Matt Hoffman Measuring Solar Radiation on Taylor Glacier

December 23rd, 2007 andrea

On Taylor, LTER science researcher/Portland State  University graduate student Matt Hoffman used a spectroradiometer which measures the energy of visible and infrared light as a function of wavelength (http://asdi.com/products-fs3.asp) to make detailed measurements of solar radiation on and beneath the surface of glaciers in the Dry Valleys. This image shows him using the spectroradiometer to make surface measurements, you can see more detailed photos if you click on the image.

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Ice Core Drill on Taylor Glacier

December 23rd, 2007 andrea

I spent my first day in the Dry Valleys on Taylor glacier with Hassan, Liz Bagshaw and Matt Hoffman. They were using an ice core drill to access the interior of cryoconite holes (cylindrical cavities in the ice filled with sediment, water, and air and covered with a clear ice lid) for Liz’s research and to measure the penetration of solar radiation at various depths of ice for Matt’s research. Pictured is Matt and the drill, and this is what it sounded like in action:

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Visiting the Dry Valley Met Stations with Hassan Basagic

December 23rd, 2007 andrea

I spent the last four days following LTER Science Technician/Portland State University Research Assistant Hassan Basagic around to various meteorological monitoring (met station) sites in the Dry Valleys while camped out at Lake Hoare next to the Canada glacier. Besides being an expert on glacial ecosystems, Hassan is an electronics expert who provides support for several LTER projects.

This trip we traveled to three met station sites via helicopter where Hassan was checking and replacing equipment and downloading data: Taylor Glacier, Lake Bonney and Bonney Riegel. Here is a recording of part of our flight to Lake Bonney, with the voices of Hassan and the pilot:

Met station data: http://www.mcmlter.org/queries/met/met_stations.jsp
More about Hassan’s research: http://web.pdx.edu/~basagic/

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