Into the Arctic, the land of eternal sunshine

Somewhere near the precipice of the Brooks Range, as the land makes a last gasp for altitude before its slow decline towards the Beaufort Sea, lies treeline. Global treeline, that is. The trees here are the farthest north in the world, stands of white spruce and poplar eking out a living before the inhospitable climate of the North Slope, home of the Arctic LTER.

The Arctic is warming four times faster than average, a sentinel for climate change. The ecosystsem is perched on ice, permafrost, that's thawing faster than ever. New plants are encroaching on the tundra, radically changing the ecosystem. I spent a week in the Arctic, at the Toolik Field Station, talking to researchers about how they're studying these changes, and what they mean for the ecosystem and the planet.

In many ways, this was the quintessential opportunity to combine my skills as a science communicator, a photographer, and an outdoorsy person all into one week of work. I spent every waking minute alongside researchers, learning about trees and soils and how water moves across the tundra. Jumping from soil science to tree physiology to hydrology pushed my science literacy—and I found I could keep up. Trying to talk science and snag a great photograph in a landscape that's incredibly hard to navigate—it's basically one big swamp, with bowling ball clumps of tundra to navigate—had me running in circles. But the photos speak for themselves. And I was outdoors in a harsh landscape, lugging camera gear through rain and endless sun and through wet soggy ground and in helicopters. And yet, it all came together in the best, most rewarding week of work I've ever had.

As a reminder, I'm always available for contracted work such as this. Get in touch at the link.

You can read my story, A Changing Arctic Drives a New Generation of Research at the link, or see the photos below. Stay tuned for video footage from this project later this year.