It’s storm outside. The snow drift looks like Barrow! but not Shaktoolik yet!! Shaktoolik is one of the strongest and continuos windy place in AK!
However, Fox tunnel excavation is on schedule… going on today.
Now it looks tunnel, right!?
WE can see ice wedge at right (also celling)
Buried wood (next of ice wedge) start emerged
Segregation ice
more wood! I guess about 30,000-40,000 year ago!
Some frost contraction cavity! ice crystal growing in this cavity over 20,000-30,000 years!
It was warm (-5dC) and calm day in interior! But I heard Nome, Barrow are middle of heavy blizzard!
You see this jet stream 300mb map (http://squall.sfsu.edu/crws/jetstream.html). Bering straight to Barrow is middle of main jet stream! It slowly shifting to east that will affect Fairbanks soon!
AVHRR image at Bering straight. it looks sea ice cracked by strong wind at Chukotka, St. Lawrence Island.
The other hand, cold air down to the ocean at Southeast of Alaska
Fox new tunnel finally start digging!
This is interesting approach to dig forward. Small hydraulic rotor with tooth bit breaking frozen ground.
Macine itself is not big, and we are still hard part (because ground temperature is below 20dC). Once we reach deep enough to original permafrost temperature which is just below 0 dC, maybe speed up a lot!
Scratching permafrost! You will see at the bottom of ice wedge ice (middle right upper)
We had a spring snow storm yesterday in interior! It’s a lot of snow and wind!
Sometimes zero visibility!
Spruce tree was fall down by wind. It cut power line!
New permafrost tunnel will open next year. New one is next of existing CRREL permafrost tunnel at Fox. This one will dig much longer and more organized structure for presentation.
Powerful buck-hoe cut frozen silt with ice!! it’s only half day to make like this!
The secret is “V” shape tip (Tiger Tooth) at the toe of buck-hoe. It can shovel permafrost very quick.
You see about 1m of debris above the permafrost layer
I saw new Boeing 787 passenger plane at Fairbanks Airport. The Fairbanks Daily News Miner said Boeing has been taking advantage of a cold snap to test new jet.
This Boeing 787 is the long-awaited mid size wide body, it will be fuel efficient.
Great comments from UK (thank you!) :
About the Boeing you tell,it is a long range, mid-size, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.The capacity of the passengers in that,is really awesome and great.Pictures are really beautiful and seems to be the best and great when see them.Good to share the pictures.
Lightly ice fog with morning sunshine at Steese
Interior Alaska is still middle of cold spell. Jet stream is still strong from Arctic. NOAA satellite picture (Alaska Region NOAA POES system) shows us strong wind from Bristol Bay across the peninsula. Clouds start developed open water (south of Saint Paul Island) then bad weather at Port Heiden side. Pacific ocean side and Kodiak seems good weather but maybe developed a lot of Von Karman Vortexes.
Sun shine tells us spring is not too far away but temperature drop back to 40 below this weekend.
Typical inversion type atmospheric condition at Tanana Valley (over 20 degree F difference!). Chimney smoke tell us inversion.
Lightly ice fog in town at Sunday morning
http://www.arh.noaa.gov/goes.php
From Satellite image, strong wind from Bering Sea to Gulf of Alaska. Especially Aleutians, beautiful cloud pattern tell us Jet stream!
Nenana students are back! I like them they are fun when we were at permafrost tunnel last time. At this time, we are staying in UAF all the time and working some permafrost lessons.
Then after the permafrost exercise, we take film for the last episode of TunnelMan at library.
They are great!!
I have a great night! thank you!