We Have Arrived: Fixation on Ice Take Two - 2013

View of the edge of Greenland from the flight
to Iceland.  Photo by Jackie Goldschmidt.

Yes - we have eagerly and successfully returned to Iceland for Nitrogen Fixation on Ice Take Two!  And, I am excited to report that we arrived safely with our 14 checked containers (yes 14 this year!) ready to hit the ground running.   After a busy spring and recent presentations of our work from last summer at the Society for Freshwater Science conference (see posting below), we quickly packed up our gear with some new supplies that will be part of an exciting and elaborate field experiment (more on that later this week).  Aimee Ahles and Jackie Goldschmidt, the two new SCU student participants for summer 2013, did the bulk of the packing and organization and they were invaluable in getting us ready for this year's research adventure.  They will introduce themselves and their experience so far in the coming days.  

We departed at 7:30 pm on June 15th and arrived yesterday at 6:30 am after a spectacular flight over northern Canada, across Greenland, and into Iceland, ending with a smooth landing in Reykjavik.  The most difficult part of the trip was getting our 14 heavy containers full of field and lab gear onto carts and out the doors through customs with just the 3 of us to move it down the narrow corridor with its several sharp 90 degree turns on very little or no sleep.  But, it is hard to sleep when you are flying over such a breathtaking landscape.  It is almost hard to believe

Arrival at Keflavik Airport

it's real!  And, the views are so dynamic, changing minute by minute, it makes it nearly impossible to look away.   I was lucky enough to have a window seat on the north side of the plane with the most amazing views from the edge of the planet at 37,000 feet - not to mention the fact that as we near the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - I was able to observe the longest sunset with the most beautiful array of reds and oranges that saturated the clouds below us.  The thick cloud bank absorbed the color in a blanket of light as the sun sank further on the horizon while the clouds dissipated over a period of an hour or so.  Then, just like that, the sun set....for about 15 minutes......and then the sun began to rise and the colorful show played in reverse.  It was simply incredible.  We were also fortunate that the clouds dissipated on the western and eastern edges of Greenland, revealing the rugged mountains and massive expanses of snow and ice, as well as the impressive chunks of floating ice in the surrounding ocean water.  Gratefully, Jackie took some great photos from the south side of the plane as I sat in my seat many rows away, wishing desperately that my camera wasn't tucked away in my bag!  Never again!  

Summer 2013 Crew - David Hernandez (U of Alabama),
Aimee Ahles (SCU), Lillian Benstead (youngest member at 5 years of age),
Tanner Williamson (Montana State U.), Jon Benstead (U of Alabama),
Jill Welter (SCU), Jackie Goldschmidt (SCU),
Dan Nelson (U of Alabama), and Ellie Zignego (Montana State U.)

Jon Benstead (from the University of Alabama) was nice enough to make the drive to Keflavik Airport early in the morning to meet us with all of our gear and help us transport it to the lab.  I was also happy to see that I remembered the routes and roads fairly well and we were able to navigate around the city with ease and get settled into our housing after freeing ourselves from those 14 heavy containers!  Jon and his family (Heidi and daughter Lillian) also invited the whole research crew over for dinner last night and we were treated a feast of roasted lamb, potatoes, and wild mushrooms, followed by a Nerf (foam toy) gun target competition, which apparently is becoming tradition at the Benstead household.  I am also proud to report that the SCU team performed exceptionally well with no sleep and Aimee took first place - a high honor within this crew!  So, all in all, we are off to a great start and we are enjoying spending some time with the team we will work with this summer, which is composed of some returners from last year and some new participants.  It is shaping up to be a great summer!  

Today was Independence Day in Iceland and we enjoyed a great variety of games, plays, and music being performed in downtown Reykjavik, and tomorrow our field work begins.  We leave for the field at 8 am, but we will have more blogs coming shortly, with more details about our trip here, first impressions of Iceland, and our work ahead.  So, stay tuned!  And, thank you, thank you to all of our friends, family, esteemed alumnae and the St. Kate's community that have supported us and made this trip and research project possible.   We will certainly make the most of this opportunity!  Takk fyrir!