Is It Possible?

This is the time of year when colder weather, heavy clouds, and occasional snowflakes warn us to be ready for a long winter. But, in the meantime, we will celebrate the harvest, and give thanks for all we have received.

  "All Saints Day"  marks the end of October. While adults pay homage to the martyrs, saints, and all the faithful departed believers, our youth find humor and happiness in costumes of favorite characters, witches and ghosts as they parade house to house yelling “Trick or treat!”. “All Hallows’ Eve” came from a 15th century Celtic annual practice when the souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes. 

Little  mention is made of any “Saint’s Day” celebration in Scandinavia and the practice of this in Norwegian immigrants is quietly celebrated in US churches. However, the subject of ghosts and spirits prevail in, what we call “Haunted Houses”, and in some very unusual places.

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I received an e-mail from a Wisconsin transplant to Minnesota , being a brother by marriage,  and, being newly retired, moved to Northfield, Minnesota, the site of the well-respected St. Olaf college. As quoted from the St. Olaf website: “St. Olaf is one of the nation’s leading four-year residential colleges. St. Olaf offers an academically rigorous education with a vibrant faith tradition. Founded in 1874, St. Olaf, named in honor of the Norse king, is a liberal arts college of the church in the Lutheran tradition (ELCA). Committed to the liberal arts and incorporating a global perspective".

   

St. Olaf  fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit. This institution was founded in the Lutheran tradition by Scandinavians dedicated to be seekers of truth, responsibility and  scholarly pursuit to be responsible citizens of the world.

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One would not expect any strange or unsettling events in this stately institution, but then again, St. Olaf does “welcome people of differing backgrounds and beliefs, a community that embraces spirituality and cultivates compassion”.

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In a guided tour of the campus, it was mentioned that the  Vice President for student Life, Greg Knesner, and tour guide suggested that school president, Doctor David Anderson, a La Crosse native, is not eager for campus anomalies to be promoted, but the V.P. counters that everything shared is documented and anything but disproven. And, let's not forget that according to its own web site, “The college encourages and challenges its students to be seekers of truth, to lead lives of unselfish service to others, and to be responsible and knowledgeable citizens of the world.” The spirits must be having fun with that one.”
Knesner shared a sample from his personal “Ghost” file with the group. 
 Knesner does not admit to being a true believer, but freely admits there is no explanation for the substance making up many of the reports in his ghost file.Mr. Knesner reported one incident:

 “He's here! ” The lower bunk roomie who had seen the apparition many times before bolted upright, banging her head into the underside of the upper bunk.
     It all began more than 20 years ago when two students came for aid, one with a fresh gash on her forehead, and a strange story. For some time one of them had been seeing and reporting to the other the presence of a large and ominous man in their dorm room from time to time. He caused no harm and didn't stay long before 'evaporating' each time”. The first report was dismissed, however, the next incident confirmed earlier reports when the upper bunk roomie awoke to finally see the ghost-man standing at the end of her bed, just as had been described to her again and again by her roommate. Now a believer, she shrieked, "He's here again. He's really here!"
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 Another strange happening took place in the famous Music Hall. “A student was toiling very late into the night because the music piece was not coming together for him to his satisfaction. The student had been in the upper practice room on his own. Displeased with both his progress and the time, he decided to stop for the night. That was when a very unexpected sound came to his ears. The same piece he had been working on was being played flawlessly on a piano downstairs, it seemed to him. Puzzled, he went to the balcony and looked down. There was a woman in a lavender dress graciously playing the difficult piece. Mesmerized, the student could only stand at the railing and wonder in amazement at what was happening. With the piece completed, however, the lavender dress woman stood, turned, and looked directly at the student. She then turned again and walked into the shadows, never to be seen again..That, in itself would be unsettling, but the story
  continues as the unnerved student began racing down the stairs, eager to reach the outside air. Halfway down the final set of stairs he looked up, and there, near the entrance of the hall hung the portrait of the long term and revered piano teacher who worked there with piano students very many years. Her portrait displayed her in the pretty, lavender dress. However, she had passed away many years before—well before the student started college. But she was still helping” The student was in Kelsey Theater, named in honor of Elizabeth Wasingham Kelsey, the piano instructor and Director of Dramatics for more than three decades. The portrait was of Elizabeth Kelsey.

