After two days of flying from Boston we arrived
in Kugluktuk, a town of about 1,300 residents located
in the Straits of the Canadian Archipelago. Here
we expect to meet the icebreaker Louis S. St.
Laurent, our transportation during our 30-day
expedition to the Beaufort Gyre.
Joining WHOI scientists are our colleagues from
the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS, Canada),
Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, (JAMSTEC),
and the International Arctic Research Center (IARC,
Fairbanks, USA) also arrived on the same flight.
Unfortunately, one person and 14 boxes of equipment
still have not arrived. This caused some concern,
as the ship is expected to arrive tomorrow, August
8.
During the remainder of our first day, we made
final preparations before the cruise. We also
walked around the town and saw Kugluktuk’s
two small hotels, the local high school, skating
rink, church, and cultural center. Kugluktuk’s
natural scenery on the tundra and seascape also
provided a beautiful combination of the late summer
colors.
