The time has come the Walrus said...

...to talk of many things. Well we are into our 8th week here in Churchill and unfortunately I will be leaving tomorrow morning, a few days earlier than planned. Erinn will be staying on til Wednesday to finish up a few things so expect at least one more blog. Slowly researchers have been finishing up their work and leaving so the lab has been a lot quieter these days. There is a lot to think about and reflect upon as this field season wraps up. First I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all of the staff and fellow researchers at the CNSC- it was great getting to know all of you and to learn about everyone's different projects. Thank you to the staff who answered my many questions, cooked delicious meals, fueled our truck every morning, helped us sample, bear monitored and generally kept us on track and out of trouble (mostly). The unique community up here is what really made this field season a success and is what causes me to think about next summer already- I look forward to scheming more olymp-a-thons, scavenger hunts and bay dip costumes, while exploring the tundra and falling into as many bodies of water as possible.

One of my last days of sampling on our bluff was definitely one of my favourites. Strong winds and a high tide created large waves, turning our bluff into a slip and slide with rainbows visible everytime a wave crashed into the rocks. It has been such a unique experience to see the transition from frozen bay to wild ocean.
Here pool 30 is swallowed by the ocean..no we didn't sample it that day, we thought it a wee bit dangerous, oh yeah and a polar bear was enjoying the surf far too close to it. I bid a fond farewell to our bluff today, the next time I visit it I plan on completing the one project that eluded us this year at da bluff- removing a rusty old barrel from a pool near the road. I tried today but to no avail, I will have to come better equipped next year.

In addition to our work, other exciting science has continued this week. Below our researcher friend Kuz teaches more about the International Tundra Experiment that she is working on up here and puts us to work measuring soil temperatures.
Well as Ingrid, Erinn and I have mentioned frequently during our time here, Churchill is full of wonders. One wonder I was fortunate to view last night was the northern lights, visible with a great green hue between the hours of 2am and 4am. Another one of my favourite things about Churchill is the abundance of Common Butterworts.I became fascinated with this plant when I was first here in 07. It is carnivourous and uses sticky mucilage on its basal rosette to trap insects that crawl across it. The leaves then slowly curl and digest them. It is a great strategy for nitrogen poor soils and a plant with a shallow root structure. And with that science factoid of the day I will end my final blog of the season. Stay tuned for Churchill 2010!