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What is it like to stay at a research field station?
What is it like to stay at a research field station?
Field stations are like rural hotels for scientists. They are usually in hard to reach places, or on land that is protected for conservation purposes and does not allow regular lodging. Field stations are usually run by universities or non-profit environmental organizations to provide scientists easy access to study wildlife, landscapes and environmental conditions in places of natural importance all over the world. They offer teams of researchers a temporary "base camp" to live, science laboratories, meeting spaces and technological tools.
This map by the Organization of Biological Field Stations shows many of the bigger field stations around the world (the station where our scientists stay is marked with a red circle), check out the interactive version with information about each by clicking on it.
The Toolik Field Station in Alaska is one of the field stations found in the Arctic Circle to study the ecosystems of polar climates. It's operated by the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and hosts scientists from all over the world who are trying to better understand the soil, water, plants, animals, microorganisms and climatic conditions of the Arctic.
Tour the station with students from the H2cOld Team:
Tour the station with students from the H2cOld Team:
Scientists at Toolik stay mainly in hard-sided dorms or tent-like structures called "weatherports" or WPs. Check out Emma's tour of hers above and more photos here. Bathrooms are outhouses known as "the towers". There is a separate shower module and even a sauna!
After a hard day out in the field, research teams can head to the dining hall for a warm meal. Key and Anna show us around the inside of the dining hall.
Brandon and Rachel bring you a quick tour of Lab #10 at Toolik, which the H2cOld Permafrost Team was assigned to during the 2022 field season. It's basically a weather-proof tent. It has heat, power, internet and an assortment of computers and instruments we brought in. Groups of scientists rent out lab space for their research work at the field station, but they also bring back samples for analyzing at their home universities.
The Community Center is where residents of the Field Station relax during their free time. There are games, craft materials, movies, and even musical instruments. See if you can find the Community Center in the Camp Map.
For more photos of what it's like to live and work at an Arctic field station in the summer, see the Field Photos gallery.
Additional resources to learn about permafrost:
National Snow and Ice Data Center https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost
NASA Climate Kids "What is permafrost?" https://climatekids.nasa.gov/permafrost/
EPA Climate Change Indicators: Permafrost: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-permafrost
Alaska DNR Permafrost and Periglacier Hazards: https://dggs.alaska.gov/hazards/permafrost.html
European Space Agency- Permafrost: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Permafrost_thaw_it_s_complicated
Alfred Wegener Institut- Permafrost: https://www.awi.de/en/focus/permafrost.html
Want to see what permafrost is like up close? Take a virtual tour of the Permafrost Research Facility near Fairbanks, AK.
Learning about permafrost through art: Artist Nikki Lindt explores ecosystems through painting and soundscapes. Check out her amazing work in the Arctic tundra featuring sounds of permafrost thaw below:
Learning about permafrost through art: Artist Nikki Lindt explores ecosystems through painting and soundscapes. Check out her amazing work in the Arctic tundra featuring sounds of permafrost thaw below:
Permafrost thaw, Alaska, sights and sound (sound recording)
Tumbling Forests of the North; Permafrost Thaw (paintings)
5 Minutes of Permafrost Thaw (sound recording)
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