A team of eight experienced ACE Validation Campaigners arrived in Eureka on Sunday: Emily, Dan, Debora, Joseph, Paul, Volodya, Xiaoyi, and Zen. Travelling with them was PEARL's Principal Investigator, Dr. James Drummond, who will also be working at PEARL over the next two weeks. The temperature in Eureka was a brisk -48 °C. The sun started to rise above the horizon a few days ago, so the team looks forward to getting to work Monday morning and preparing for measurements.
After disembarking the plane in Eureka, the first order of business was to unload the gear, instruments, and supplies. It had been a long two-day trip to get from Toronto to Eureka (a three-day trip for Emily, who started in London). Thankfully, dinner was ready when we arrived at the Environment Canada Weather Station: what great timing!
Our trip from Toronto started early Saturday morning, with the team meeting at 5:30 AM inside the airport. From Toronto we flew to Edmonton for a 2-hour stopover (conveniently timed for lunch), then onwards to Yellowknife. Once in Yellowknife, the team checked into the hotel, and split into a variety of afternoon activities. Some rested; a couple perused local art galleries. We all met for dinner and exchanged stories of past Arctic trips, and excitement for the trip to come.
The next morning began with an 8:00 AM departure from the hotel. The team flew on a comfortable Arctic Sunwest Dash-8 plane. Each of us had a window seat, which allowed for wonderful views of the passing landscape, which turned from snowy trees to just snow, and to ice and snow. We stopped only briefly at Resolute Bay to refuel.
After dinner, a safety briefing, the much-coveted distribution of WiFi access, and room assignments, the team settled into their rooms for a much needed rest. Monday will be a big day. We are excited to start getting our instruments set up and ready to take measurements! Keep checking this site, and our photo page. We plan to post updates daily.