Lake Albigna, a glacial lake in retreat
Lake Albigna, near Vicosoprano, Switzerland, 2,163m (7,096 ft) above sea level. Dammed for hydropower in the 1950s, a gondola was built to transport equipment and workers to the base of the glacier […]…
scholarsandrogues
Recent Articles
A thread of ones and zeros: from Cooper to Svalbard
Then Cooper Island seems a lifetime ago, the light, the endless bird calls, the sand, the cold and eternal, infernal wind. They are far away now. I returned to Cooper the following […]…
There are places in the world
Part 26, last days of Cooper 28 Aug I buried myself in books the last few days. The wind has been fierce, increasing through the day yesterday and last night. It was […]…
Long lines of eiders hurrying
Part 25, summer winding down 22 Aug George didn’t make our radio call this morning but called Dave yesterday and said he didn’t think it was going to work to get me […]…
Weigh and measure, measure and weigh
Part 24, plum tuckered out 17 Aug Back to Cooper – gray day with passing showers, and mist, but pretty mild temp and little wind until this evening. Now it seems […]…
The eye of the storm
Part 22, A storm is coming in 9 Aug The wind finally dropped off this evening. It was strong earlier in the day – 30-35mph. WooHoo! I spent a lot of the […]…
Arctic time fluidity
Part 21, Cooper time – night divides the day 5 Aug I half dragged myself out of bed this morning at 0630. Had just gotten my pants and socks on and was […]…
Where the songs of summer lead
Part 19, the songs of summer 25 Aug July I am now paying for the nice weather I so cheerily wrote about the other day. It rained most of the night and […]…
The first chicks of the Arctic summer
Part 18. Summer slides by in the Arctic 19 July I couldn’t keep my eyes open to read and passed out at 0100 but woke at 0300, and again at 5, and […]…
Snowy owls and Zorba the Greek, another week in the Arctic
Part 17, a new epic 17 July – Cooper Island While in Barrow, I went out with the snowy owl crew for nest checks on the tundra. The snowys are beautiful. The […]…
Who are you?
A huge thank you to everyone who supported The Arctic Circle fundraising campaign – the residency fee is paid and I’m gearing up to go back to the Arctic in October. I […]…
A letter out
Part 15, a compilation and expansion. 7 July I woke to rain and so stayed in bed until it ended – at about 0200. It was mild and almost balmy out (well, […]…
Liquid mercury
Part 12, in which the Arctic poppies show their mettle, the snow bunting chicks emerge, and a polar bear leaves its mark. 27 June Although my alarm went off at 2200, I […]…
Someone missed a small piece of sky
Part 11. The summer of abnormal distribution, fried radios, and a translucent moon progresses in the Arctic Ocean. 21 June Yesterday was a long day, and I never got to write. We continued confirming […]…
Guess the product
#7, I believe, in the series. The summer of 2000 I spent on an island in the Arctic Ocean studying seabirds. Largely alone for the summer and left to my own devices, I […]…
Forces of good and evil
Part 5. The continuing saga. Still 1 June 2000. In theory, the guillemots will be back within the week. Given the snow cover, the cold, now the pelting rain, I hardly expect […]…
Parts 3 and 4: decade shock and Cooper – 101
Part 3. The following excerpt was actually written upon my return to the lower 48 but it so amazed me that I have to share it. Back to the regular Arctic programming […]…
Horrible things said and done by Donald and his Administration – July 2017
During the 2016 campaign, Donald told the nation exactly how horrible a person he is and how terrible a President he would be. In July 2017 there were at least 77 reported examples of Donald or his minions doing the…
Climate Science for Everyone: correlation and causation (updated)
In this Climate Science for Everyone article I describe correlation, causation, and two important relationships between them: correlation does not prove causation, but a lack of correlation doesn't disprove causation either.…
Climate Illogic: Appealing to history to predict the future is often illogical
Arguing that something happening one way in the past means it can only happen that way is an illogical appeal to history.…
Climate Science for Everyone: How do scientists measure the temperature of the Earth?
Scientists measure the Earth's temperature three ways - stationary surface thermometers, satellite-based microwave detectors, and balloon-carried thermometers.…
Large cuts to NOAA research, satellite operations will degrade weather forecasting and military preparedness
Donald wants to dramatically cut government funded research and satellite operations performed by NOAA without affecting the military. It won't work.…
Steve Milloy, a liar-for-hire and immoral hypocrite, was part of Donald’s EPA transition team
The fact that Steve Milloy was part of Donald's EPA transition team is one of the most disturbing things I've yet heard about out of the Administration.…
I’ve been keeping my powder dry
There’s an old phrase that comes from the 1800s – “keep your powder dry.” It harks back to a time when firearms were fired with black gunpowder, and wet gunpowder wouldn’t fire. […]…
When reaching out to better understand my fellow Americans, facts are non-negotiable
A shared, common understanding of the facts is a prerequisite for any attempts at understanding the perspectives of my fellow Americans.…