I spent June and August of 2013 living and conducting field research in Kaktovik, AK. Kaktovik is a small (population <300 people) Inupiat village on the Eastern coast of the Beaufort Sea in arctic Alaska. I was part of a team of researchers from UTMSI studying terrestrial inputs to coastal lagoons of the Beaufort Sea. My job was to help with field work and sort and identify benthic infauna. I also began fieldwork for my masters project, which involved collecting muscle tissue samples from large animals such as whales, seals, caribou and geese. All of these samples were given to me by local fishermen and hunters.
In addition to fieldwork, I taught a Summer Science Camp for local children in June. The camp was open to all kids aged 4-9 years. An amazing team of 5 teachers from Port Aransas, TX, Homer, AK and Kaktovik taught the camp. I had a great time getting to know the local kids and learning the Inupiaq names of animals from them.
Home Sweet Bunkhouse!Looking for polar bears at the bone pile.Kaktovik from air!I used this bowhead whale vertebrae as a stool when I sieved mud samples by the water.Dr. Tara Connelly and Dr. Jim McClelland collect water samples through a hole in the sea ice.Sea ice!Me with Madrik, our neighbor’s dog.Dr. Ken Dunton examines the plane used to reach distant field sites.Nathan Gordon plucks a white-fronted goose.Stephanie and I pose in front of the Waldo Arms Hotel, which also served as the local airport.Me and Tara, pre fieldwork.The RV ProteusPolar bear at the bone pile!Seeing polar bears never got old!The Port Aransas crew pose with the Island Moon, the local Port A newspaper.A giant isopod (Saduria entomon)!Filtering samples for particulate organic carbon (POC).Roy, me, and Ken after a cold and wet day on the mudflats.Sorting and IDing benthic critters.Ready for a day on the Beaufort Sea.Tara sieving a grab sample to collect invertebrates.One of 8 orphaned lemming babies I cared for temporarily (until their untimely death).Science Camp teachers, from L to R: Brenda Dolma, Stephanie Smith, Marilyn Cook, me, Tracy Burns.Edwin and Paul did a great job sorting their catch.The Great Plankton Race. Danny prepares to “race” his plankton creation.Flossie and Paul show off their diagram of a marine food web.Lenora examines sand grains under the microscope.Flossie enjoys the Japanese art of fish printing.Me, Lenora, Flossie, and Tinkerbell (the dog) near Kaktovik lagoon.Roy Churchwell teaches the science campers how to use binoculars and identify local birds.Stephanie, Tara, and me halfway up Mt. Healy. Denali National Park.
Carolynn Harris, PhD 