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  One day in the college library, a student reported the incident of seeing a woman placing books back on the shelves from a book cart, and then, an instant later, having vanished from sight. No one else was around and this student was still trying to make sense of this anomaly as he continued down the stacks. That was when he saw her again. It was her picture on the library wall. She,too, was well known and revered in her work there. And she ,too, was deceased but seen by a student who had never known or before seen her”.

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Some of the other stories included reports of identical incidents and descriptions of seemingly real but disappearing people being reported. Students reporting having seen and describing apparitions in exact detail, and without knowledge that others had reported the same exact experience years before. In one scenario, there had been a 13 year gap between identical reportings.

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There have been several such happenings and several reoccurances. An interesting point in all this ghost business over the years is that none of the reports indicate any malicious or threatening behavior—no overt intimidation. And St. Olaf, by some at least, enjoys the comfort and satisfaction of knowing they are being looked out for by well meaning souls from the past.”  .

Who believes in ghosts and who does not believe in ghosts? Who has good reason to believe in ghosts and who has not?”

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Closed? Not in Norway!

It's autumn. The weather has been unusually mild. An excellent time to take that trip to catch the colorful scenery. Some may have made reservations long ago and looked forward with the whole family to visit a national park such as Yellowstone National Park featuring the famous geyser , a popular U.S.tourist attraction.

Just as they are prepared to leave for their journey, they hear the latest news. "Due to a political dispute, there will be a government shutdown for an unknown length of time", which includes the closing of all US National Parks. The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks, which are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. National parks must be established by an act of the United States Congress. The first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872.

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That, being out of the question, perhaps a trip north to Alaska is in order. Near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, there is the excellent and popular Harding Icefield with at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible to the public by road is Exit Glacier, while the rest can only be viewed by boat tours. This glacier has been in the news due to the rapidly melting ice.

But, once again, this site is closed at this time. It also is a US National park.


US National Parks have always been an attractive tourist destination. While the sites are protected and  park history is paramount, income from the annual  visiting tourists has been an important factor in  park maintainance.

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In contrast, protected areas in Norway are not entirely tourist-minded. Norway has 41 national parks, 34 on the mainland and seven on Svalbard. National parks are particularly important for species that need relatively large and undisturbed areas to survive, such as wild reindeer, predators and birds of prey. Many of these are at great risk from human intervention and some are even threatened with extinction. Norway has an international responsibility to look after endangered species and their habitats.The national parks safeguard the rich diversity of Norway's natural heritage, for nature's sake, for our own and for future generations.

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Nearly 85 per cent of Norway's national parks  are mountains. The mountain landscape varies from endless gently rolling high plateaus to sharp peaks, ravines and glaciers. One of which is DovreDoverfjell-

Sunndalsfjella National Park, one of Norway's top five protected sites.From the oldest times has Dovrefjell been the border region between the northern and southern parts of Norway, and the road over the mountain was well known. The expression "til Dovre faller" ('until the Dovre mountains fall apart until the end of the world) is widely used in Norwegian.

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Another inaccessible and undeveloped national park in Norway is Børgefjell National Park (Norwegian: Børgefjell nasjonalpark) located close to the border of Sweden. All of Børgefjell is used for domestic reindeer grazing.The Sami people controlled the land in Børgefjell right up until the beginning of the twentieth century. They have kept reindeer in the area for at least 500 years.The first element seems to be the Old Norse word byrgi which means "fort" or "entrenchment". (There might have been some kind of  fort here once, possibly to claim tax from the southern Sami people, and also to protect the border from the Swedes!)The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for extended periods without seeing another person. Not maintained for the tourist trade, but for the animals.

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However, there is a Norwegian National Park that welcomes tourists.

Hardangervidda National Park (Norwegian: Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at 3,422 square kilometers, is

Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau .
 Designated as a national park in 1981,  it serves today as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. There is a comprehensive network of huts and paths across Hardangervidda.. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world. Several hundred nomadic stone age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world, with some 15,000 animals recorded in 1996 and around 8,000 in 2008. They migrate across the plateau during the year.

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Another of Norway's top five parks is "The Home of the Giants"

The name Jotunheimen, or “Home of the Giants” is  recognized as one of the country's premier hiking and fishing regions.Jotunheimen has been the site of hunting since before recorded time. Remains of Stone Age hunting camps have been found near the lakes Gjende and Russvatnet. These remains extend through the bronze and Iron Age, up to recorded times. The high pastures have been used as seters for at least 1000 years.

