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People often say “home sweet home,” but the meaning of the phrase becomes much clearer after one travels for 21 hours from one of the world’s harshest climates to arguably one of the globe’s best.
That’s right. After three weeks in the ice of Summit Camp, Greenland, I am finally back home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It could not have come sooner; the last week at Summit was probably the hardest one I had while working there with Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences associate professor Jochen Stutz’s group.
After taking our final measurements and finishing up all of our smaller projects – which included creating a soundproofing box for a noisy purge system, a sunshade for one of the instruments, and several other accessories – we had to pack the Long Path DOAS (or differential optical absorption spectroscopy) machine. (The MAX DOAS machine, the other instrument we use in Greenland, was at Summit before we arrived and will stay there for the rest of the year to continue taking measurements.)
Keeping in mind that it took about three weeks to load the thirteen huge crates necessary for the Long Path instrument and all our other Greenland equipment, it took quite a bit of work for the sole remaining group member and me to pack everything during the two days we had.
After we got all of our cargo and personal gear loaded up, we bid our final adieu to the blanket of white at Summit and headed back to Kangerlussuaq, our base before the flight to America.
Following a day and a half of exploring the tiny town of about 500 (as well as an epic 30 mile bike trip that wiped out this particular biking novice), we flew back on another C-130 jet to the Air National Guard base in upstate New York where my Arctic adventure began. About 15 hours later, I was home.
Finally sitting in my room, staring out my window at green California and listening to Bob Marley, I am in a position to reflect on what now seems a dream-like experience.
I went to Greenland primarily to work for the Stutz group and to learn more about atmospheric chemistry in order to continue the research that we do. I can say with certainty that I worked harder during these three weeks than any other similar period in my life; however, it is what I learned that will stay with me forever.
Never mind the vast quantity of concrete science that I acquired – my time in Greenland taught me even more about myself.
Perhaps my bike ride in Kangerlussuaq serves as an appropriate analogy. Hearing that some fellow Summit scientists wanted to bike the 25 or so kilometers from town to the edge of Greenland’s ice cap, I grew interested in coming along. Never mind the fact that I have absolutely no experience in mountain biking (the only bike I possess does not even have gears), or that the only bicycles available to us were partially broken and helmets or pads were not provided – I was going.
Just like the whole trip to Summit, I had little idea of what I was getting into. Just like my time in Summit, I was faced with an ever-present onslaught of obstacles, from looming boulders on steep downhill sections to huge stretches of deep and unbikable sand. And just like when I was at Summit, I felt constantly rewarded: by the amazing scenery we rode through, the company and common ties of those I biked with (formerly co-workers, now friends) and the sense of accomplishment of finishing something I did not think I had the capacity to.
Some say that it is only by pushing ourselves to our limits that we truly understand what we are capable of, but pushing myself to my absolute peak at the peak of the Arctic taught me that there is actually little that we are not capable of.
No matter how hard a day or a moment may seem – be it due to overwhelming exams, relationship strife, or bone-chillingly cold wind – I have learned that we can not only survive through such times, but thrive.
College is a time of growth and self-realization and I know that some reading this blog may be incoming freshman to UCLA.
To those, as well as the returning students of our fine university, I would like to remind of the almost endless array of opportunities available at UCLA, particularly in student research. Had I gone to a different school, I am doubtful that such an experience would have been available to me as a freshman.
And sure, your calling may not come in atmospheric chemistry in Greenland. Maybe you will find it in the study of the prehistoric art of the Middle East. Or you may find a niche in classical trumpet performance in Germany.
Whatever it may be, utilize the options and resources offered at this incredibly endowed university. We are all incredibly lucky to have such rich research opportunities available to us, and it would be regretful to not capitalize on them while we still can. Plus, the benefits of getting involved are immense.
You may start your research experience hoping to grow as a student or as a scholar, but I can guarantee that, like me, you will grow as a human as well.

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People often say “home, sweet home,” but the meaning of the phrase becomes much clearer after one travels for 21 hours from one of the world’s harshest climates to arguably one of the globe’s best.

That’s right. After three weeks in the ice of Summit Camp, Greenland, I am finally back home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It could not have come sooner; the last week at Summit was probably the hardest one I had while working there with atmospheric and oceanic sciences Professor Jochen Stutz’s group.

After taking our final measurements and finishing up all of our smaller projects – which included creating a soundproofing box for a noisy purge system, a sunshade for one of the instruments and several other accessories – we had to pack the Long Path DOAS, or differential optical absorption spectroscopy machine. The MAX DOAS machine, the other instrument we use in Greenland, was at Summit before we arrived and will stay there for the rest of the year to continue taking measurements.

Keeping in mind that it took about three weeks to load the 13 huge crates necessary for the Long Path instrument and all our other Greenland equipment, it took quite a bit of work for the sole remaining group member and me to pack everything during the two days we had.

