Some of the technical information I found interesting today were the different types of earthquakes and their differences in potential frequency and impact....

Steve showed us different types of seismic monitors- broadband monitors a wide range of frequencies and are very sensitive, ideal for background monitoring or smaller earthquakes as they can be maxed out. Strong motion monitors stronger earthquakes but are not sensitive enough for less intense shaking, they are useful for busy environments like urban areas or where information on strong shaking would be important like in infrastructure.

Construction started during WW2 and becuase of that they did not have enough concrete so they had to import some and caused discoleration in the wall of the Dam. It was originally called Ruby Dam, being comlete in 1949 and renamed in honor of J.D. Ross. But even though it was finished in 49 its final planned hight was never reached because of pushback from locals and the conadian government because of environmental concerns, forming a treaty that lasts till today. This treaty formed a trade system between US and Canada  preventing the expansion of the Ross Dam, creating a trade system betweent the two countries where Canada would give the US the access power that was lost from not expanding the Dam, and in exchange the US would pay for what the expanssion would have cost.

Pictured here are the HWP (hot water pump) units. The groundwater is pumped into a filter before being sent to the heat transfer system. Water is then sent to HWP or CWP (cold water pump) units depending on what the individual rooms/buildings need. The water comes from a well that pumps from a depth of 1,800 feet below the campus. 

The water is pumped out of the ground, filtered and condensed before being used for heating and cooling, and then pumped back into the aquifer in what is called an "open loop system". The project is part of the university's 25 year climate action plan, aiming to replace utilities that use natural gas with highly efficient electric power sources.

Airflow control room in one of the CWU buildings being heated by their geothermal project. Air quality is monitored and adjusted based on the temperatures of individual rooms and the building as a whole.

As the water returns to the surface, it absorbs carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from nearby rocks. These gases escape when the water reaches the surface, releasing a sulfuric smell and creating bubbles. It was challenging and interesting to learn why the spring was different colors. The usual reason why hot springs are different colors is because of microorganisms called Thermophiles. However, these microorganisms live in temperatures between 106-176 Fahrenheit, which is nowhere near the temperature of the hot spring when we visited. People who put their hands in the spring estimated the temperature was in the 70s. Digging a little deeper into why hot springs are different colors, we found out the water comes out of the ground acidic, causing the various colors in the mud, while the green stuff in the water is just algae. From hearing about the hot springs in Iceland from family members who have traveled there, they always describe the hot springs as bluish or grey, so it will be interesting to learn how the difference in our geology makes our hot springs look like a dump while theirs look appealing. 

According to the National Park Service website, a resort featuring a bathhouse, inn, and cabins existed, with plans to build a pool. This never came to fruition because they were required to update their buildings in 1961; however, they did not have enough money to update their facilities and were forced to close. The National Park Service eventually restored the spring to its natural state. Seeing in person how small the area is for the hot spring, it's baffling to think this could have been expanded into a resort. How the Icelanders developed their hot springs to be a sustainable natural resource that attracts both Icelanders and tourists alike will be a fascinating topic for us to learn about!

Another place of Iceland's geological history. are the recent lava flows that occurred near Blue Lagoon and Grindavik. Grindavik was evacuated do to the amount of volcanic activity that threatens it, with only ten percent of the residents still living there. 

To diminish more damage to property, Lava walls were constructed to divert the flow away from buildings. Large machines usually must construct a barrier in very short time before an eruption happens. 

-Nathan Harrison

We got to have a nice lunch at Fredheima Greenhouse where they had a huge amount of tomatoes growing in big greenhouses that uses a geothermal borehole to provide heating to help grow the plants at the farm. The scale of these greenhouses was pretty impressive, and cool to see how geothermal technology is used for even growing food. For them to produce food at this farm they have to use 100,000 tons of hot water every year. Geothermal heating makes it possible for Iceland to sustain some farming throughout long winters instead of solely having to rely on farming outdoors during warmer summer months. It also enables them to grow other vegetables and fruits that otherwise wouldnt be able to be grown here.

Gullfoss translates to "Golden Falls" in English and is a stunning two tier waterfall along the Golden Circle. There are multiple theories about the formation of the canyon and the falls. One says the columnar joints in the diabase create weak points that allow the river to erode entire columns during the event of glacial outburst floods. Another states that a layer of mudstone and looser gravel below the basalt was eroded and was unable to support the more resistant rock above it. The most likely explanation is that both processes are contributing. Additionally, the Hvítá river is fed by glacial metlt from Langjökull. The glacier grinds down surrounding rock into "flour" which remains suspended in the turbulent water and increases the erosivity of the river.

Sigríður Tómasdóttir was the daughter of a sheep farmer who owned Gullfoss and the land around it. When her father agreed to sign a lease with an English firm who planned to dam the river at the falls and build a power plant in 1907, she threatened to throw herself into the falls if the deal proceeded. For years Sigríður made trips by horseback and on foot to Reykjavik to meet with government officials, attempting to end the contract. She brought Sveinn Björnsson (future first president of Iceland) with her to assist with the legal claims. Although she never succeeded legally, the project eventually fell through due to a lack of funds and the contract lapsed. The land was eventually sold to the Icelandic government in 1945 when it then became nationally protected.