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The first national park of Norway would welcome you to its high peaks and varied, wild and beautiful nature.

 

Rondane National Park in the fall

Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above 2,000 metres. After nearly a decade of planning, Rondane was established as the first Norwegian National Park on 21 December 1962. It was first established as a nature protection area, but was later named a national park. The main reasons for protecting the park were "to safeguard the natural environment with its native plants, animal life, and cultural heritage and also to secure the environment as a recreational area for future generations".

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And now, the newest National Park in Norway....

Not necessarily a "walk in the park" and probably not a great tourist attraction, however Færder National Park opened in August, the first only national park on the west coast of the outer Oslofjord. Part of Vestfold county's archipelago will, officially, in a few weeks, become Norway's next national park, according to The Minister of the Environment, Bård Vegar Solhjell.

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In contrast to US Parks, Norway's national parks are not primarily for tourists.

The National Park was established to
- preserve a large, continuous and essentially untouched mountain area,
- preserve an alpine ecosystem with its natural biodiversity,
- preserve an important part of the range of the stocks of wild reindeer in Snøhetta and Knutshø,
- safeguard a variation in habitats,
- preserve the landscape morphology and its distinctive geological deposits,
- protect cultural heritage.

And open for business!

Summer Has Ended? Really?

If Rip Van Winkle had just recently awakened from his lengthy sleep and viewed our Midwestern surroundings, he might be very unsure of which 2013 month  he has just re-entered. Temperatures have been varying constantly while the expected parched grass remains summer-lush. However, the calendar states that summer-time has ended and it is time to prepare for a long winter. It has been an unusual and almost amazing summer for it’s variety of weather, fires, droughts and floods. It will end with preparations for winter.

The winter season in Norway is lengthy and careful preparations are necessary for comfort and survival. Norwegian farmers must harvest sufficient hay and feed for their  livestock and farming land is limited.The total landscapes of Norway are dominated by mountains, forests, and grasslands. Only about three percent  of the land surface is suitable for cultivation or even arable farming. Because the majority of  farmers had to keep their animals indoors half of the year, it was necessary for them to utilize as much  land as possible in the summer  in order to raise winter feed for their cattle. Instead of having livestock graze lowland grass, the animals were sent into remote upland areas of the farm for the summer.

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 The practice of summer farming has been widespread over most of the country.  In general,
the upper pastures were only accessible from mid- June to mid- September due to the snow cover. The proper summer farms were normally situated so far away from the major settlement of the farm that people (mostly young women) had to stay there in small cabins to look after the livestock, milk the cows and process cheese and butter. These products were regularly transported back to the settlement at the farm or to the village. The farmers were then  able to cultivate fodder for the winter feedings as well as needed garden products in the lowlands, while  the animals were producing milk for the production of cereals, meat, butter and cheese. The animals were free to roam and feed off the mountain-grasses.

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Every evening, the cows were summoned to the mountain farm-yard to be milked. Individual herds were accustomed to the calls of the milkers who spent their time in small cabins during the summer, caring for their herds.

 Cattle-calls of these young farm-girls began to be widely used in a manner that began known as kulning, a high-pitched vocal tone we may associate with yodeling. This vocal style was also used by Sami herders to call their reindeer.

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This vocal style also served  to scare away mountain predators as well as having the singers enjoy the echoing sounds of the
mountain songs during the long days and evenings.It also served as a method of communication.
Other means of communication and herding-calls included fashioning pipes of reed or hollowing branches.

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A wooden trumpet , called a “Lur” was played in Scandinavia by shepherds, with the shepherd's instruments being held together with strips of birch bark instead of willow bands . It is believed that the lur was considered a musical instrument as well as an instrument of communication during the Viking Age. A lur similar to the Viking war instruments has been played by farmers and milk maids in Nordic
countries since at least the Middle Ages (probably longer). In Norway these lurs are called Neverlur (Birch bark lur).
These  instruments are still used, however, the practice of “summer farming” has ceased importance to Scandinavian farming practices today. Still being heard is the singing style of the girls and young women  tending the herds  in modern song-forms, while the pipes and horns have evolved into modern-day instruments. One such instrument combined a number of hollow reeds or hollowed wood of different lengths strapped together.

