Shipping

A big part of scientific research is the logistics of the project.  As our group uses an airborne instrument as well as on the ground measurements, we typically have a fair bit of equipment.  This year we are looking at about 600kg of equipment occupying about 7 cubic meters of space. Besides our helicopter borne EM instrument (not pictured), we also have a ground EM instrument, several ice mass balance buoys, lots of on ice equipment such as an ice corer, ice augers (just to drill through the ice (no core), differential GPS, thermometers, salinometers, and other equipment.

This year we will ship our equipment from Edmonton to Yellowknife, NWT and then from there it will join us on a charter flight to Resolute Bay, Nunavut.  From there we charter a small Twin Otter to take us to Candian Forces Station Alert, Nunavut. This year, with all the equipment and 6 people we are in danger of requiring two Twin Otter flights to get everything up.  Luckily there are other scientific groups heading to Alert, so hopefully we can send some equipment up with them.

(Photo Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/C-FBBV_Kenn_Borek_Air_Ltd._de_Havilland_Twin_Otter_(DHC6)_03.JPG,accessed online on April 21, 2010.)

Besides needing to get all the equipment packaged up safely so that it won't be damaged it is also a challenge just to have all the equipment ready in time.  One constantly things of things that may be handy to have, or equipment arrives late.  This year, our EM instrument will be delivered on Friday, everything will ship to Yellowknife on Monday morning.

In order to estimate our shipping costs we estimate about $22/kilo each way, though the actual cost may be a bit higher.

While in Alert, I hope I'll be able to post some low res photos of us using the various bits of equipment.