  Iceland has a very small  ferry fleet and we rode thier only electric hybrid, the Herjolfur, to Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands). Upon arrival at either Landeyjahofn or Vestmannaeyjar, the ferry automatically connects to the charger. It only takes 30 minutes to charge the ship's lithium ion battery - the same amount of time it takes to load and unload passengers and vehicles. Using clean energy is one of the ways Iceland strives to  be environmentally friendly.

Though Washington has a much larger ferry fleet, it only has one hybrid electric ferry, the Wenatchee, that runs between Seattle and Bainbridge. Also like Iceland, Washinngton strives to use clean energy and is in the process of converting more of its ferries to the hybrid-electric system plus building all new hybrid ferries. The plan is for the same charging system at all the terminals, so  we might be seeing a simiilar type of automatic  charger that Iceland uses at ferry terminals state wide.

9-14-2026 Ash Breault

Small, inlet creeks flow from the base of grass-covered hills. Far up the mountainous cliffs lays Eyjafjallajokull Glacier, where this water is sourced. It travels a few kilometers until it cuts deep into the cliff, smoothing gravels and rocks, erroded from the powerful, fast moving water.

A large marsh spreads out across the landscape beneath these hills. Several inches of mosses grow along the streams of this creek, with patches of other flora growing where the water is not quite as high. Iconic plants growing here are crowberry, cottongrass, nootka lupine, stone bramble, and harebell.

Our guide lead us through the ravine, following the serpentine creek. This gorge extends roughly 1.2 kilometers into the mountainside. High, moss covered rocky cliffs loomed over us as we navigated slippery rocks and rushing water. The deepest area was accessible via a chain connected to the rocks, which we clung on to as we climbed this section of the river.

An outlet glacier of the massive Mydalsjokull, Sólheimajökull was our first visit to to the foot of a glacier during this trip.  It stretches about 8 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide. 

This wide gourge was carved almost entirely from the glaciers past and present extent, as well as glacial floods. Acting as a bulldozer, it pushes massive amounts of sediment forward, creating glacial morraines. The glacier scrapes everything in its wake, dislodging boulders and carrying them with its movement, depositing them further down the canyon as "glacial erratics", and smoothing any material it can't pick up, leaving deep, clear striations across rocks.

Due to the affects of climate change, it has been receding at an average of 120-200 feet per year.  When a glaciers summer melt outweighs the winters snow accumulation, the glacier begins to recede. Our tour guide, who has been visiting all his life, stated that it has receded over a kilometer since 1973.

The massive amount of meltwater that is sourced from Sólheimajökull, results in Jokulsa, a meltwater river that flows through a massive glacial outwash plain before reaching the ocean on the southern coast of Iceland.

We meet Andri at 10 am at his office in Reykjakvik. He told us about his journy from finishing highschool to becoming a professional writer. He started with writing poems using his observations on how folklore and the earth interact to inspire him while also trying to cross generational divide through his work and connect people through stories and culture. He wrote a short story, childrens book, sci-fi novel, and then On Time and Water in 2019. Since then he does not feel a need to revise On Time and Water but he also feels a need to expand on the ideas put forth so he is currently working on a second book. When asked if he thinks green energy industrial sites is worth the benefits to the climate  over the beauty of the natural landscape he remarked "time almost always gives things some kind of beauty". We discussed how everything hurts the earth a little bit and how do we manage to balance that harm, he talked about how all green energy has drawbacks but the goal is to minimize the amount you do. For example, electric cars are great but driving less is also effective, "we shouldn't have to wrap our families in five ton blankets, we use our cars as coats". Andri said he would be willing to sacrifice Iceland and himself if it would save the world from the climate future ahead of us, but unfortunately, the effect they could have would not be big enough to save us from what is to come. Our main take aways from this meeting is however depressing climate work is we still need to find some joy in it "just like we have to entertain ourselves to death we also have to entertain ourselves to life".  

Lunch was at the university of Iceland, Haskoli Islands. Many colleagues spoke on how different the food courts and bookstore looked at there campus. Mayelli spoke to a masters student who is majoring in business engineering that was currently working on his thesis statement. He mentioned that he likes to pass his free time at the gym and was happy that I walked up to him to start a conversation. After lunch we all broke out to downtown to do last minute shopping and site seeing. This was also our last time with Olaf. He mentioned a few things that really grasped many of our attention. One thing he mentioned that stood out was that he doesnt like the idea of the word teacher but he does like the reference "guider". Because we cannot dictate what people take away from our interactions, but we can influence them. Another saying he shared was from a Northic methology from 1000 years ago, "cattle die, people die, we die. But a good reputation will last forever." This stuck out to us because Olaf was a very great host and gave us his best, he showed up everyday excited to teach us about the country he was raised in, and all the things he loves most about its beauty and complex history throughout the ages. He has shown us that being intentional and taking pride of where you come from can take you very far. Key notes to this afternoon was making use of our time and understanding how time is very valuable, what is a permanent fixture of the earth to a human is is a fast motion in the greater scale of time..... "Time almost always bring beauty."