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The lur is still in use today in the folk music tradition. Egil Storbekken who died in 2002 was famous for his work with the lur. Other variations included an instrument of several hollowed reeds or wood of different lengths strapped together to form an instrument we know as panpipes. Several modern musicians have recorded musical selections utilizing this instrument based on Greek legends of a creature resembling a goat.

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In Greek mythology, Pam was the god of the shepherds and their flocks in mountain wilds and hills. He was

believed to be a  man with horns, a tail and legs of a goat who had fashioned a clumps of reeds into the famous Panpipes while  tempting the girls in the mountain farms with the sound of his pipes.

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Although, the god Pan is not a modern issue and the practice of “Summer Farming” has been altered by modern motor vehicles, the music remains. To salute the closing of our unusual summer season, we might stretch our imagination as a musician performs on panpipes. The mountains might be the mountain farm areas as the herds come home from the mountain pastures at the end of summer. Click on the link. Skip the ad and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy3h6--fMBA

It has been an amazing summer!

The Nordlanders Are Coming!

The warning cry was heard by everyone on shore.  “ The ships of the Nordlanders are coming, once again!” The year was 794 and survivors of the previous encounter with the fierce warriors was not forgotten. The monastery at Northumbria, England had been unprepared as well as unarmed and had no chance of surviving the onslaught of the swords, lances and axes as the intruders plundered, killed and finally took survivors as slaves. Their return was expected to be more of the same. The men in the tall ships were not arriving as friends.

The earliest documented raids by the Vikings began in 793 at Lindisfarne, England. The  attacks began in 790 and continued until 840. The Vikings used shallow draught longships which were ideally suited for surprise raids on coastal locations that struck terror into their victims. The fleets were small, making a “hit-and-run” tactic of the attacks that could enable the raiders to row away as swiftly as they had come. The attacks were usually seasonal and isolated in small bands.

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But this time the fleet that was sighted on the horizon was coming in the year 2013. It was arriving early, but local residents were already at the landing site to welcome the arrival of several tall ships with their crews.The downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin riverfront was lined with people watching nine tall ships with majestic bows and tall masts in full sail glide in one by one from Sturgeon Bay.  They were arriving  to take part in  a weekend festival.
Four tall ships reached port an hour earlier than expected and their arrival was quite a show, entertaining spectators with cannon fire and crew members balancing 60-plus feet in the air while clinging to the masts.

Sixty-thousand people were expected to attend the  The Baylake Tall Ship Festival of Green Bay, a three-day festival that began Friday, August 16th. Highlighting the event was a three-masted majestic ship named Sørlandet, “The world’s oldest of the three Norwegian Tall Ships and the oldest full-rigged ship in the world still in operation” according to Adam Stacey, the Sørlandet Program Director. This ship is 210 feet in length, 29 feet wide with masts that reach 112 feet.

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 For decades, the ship has served as a training vessel for merchant mariners and was the first Norwegian

A crewmember working high in the mast

training ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of nine sailing vessels now serving as  “School Ships”  used for offering “adventure sailings for young people of all ages” based in Kristiansand, Norway. Sørlandet was built in 1927 in Kristiansand. On her maiden voyage to Oslo in 1927, Sørlandet was inspected by HM King Haakon VII of Norway and HRH Crown Prince Olav. The ship crossed the Atlantic four times in 1981. In addition, she took part in a film shoot in New York and performed several cruises between Bermuda and Boston.

   The ship  became damaged during World War II, where she, among other happenings, served as an accommodation vessel for German submariners. It  was used by Germans to accompany their submarines and house Russian prisoners of war. While in action, the ship was partially sunk during the war.

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The vessel was restored and ready to sail again in 1948. Wind was the only power source until 1958 when she was equipped with an engine. In 1974, she no longer served  as a public training vessel, and was sold to a private shipowner and docked  at Kilsund for three years, decaying considerably during these years. In 1977 she was bought back to Kristiansand by a shipowner  who gave her to the city of Kristiansand. In 1981 a foundation was established "Stiftelsen Fullriggeren Sørlandet" which is now the owner and operator and given  the new name Sørlandet.

