The route of Barrenlands Traverse
A team of scientists and Native observers are poised to embark on a 3,000-kilometer (1,864-mile) snowmachine journey across the tundra of Alaska and Canada, from Fairbanks to Baker Lake in the far reaches of Nunavut.
Along the way, the five Americans and three Canadians will visit dozens of historic Arctic sites, 11 villages and two diamond mines. They will stop to take detailed measurements of snow and climate, visit schools, gather traditional knowledge — and then share their insights with students and teachers across the world through daily on-line dispatches.
It’s SnowSTAR 2007: Barrenlands Traverse.
“Countdown: We are 12 days away from our departure!” writes expedition leader and snow scientist Matthew Sturm, a researcher with the Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory of the U.S. Army.
“The goal of the trip is to ‘find’ the Arctic. To understand what makes up the modern Arctic, to explore what is changing in both the natural and human systems of this critical region.”
They will also make the first set of comprehensive snow measurements along that traverse. This new dataset will help show scientists how satellite images could be used to monitor the snow cover. Sturm has previously led expeditions across Alaska that tested and measured snow, and has been a lead researcher in studies of increasing shrub growth on the tundra.
The contingent will gather on March 12 in Fairbanks, and then embark on March 16. Dispatches about preparations for an Arctic expedition get updated each day on the website. Following along via the Internet are hundreds of students spread over North America. They can check in on the expedition’s progress and learn about the Far North with an interactive map.
Ken Tape prepares snow sample kit
“There are currently 53 classrooms actively tracking the expedition,” said Sturm and base manager Dave Andersen in an email message. “We now have schools in nine U.S. states, five Canadian provinces and Tromso Norway. Students range in age from Kindergarten through high school. Each class (by teacher) is now listed on the website with their own contact & content page under the School-to-School tab. We invite participating classes to communicate directly with each other.”
Classes can submit “posters” for Sturm and his team to show classes in villages along the route.
“If you do not feel you have time to submit a poster, please feel free to personalize your content page by sending us a class photo we can post,” they wrote. “We would like to receive these soon. Don’t forget to think of things you want to know about the other schools and communities. We can carry your questions, posters, and greetings with us to share with other students.”