There
is really not too much to report today. We awoke to the unusual sight
of reasonably thick clouds scattered clouds in the sky. In themselves,
these were enough to end the hope of direct-sun measurements, but they
quickly thickened to completely overcast - the type where the white sky
matches the white snow and there is no horizon to be seen.
We spent the morning at the lab, confirming that all the UV-Vis
instruments were working and then settling into computer-type work. The
FTSs got a well-deserved break, and the PEARL GBS operated in zenith
sky mode only.
By lunchtime, the overcast skies and 25-35 knot winds convinced us that
it would be better down at the station. And so we spent the afternoon,
with our laptop computers set up around a dining room table. Through
the day the temperature at the station continued to climb, reaching -37
C - a big change from yesterday's -45 C - and it snowed!
The evening was more exciting. After Jane and Kelly launched another
Raven balloon for us (the sonde reached 8.2 hpa, 31957m) we headed down
to the reservoir/rink for a hockey rematch. An hour and a half, a few
minor bruises and lots of laughs later, the Pierre, Matt and Cristen
team were declared the winners, after narrowly edging ahead of Oleg,
Felicia, Mareile and I. An entertaining dice game capped off the
evening. Keep your fingers crossed for better weather for
measurements tomorrow!