last night, I can reveal, Alaska reached minus 33 degrees C! Only seven more degrees lower, and the famous '40 below' would be achieved. I don't think I will see this in my remaining time here, but still, I feel with only a week left to go, I have well and truly tasted a true Alaskan winter. I walked to the university today in minus 27 degrees C; a task that was made all the easier with Jerry's balaclava that he had given me before he moved south. The only issue I had with this was the fact that the water vapour in each exhalation was freezing on it, and at times, freezing my eye lashes to the wool, which made the removal of the item a painful business! Soon, I reached the university, and I could defrost, literally!

Today would see me back on a university field trip; another lake trip, but this time, with something new and refreshing to do. Allen, Jacob and I would head to Cranberry Lake (about ten minute drive North), dig into the ice, retrieve some methane traps and collect the gas samples to take back to the lab. It sounded simple in the office; it would turn out to be a much different operation out in the field. We set off after compiling some kit, and arrived at Cranberry Lake not long after that. On our way we were lucky to see a Red Fox, and it didn't seem too bothered about our arrival. It trotted off into the distance. Cranberry Lake is a lake I've worked on before, and it seems every time I go, the south facing shore-bed is eroding substantially. Trees are becoming drunken, falling over, and split trees are a common feature, here on these thermokarst lakes.

As I said, to get to the trap that Allen had deployed ages ago, we would have to pick axe our way through the ice, using only a metal pole. This was hard work, but I enjoyed the fact that I was getting warm again. Some holes were easier to dig than others, depending on how much ice there was. In some parts, some of the ice just wouldn't budge, so it required some very hard but accurate ice digging. Sooner or later, I couldn't feel my right hand, and all I knew was that Jerry's gloves also had a breaking point)

Well, once all the digging was done, our attention turned towards the collecting of a gas sample. A small and very tight screw has to come off in order for a gas sample to be collected, but the only problem was that there was no way of unscrewing this with gloves on. Allen decided, somewhat crazily if you ask me, to attenpt the whole process in bare hands. It makes me cold just thinking of it here!

The traps here in this lake are composed of the most basic of materials ; the gas collects inside the bag, which attaches to the pipe, and then one brave individual would have to attempt at transferring the gas from this pipe into a test tube. This method, launched by Katey Walter Anthony almost 10 years ago, is an incredibly simple set up, yet it can go wrong so very easily. At one time, I pick-axed my way through the pipe and released the gas by accident. The work, although it required a better method to collect the gas, was invigorating work. There I was, pick-axing away at this ice, imagining what it would have been like hundreds of years ago to have to result to axes rather than electric machines. It seemed that we had learnt a little about wilderness. Yes, you adapt yourself to the wilderness, but you also have to conform slighty, and take yourself out the comfort zone.

With a reasonable selection of samples collected, we loaded up the truck, and headed back to the university. Tomorrow marks my last weekend field trip to the Brook's Range, so I'll update you on Monday. Until then, enjoy your weekend.