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One of our Vennskap Lodge members, Judy Block is poised to ring the ship’s bell as she tours the famous Norwegian sailing ship in Green Bay. The ship and crew had just completed a boat-race from Chicago to Sturgeon Bay, however no details were available as to the outcome of the race. It has been said that the ship can reach a speed of 14 knots, using the “Iron wind” (engine) or 17 knots by sail.

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There were several other ships on display at the Festival.  The U.S. Brig

  NIAGARA, a reconstructed vessel  made famous by Commodore Oliver Perry’s “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” in the battle of  Lake Erie War of 1812.That ship was built as a battleship with cannons.

Another at The Port of Green Bay was THE PEACEMAKER, built in Brazil and later refurbished by a group known as the Twelve Tribes representing The U.S., Canada, Spain and several other countries built to be a training vessel to develope  wisdom, friendship, loyalty and good character in young people.

 

All nine vessels are currently on tour or being used as training institutions for merchant marines while the Sørlandet serves as a “floating classroom” for “Class Afloat”, a  program allowing high school juniors and seniors to train abroad the ship and visit ports in North and South America, Africa and Europe.

After touring The Great Lakes ports and attending several festivals featuring the historic ships of the sailing era, the Sørlandet set sail for their return trip to Norway.

 Instead of early historic plundering and death, the departure of these modern day  Nordlanders was one of friendship and happy associations between the Old Country and The New World. We look forward for the tall ship's return.

Where's the Light?

Summer is practically over. This very short season is followed by another short  season of colorful autumn when days begin to be shorter and temperatures begin a downward trend. We, here in the Midwest value these two seasons for warmth and beauty. Hardly a moment is wasted.

 It has been said that living in Norway makes Norwegians highly value summers  in their variety of outdoor activities. The idea is to store up as much happy sunshine as possible to last through the long and dreary winter. Our long winter nights are always relieved every morning by  light-filled days, however dreary. Can anyone imagine the long winter night lasting for days without the light of morning? It is typical for foreigners to be nervous about facing the dark winters in Norway.    

For those living above the Arctic Circle, there is a period of time when the sun doesn’t make it over the horizon. When the sun doesn’t appear for twenty-four hours, it is called a Polar Night. The higher you go above the Arctic Circle, the more Polar Nights there are. Tromsø, one of Norway’s northernmost cities  is 350 kilometres (217 miles) above the Arctic Circle and has sixty Polar Nights in a row. The largest differences  in Northern Norway is having midnight sun in the summer months and no sunshine at all during winter.

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Norwegian Exchange School students attending U.S. schools  speak of having to endure daily doses of cod liver oil during the winter season. It is firmly believed that cod liver oil helps the body replace the loss  of the sunlight, due to its oily content of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin D. Even though Norwegians eat a lot of fish products, it is normal for children and adults to have a spoonful of cod liver oil every day of the

year. This is preventative medicine taken to avoid winter SAD ( Seasonal Affective Disorder) , a winter depression that effects especially those living in the Nordic countries. Winter depression was actually discovered in the 6th century by the Gothic scholar Jordanes from his study of Scandza (Scandinavia).

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Winter SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance due to the  lack of sunlight. The main symptoms are tiredness and oversleeping, fatigue, a craving for sugary foods, feelings of sadness, guilt and a loss of self-esteem, irritability, and avoiding social and physical contact. Sound familiar? Norwegians are taught about this disorder in daily life, from family, in schools and by the government through TV campaigns. Awareness of winter SAD is a fact of life.Codliver oil, while unappetizing, is a necessity.

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Despite all the negative characteristics of winter,   Norwegians really enjoy the dark season. It is a time of celebration with Advent,  St Lucia Day, Christmas, Julebukk, New Years, and the end of Christmas party. And without darkness, you can not see the Northern Lights. Often bright lights, lightboxes, and candles are used to provide intense ilumination. Many methods are used to break the spell of the constant darkness.

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A very unusual solution to the constant darkness is being conducted in a Norwegian town called Rjukan. Rjukan was formerly a significant industrial centre in Telemark, and the town was established

between 1905 and 1916 when Norsk Hydro started saltpeter (fertilizer) production there. Rjukan was chosen because Rjukanfossen, a

Rjukanfossen

104-metre waterfall, provided easy means of generating large quantities of electricity. Norwegian industrialist Sam Eyde came to the area around a hundred years ago and began the mining industry in the community, but felt the dark nights of winter caused employees to be less productive. To alleviate the problem, a cable car was built to transport people to the sunlight.   

