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Winter Blog: Cherskii 2013 ´´Ready to go out?´´
Min and Ina wearing the Arctic suit (Photo: Cherskii expedition team) Tuesday, 19th of November 2013
We arrived in Cherskii on the 4th of November for winter flux measurements.
We were told that the temperature would be -20 to -30° C on average so we were quite afraid before coming here. At the airport of Cherskii we saw that the temperature was -27 degree, but we looked at each other and said "this is -27? It is not that cold!"
Fortunately, we are well prepared with many layers of thick clothes and special Siberian snow boots that we got from local people. We were quite surprised when we first saw these snow boots because they looked like thick and stiff wool cloth. But they are really warm in snow and are well insulated from cold.
Layers of socks in Russian boots and the warmest place they occupy. (Photo: Cherskii expedition team)The only thing we have to care about is not to make them wet. If they get wet, they will shrink. In addition, our "it will be really cold" thinking makes us feel less cold ;)
Although the temperature was not very low for the last few days, we were getting white hair and eyelashes when our breath froze. We have to be careful in such case because this moisture can make frost on our faces!
So! We ourselves are quite ready for the field work, and it is time for the instruments to be ready. We prepared some crystallization hot packs for the instrument but it turned out that the heat from instruments is already enough for them to operate as long as insulation is sufficient.
So all we had to do was wrapping them with some sponge to insulate them from cold wind. And then we put them into a wooden box on top of a sledge.
White mascara and white-dyed hair (Photo: Cherskii expedition team)It is quite challenging to pull and push this heavy sledge between tussocks (we get sweaty after pushing it even though Vova, our assistant from the local research station, is doing most of the heavy work) but it is much faster and easier than carrying them separately by hands.
After work the first thing we do is to put all the wet clothes near fire place.
An analyzer a battery a logger box and a laptop inside the sledge cabin (Photo: Cherskii expedition team)It is forecasted to be -27 for the next few days.
It will be a little colder than the last days so we will see if we end up crying in the field or not :)
Written by Min jung Kwon
Click here for more blogs from Cherskii. Click here to find out more about Cherskii area and other PAGE21 field sites.