Kilian – HiLDA

With combined efforts…

Not much time to loose. A lot of challenges have been awaiting us. Starting with determining a suitable position for the sampler, plans for a lasting mounting and wiring could be worked out. Soon we had to realize that our ground pegs were way too small for the soft defrosted grounds during summer time. As well the filter sampler inlet had to be positioned on a higher level, to avoid possible damages from spitsbergenrein. The heat was on… now with combined efforts!!

Stephan using the length of our electricity cable as a limiting factor to determine the final position. Iza, contributing her experiences about wildlife to find the right place and mounting.

Wojtek and Stephan in the wood workshop, cutting and preparing suitable basements for the filter sampler as a important standing improvement on the soft grounds during summer. Marcin to the right showed us impressive engineering skills. With the shown metal construction, reminding us of advanced LEGO’s, the weather station could be mounted to an iron pole.

Finally, Stephan in his element! Long-standing experiences as a mountaineer paid off. The weather station could be fixed at its final position.

Meanwhile at the comfortable living room, from left to right: Mariusz, Iza, Willam, Tor and Patrycja have been planing field trips for the collection of snow and water samples in the surrounding area.

Lukasz, the IT-specialist, finally connecting a bunch of buzzing Raspis to the LAN. The station is going online and after a successful session of trouble-shooting together with Konrad, first measurement data could be transferred. Inside an unused room, from left to right Patrycja, Wojtek, Patrycja (the *meteorology* crew) and Grzegorz (*geophysicist*) handling our goatish, super thin filters with a pair of tweezers.

Grzegorz, who is hiding in the back of the room, has to be praised for taking care of the station. Including handling samples, applying additional settings, ensuring stable electricity supply. Nice work!

Just in time the last milestone could be reached! The final setup had been found and Hornsund was running.

A higher position based on cement blocks, oversized ground pegs and the weather station being connected to the large pole should do it! Ready on time for dinner, one more time enjoying hospitality and sitting together.

Helping hands everywhere. Mariusz, Iza and William carrying equipment. To the right, Tor with the so called mini-bar. A luggage trolley attached to the back like a backpack, packed with liters of water samples.

An early departure at the last day. Wind blown drifting ice blocked the entry to the water. A distant bay looked promising and appeared to be the only chance, so everyone united and helped carrying our equipment to the vessel. Stick Henningsen and the “Farm” were already awaiting us. Time to say goodbye!

The way back was much more relaxed as expected.. after enjoying nice views of numerous glaciers, our stay in Spitsbergen had come to an end.

Dear Hornsund-Crew, your great support made this possible!! We had a fulfilling time with you and the adventure of our lifetime. We wish you unforgettable days at the station and have a save trip home 🙂

Rough Sea Vol. II

Next stop was the Polish Polar Station at the Hornsund Fjord, Spitsbergen. A remote place being separated by a 15 hours boat trip from Longyearbyen. For this journey Tor and William supported the team, looking forward to collect additional water and snow samples. One last safety briefing and the equipment could be secured on the vessel called ‘Farm’. Everyone on board? There is no way back!

First impressions arriving at the ‘Farm’. Spirit outside is lovely, Tor and Stephan are having fun. Meanwhile in the inside Tor, Kilian and William are looking 15 hours ahead.

In the following hours, passing rough waves in a bumpy vessel challenged all of us. Our captain Stick Henningsen assured “it is like a normal day at the office”, which was hard to believe. Finally long hours at night and the steady sound of a low RPM diesel engine let us rock to sleep.

Lights of the Polish Polar Station are already visible as small bright dots.

Waking up at at the final destination, there was one last task. All of the equipment had to be transported to our new home for the next two weeks. Luckily Stick Henningsen was well prepared with a crane on deck. Mariusz and Patrycja brought us safely to the shore.

Hilda equipment dangling on a string. Our captain Stick Henningsen and Mariusz from the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund are focussing on precisison work, while William and everyone else behind the camera are holding their breath.

It took some time to get used to solid ground again, so we decided to shift work to the next day. We enjoyed the first day meeting new friends and exploring the nearby landscape!

Andøya is running!

The next day, after a restful night, we went to the ALOMAR Observatory in order to finish final tasks and put AND into operation. Arild assigned a LAN socket and a plug socket so we could switch on. Blinking lights and a steady buzzing noise confirmed the operational state. Konrad helped us from his warm and cozy office to check the functionalities and added final adjustments. Some SD-cards had to be changed, which wasn’t a major issue.

We were frequently asked about the stability of our installations, especially if the station is entirely wind proof. Arild and Ingrid remembered us that there will be some extraordinary stormy days. Thus, we decided to strengthen our construction by attaching more steel cables. In conclusion, we did our best and hope that our instruments will withstand the harsh Arctic environment.

A first test followed immediately. During our last day on Andøya, the wind speed rose and first roads had to be closed.

*Data of the anenometer during road closure.*

First signs of mental exhaustion could be instantaneously cured by high doses of custard!

Leaving the ALOMAR Observatory behind, Stephan and Kilian headed further north for their next task. Hornsund is calling!

ALOMAR Observatory from the opposing mountain side.

Thank you Ingrid, thank you Arild, and thank you ALOMAR for your help and support!

That does it!

After sending some photos to Germany and proudly presenting our first achievements, Konrad suggested a “minor” improvement. He proposed to move the sampler to the edge of the rooftop, in order to minimize influences of the building.

Still suffering from the rain of the last day, Stephan and Kilian dismounted the instrument and re-erected it in order to comply with Konrad’s perfectionistic wishes. That does it!

Arild helped us finding a new position and a way to fix the station at a slightly different ceiling. Benefiting from our previous experiences, the station was taking shape.

In the foreground Stephan presenting the BLM-station, in the background panorama of Andøya from North to South.

This time, the weather co-operated. In a time slot with minor rain, cable connections and adjustments inside the filter sampler could be finished.

Left: Stephan connecting LAN-cables in the electronics housing. Right: Looks worse than it feels like. Kilian drilling cable feedthroughs into the side elements.

Suddenly, while tidying up our workplace, a rainbow lit up in the sky. A sign of success? Feeling quite enlightened, we returned to the guesthouse.

Complete rainbow over the ALOMAR Observatory. It won’t become more soppy.. promise!

Meanwhile in Northern Norway…

… Stephan and Kilian crossed the Arctic Circle heading North in order to visit the Andøya Space Station. The fourth BLM-Station will be mounted on top of the ALOMAR Observatory.

At a first stopover we met Ingrid Hanssen, who warmly welcomed us and arranged a meeting for the next day, where we should realize how perfectly everything was already set up:)

In the next morning Arild Danielsen picked us up at the base station and we drove together to the Alomar Observatory, which is located on top of a coastal mountain at 376 m above sea level.

Fixing steel cables in the rain. No snow – we could call it Norwegian summer. In order to handle small nuts, *one hand needs to remain ungloved*.

Arild introduced us to the facility and plans could be forged out. The shipped box containing the instruments was already located in the storage room, the railing on the rooftop looked promising to fix the devices and with more tips from Arild, nothing should stop us from start working… besides rain and cold windy weather. But not today! No Excuses! The next second we found ourselves standing on the rooftop being dressed in waterproof clothes and also being slightly overwhelmed with the speed of the events.

First success could be achieved. The filter sampler found a position and could be fixed windproof at the ceiling. It should not be the final position… But that is another story and shall be told another time.