Dark Snow Settles in to Greenland Base
June 28, 2013
The Dark Snow project Science and media team has set up shop in a small cabin on the outskirts of Sisimiut, on the coast of Greenland.
Scientists Jason Box and Marek Stibal, along with myself, will be working pushing out communications, video, still pictures, and narrative over the next several days, while we wait for the remainder of the scientific team to arrive, and for our helicopter transportation situation to clarify. Our originally contracted helicopter provider has been hamstrung by the Danish regulatory system for now, and we were able to fly this week by making a last minute arrangement. Plans for the coming days are being re-evaluated on a daily, and even hourly basis.
Dr. Stibal will be heading home tomorrow, as his samples so far indicates that the glacier-based organisms he has been sampling may be at a more advanced growth stage when he returns in August. Dr. Box is busy reviewing budget and planning items, and working with me to go thru the large amount of video and stills we have already acquired, as well as create more interviews and voice-over for an expanding number of interested media outlets.
We’ve seen sunshine, rain, snow and fog, sometimes all within the same hour.
The only condition that has not changed radically in recent days has been the sun, which is always circling the arctic sky, and when the clouds part, dazzlingly bright.
Sisimiut varies wildly between spectacular physical scenery, incongruous and unexpected human dwellings clinging precariously to the outlying rocks, bustling traffic and dreary public housing in the city center. The temperatures have ranged from comfortably cool to biting cold, and today we had snow, that fell but did not stick. The wind comes and goes, but generally remains not far out of mind or ear. Enormous Ravens haunt the rocks around our tiny cottage, babbling as we come in and out, and occasionally bursting out of the shadows with ponderous Tolkeinesque flapping.
Marek Stibal and Jason Box share lunch and pensive moments as they plan the next moves for the Dark Snow project.
As President Obama, onscreen, delivers his policy address on climate change, Marek Stibal listens quietly in the main room of our Sisimiut, Greenland base.
Houses cling to rocky hillsides near the Dark Snow base.
Fog descends over historic buildings in central Sisimiut.
June 28, 2013 at 10:29 pm
That’s an awful lot of non-snow covered mountains I see in the last shot – I assume it wasn’t always so. How’s the internet speed? How’s the petrol prices?
Indy
June 29, 2013 at 12:43 am
not buying petrol, but the beer is insanely priced.
internet connection ok. would be interesting to see older pics of the mountains.
June 28, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Surreal landscapes!
I’d be interested to hear what you guys thought of the Obama climate speech.
June 29, 2013 at 12:41 am
groundbreaking. historic. paradigm shifting. no going back. he can’t un-say it.
Clearly a lot of work went in to the wording. The speech was careful and
solidly factual.
This speech did not happen spontaneously. Obama knows what I’ve been saying for several years about the polling. Most Americans get it, they know humans have something to do with it, and they think the government has a role in mitigating and dealing with climate change.
June 29, 2013 at 1:10 am
I’m very encouraged by his decision to use EPA to go after carbon polluters, as well as the plan to withdraw funding (subsidies at home, loans for coal abroad). If we could only get Comgress to go along with a carbon tax…
I do wonder if he can say yes to Keystone at this point without seriously hurting himself?
Oh and republicans — completely backed into the dunce corner. All and all, masterful. I was, however, disappointed by the promotion of nat gas/ fracking.
June 28, 2013 at 10:40 pm
Can’t imagine the sun circling the sky,,Where is all the soot from the Colo fires?
June 29, 2013 at 12:41 am
that ice is pretty dark up there. something’s doing it.
will be posting some aerial vids of our target landing zone soon.
June 29, 2013 at 1:25 am
[…] The Dark Snow project Science and media team has set up shop in a small cabin on the outskirts of Sisimiut, on the coast of Greenland. Scientists Jason Box and Marek Stibal, along with myself, wi… […]
June 29, 2013 at 11:20 am
Here are some stories you might have missed:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/56162?utm_source=scribol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/republicans-war-on-coal-_n_3516724.html?ir=Green&ref=topbar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/charles-bayless-climate-change_n_3518836.html?ref=topbar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/phoenix-las-vegas-heat-wave_n_3520075.html
Keep up the great work – you are in my thoughts and prayers.
kokuaguy at Gemale dot com
June 30, 2013 at 11:57 am
[…] The Dark Snow project Science and media team has set up shop on the Greenland coast in a small cabin on the outskirts of Sisimiut, on the Greenland coast. Scientists Jason Box and Marek Stibal, along with myself, will be … […]
July 29, 2013 at 2:09 am
[…] The “banned in Boston” dead-tree version of Rolling Stone is hard to find in most places, due to a wrong-headed non-controversy about the cover. But now Jeff Goodell’s story is online, in a special, first-of-its-kind-for-rollingstone media enhanced version, with several embedded videos that the Dark Snow media team produced during its stay in Sisimiut in early July. […]
July 29, 2013 at 7:19 pm
[…] Richard Alley, at June’s Chapman conference in Granby, CO, and Jason Box, who spoke from our DarkSnowProject HQ in Sisimiut, in early […]
July 29, 2013 at 9:08 pm
[…] from Richard Alley, at June’s Chapman conference in Granby, CO, and Jason Box, who spoke from our DarkSnowProject HQ in Sisimiut, in early […]