In an agreement reached March 24, the University of Alaska will be cooperating with Petersburg High School and the Wrangell Ranger District to conduct research at LeConte Glacier.
Under the arrangement, the project will be undertaken by university researchers making third-party use of the high school's special use permit issued by USFS' Alaska regional office.
The university's study will monitor the dynamics, glacial runoff and subglacial discharge of LeConte Glacier. It discharges icebergs and meltwater into the nearby bay each year, and researchers wish to learn how that affects circulation with adjacent marine waters in the fjord.
Field work undertaken last week was the first of six planned over a 17-month period. In August the university will deploy researchers on a week-long field survey, with crews servicing equipment, operating terrestrial radar and taking oceanographic measurements from a temporary base camp. Similar work will be undertaken in the fall, with three field surveys planned for dates in 2017. Two of those will be extended-stay campaigns of up to ten days.
Instruments were deployed on and around the glacier, including three global positioning satellite receivers, up to three passive seismometers, a meteorological station, up to four time-lapse cameras to monitor glacial motion and fjord circulation, and a land-tethered mooring.
During the three extended-stay field campaigns, researchers will set up a portable wind turbine at camp to recharge batteries needed for the scanning radar. After the study is concluded, all equipment and waste will be removed from site.
Research will make use of two teams, studying the glacier and taking oceanographic measurements. The project will make use of a rotating team over the season, involving researchers not only from the University of Alaska campuses but also from Washington, Oregon and elsewhere. The field studies will include local high school students as well.
As part of its agreement, students from Petersburg High School will participate in the field research. The school has tracked the movement of the glacier for the past three decades, using surveying techniques to measure the glacier's terminus each year. The PHS students are still slated to survey LeConte in May, and the added experience picked up through the university's project will be new territory for the long-lived program.
“It's a win-win situation for all of us,” commented Victor Trautman, PHS science teacher and coordinator for the school's ongoing LeConte survey.
“It's a great opportunity to share our research with the students and community,” commented Jason Amundson, assistant professor of geophysics with University of Alaska Southeast. He is coordinating the project along with Roman Motyka, research professor emeritus of the Geophysical Institute of University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Initially six students were going to accompany the two research teams during last week's field studies. Unfortunately, poor weather ended up grounding the helicopter needed to accompany the glacier team.
“We did get students to do ocean work,” said Amundson. Three high schoolers accompanied the oceanographic team on its boat for a day, operating equipment and helping take measurements.
Weather delays made it a bit hectic getting equipment deployed, but Amundson said all the pieces were deployed. The oceanographic team also experienced some issues with accessing the fjord due to ice but was ultimately able to conduct its work.
“They all three (students) thoroughly enjoyed it,” Trautman recapped. He explained the experience was a valuable one, encouraging students to take up an interest in science while broadening that perspective beyond medicine, which is a common path for girls in the program.
Students unable to attend the field studies will still get to learn about the program. The University of Alaska plans to visit the high school to demonstrate the equipment being used and present information about the ongoing project.
Within a year of completing its research the university will also provide its results to USFS, which will be available for public distribution. Time-lapse films created from the camera footage and radar imagery will likewise be shared with USFS. A time-lapse film of LeConte documenting the calving and flow of the glacier will be prepared and shared with the high school and ranger district both.
“It's mutually beneficial,” Wrangell Ranger Bob Dalrymple said. While researchers are able to conduct their work, the results will go toward informing public management of LeConte and similar sites. “In a bigger sense that information goes back into global climate change studies,” Dalrymple said.
The other benefit is for local youth who get to enjoy what Dalrymple called “a living laboratory.”
“It's really good when the high schoolers can have that lab out there,” he said.
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