Continue reading »

Celebrating the Fourth of July with an outdoor parade and barbecue in the midst of subfreezing temperatures and a shrieking snowstorm may seem to most an absurd proposition.

For me, it is just another day in the life here at Summit Camp, Greenland.
The staff of the camp as well as the fellow scientists who conduct research experiments here put together half a dozen floats and marched through the Arctic chill (some half-dressed) in honor of America’s anniversary. My fellow campers, who come from everywhere from Germany to Georgia, then enjoyed an incredible BBQ feast and continued the festivities into the night. (In fact, as I am typing this blog, they are having a dance party in the Big House, our communal dining and living space.).

As suggested by our snowy procession, the days here in the Arctic are just as often unpredictable as they are routine. This is because my main responsibility as a student research assistant for associate professor Jochen Stutz’s group is to monitor one of our instruments, the Long Path DOAS, which stands for Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy.

If the machine is operating without any problems, there is less work to do, and I may focus my time on other smaller projects undertaken by the group. If, however, poor or unstable weather conditions or technical errors within the instrument arise, I must attempt to fix them.

Let’s just say that the Long Path machine can be described as needy and attention-starved, and that Greenland, well, does not have a perfect climate. Thus, I spend much time walking out to the instrument with a fellow group member to tend to and resolve any problem areas.

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Many Bruins equate summer vacation with lounging by a pool, cruising to the beach and soaking up the sun. For certain members of UCLA's Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, these months mean trudging through snow, battling Arctic winds and sleeping in unheated tents in sub-freezing temperatures.
During the past three years, researchers working with associate Professor Jochen Stutz have traveled every summer to Summit Camp, the highest point in the ice cap of Greenland, to perform a number of experiments on what is arguably the cleanest and purest air in the northern hemisphere.
This humble blogger was given the opportunity to join the Stutz group and participate in the Greenland field campaign.
Greenland is a popular research location because the background level of gaseous compounds in the atmosphere (that is, the level of pollution) is low; it is also a key spot for snow scientists and those studying climate change because the Greenland ice sheet, which covers about 80% of the island, is receding at a rapid rate. Thus, the National Science Foundation and a number of universities fund research in this isolated polar region.
Getting to the tallest peak in the Arctic, however, is no picnic.
It required three early mornings, which, for this particular night owl, was somewhat brutal. Our first destination was Stratton Air National Guard Base in upstate New York. The next morning, we took a military jet called a C130 (which is designed more to transport cargo than people – the C must stand for cramped) to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, the closest town to Summit Camp. Following that, we again awoke bright and early to fly to the camp itself, which sits at an elevation of 10,000 feet (keep in mind that our fair Los Angeles rests at 233 feet).
Flying to that severe an elevation without pausing during ascent has a number of undesirable effects, including migraines, nausea and dizziness. Luckily, even though I have rarely risen to very high locales, altitude sickness did not affect me for more than a day or so.
The climate, on the other hand, took a little longer to get used to, especially for someone whose last visit to the snow was in the 1990s.
Put simply, Greenland is freezing. Actually, below freezing would be more accurate. Daily summer temperatures range between -30°C to -5°C and the often powerful winds add an extra chill that made necessary my three jackets that initially seemed overly cautious.
Thankfully, a number of houses around camp are heated, including the Big House, which acts as the dining and social facility for our fellow researchers and the Summit staff, and the Green House, where the Stutz group spends most of its time working (luckily, office space isn’t as big an issue as it is for UCLA student groups, and we have a spacious room to ourselves).
The work we do centers around observations and measurements gathered by the two instruments our group has here – the MAX DOAS and the Long Path DOAS. Both instruments are a variation of a scientific technique called differential optical absorption spectroscopy.
This method sends a light beam of a certain intensity through the atmosphere. The light bounces off reflectors located various distances away and then returns back to its starting point. The light that returns has a lowered intensity due to absorption by a number of compounds present in our atmosphere, including bromide oxide and formaldehyde, two molecules our group is particularly interested in. Understanding the difference in intensities can tell us something about the amount of these substances in the air.
Other researchers at Summit perform different kinds of experiments in the snow and atmosphere. Scientists associated with the University of Houston launch tethersondes, or large balloons, to track meteorological data such as temperature, dew point and relative humidity. Researchers from the University of New Hampshire are determining what kinds of ions, or electrically charged particles, are present in Greenland’s snow through a process called ion chromatography.
In addition to working together, there are some interesting quirks to living in the Arctic. For example, tomorrow will be a big day for me: because all the water the camp uses must be melted from clean snow outside, residents are encouraged to shower only once every five or six days. That’s right, folks. After six long days here, I’ll finally get my long-awaited shower. Hallelujah!

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