Today began optimistically. The temperature at the Eureka Weather Station was milder than it has been recently: -41°C, with light wind. At PEARL's Ridge Lab, the temperature was a relatively mild -24°C, with moderate wind (according to the sensor). The Sun had begun to rise by the time the Ridge Lab team departed for the Ridge Lab.
As the team approached the Ridge Lab, Paul noticed the road had become filled with snow drifts. It can be difficult to tell how deep they are from a distance. After driving through a minor snow drift, we stopped, got out, recognized the last section of road before reaching the lab would be impassible, and started shovelling. The wind was intense. After some shovelling, Paul attempted to drive through a long snow drift a few times, but couldn't get through. We kept shovelling. After iterating a few times, we got close, but were concerned we wouldn't be able to leave if we stayed. We walked inside the lab and discussed our options.
Volodya and Dan went up to the Ridge Lab's roof to check whether measurements would be possible. While the wind was intense along the stairs, the roof was relatively calm. There wasn't much snow being blown around. While on the roof, Volodya checked the operation of the Brewer, MAESTRO and SPS. He also made sure Brewer was on the correct schedule. Aside from the clouds along the horizon (which made for interesting photos), measurements were possible if we stayed. However, in the short time we spent inside the lab, much of our shovelling efforts had been undone by the wind. If we stayed, it wouldn't be easy to leave again. Paul and Jim decided we should leave. The wind was high, snow drifts near the lab were significant, and our ability to return to the Eureka Weather Station was uncertain.
The Ridge Lab team spent the rest of the day at the Eureka Weather Station. The upside was that we all enjoyed having a proper lunch in the meal room with our 0PAL colleagues, Emily and Zen! The team also spent time planning videos we intend to film to contribute to outreach efforts.
Debora performed retrievals. She is trying to develop HCN retrievals from PARIS spectra. She also started testing the new WACCM a prioris for Eureka. Debora also tried unsuccessfully to connect to the University of Toronto's Atmosp VPN for 2 hours, which is needed to run MATLAB due to license restrictions. This issue has been impeding the use of MATLAB throughout the campaign for many of us. Dan worked on a document that will guide the next campaign webmaster. Xiaoyi analyzed recent GBS data. Preliminary ozone and NO¨2 DOAS fitting look good. Volodya worked on a document to help operators looking after these instruments once he leaves.
Nearby at 0PAL, Zen connected the E-AERI computer to an internet-connected power controller and, with Xiaoyi's help, re-configured the laptop's BIOS. Zen will now be able to remotely re-start the E-AERI computer, which will be very useful. Chris ran the CRL all day and all night. Emily worked on depolarization and is hoping that a couple of "reality check" clouds come overhead at some point so she can check that the calibration is good.
Today's ACE ozonesonde flight occurred at 18:15 (local time) and reached an altitude of 31,698 m (6.8 hPa).
Today was an unexpected break from measurements. With a plane arriving tomorrow, our ability to request snow clearing from the Eureka Weather Station will be limited. Hopefully, the snow drifts will not impede our access to the lab tomorrow.