Krossobanen Cable Car

   This was the first ever cable car to be built in Northern Europe in 1928. The cable car was a gift from Norsk Hydro to the people of Rjukan so that they could get up high enough to see the sun during the winter. 

                    Rjukan is located by the Hardangervidda National Park, known for the famous Gaustatoppen Mountain.

Gaustappen with Rjukan in the valley

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Rjukan is located in a deep valley surrounded by mile-high mountains. While the rest of Northern Norway views a least a murky part of winter sun, the sunlight is not seen in Rjukan for several months due to the surrounding mountain shadows. The famous  Gaustatoppen Mountain effectively blocks the light during this murky period of winter from September until  sunlight  fully returns in March.
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 Norsk Hydro  opened in 1911 for the main purpose of  creating nitrogen for the production of fertilizer in nearby Vemmok. Nazi invaders converted the

isolated site to mass-produce heavy-water that was necessary to produce nuclear fission and  the creation of an atomic bomb.During World War II. Vemok was the target of Norwegian heavy-water sabotage operations resulting in the closing of the heavy water plant.  In 1988 the power station became the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum.

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Sam Eyde, Norwegian Industrialist.

In his time, Sam Eyde may have lacked funds to illuminate the city, but modern technology has improved and Rjukan citizens are continuing the efforts. Lately, strange lights are appearing from the tops of the mountain range. People are seeing bright shiny spots on the mountain  sides.

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A construction crew has removed trees to provide an uninterrupted line of sight from the sun to mirrors, then, the sunlight is  reflected from mirrors to the people below. After laying a concrete foundation on the slope a quarter-mile above the town, they have installed  three huge mirror panels flown in from Germany by helicopter .The completed mirror assembly will measure about 540 square feet and will redirect the winter sun into the town center.

 It will illuminate an elliptical area over 2150 feet square. Solar power will allow a computer in the town hall to track the movement of the sun with sensors on the installation.Controlled by computer, the mirrors (known as heliostats) will reposition themselves to automatically track the sun's movements, hopefully revitalizing the town during the dark winter months.

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 Nestled deep in a valley, gloomy Rjukan citizens never receive direct sunlight between September and March. The big test begins in September, when the angle of the sun begins the winter shadows over Rjukan..

 Soon they will be able to see the light!

The Polar Express

                                  What’s the Weather Like Up There?

Summer has finally arrived in the Upper Midwest with thermometer readings in the often uncomfortable range. Southwest  U.S. states have seen midday temperatures hover around 100 ° F.  Death Valley, California , known as the hottest place on Earth, and driest place in North America holds the world record of 134° F. recorded  July 10th, 1913. A Death Valley area, aptly named Furnace Creek, holds the record for the highest ground temperature, once again in July, but in 1972 of a sizzling 201° F.

 There are no plants in the area to shade or soak up the sun and the heat bakes the desert surface. Summer sunshine has arrived and July is living up to it's reputation of high heat and humidity. We waited for it and it has arrived!

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Up at the North Pole , the  heat and sunshine are not quite as intense, but still has influence on summer plant growth and melting ice.The famed Midnight Sun shines twenty-four hours a day for a long period during the Northern summer months north of the Arctic Circle. Imagine our attitude if we were subjected to 24 hour sunshine in July and August  with no relief of cool evenings breezes hre in the U.S.!

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In the winter, most of the Arctic is hidden away under snow and ice. Sea ice expands to cover the entire Arctic Ocean, and the arctic lands gain a blanket of snow.
 In the summer, the sea ice retreats to the Central Arctic, opening channels and coastlines to open water.

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  The Arctic influences the weather and climate of the entire Northern Hemisphere, and the cool northern region helps to moderate the climate of the rest of the planet. The Arctic has warmed about twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades. Summer Arctic sea ice has declined by 40%, and snow is melting earlier in spring on the surrounding land. This dramatic change in the climate system is expected to affect weather patterns well beyond the confines of the Arctic. Some scientists have blamed our extreme fire hazards, hot temperatures and wild weather conditions on the unusual jet streams related to these Arctic conditions.

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The Arctic may be a forbidding place to travel, but its cold weather and unique climate patterns make it an important place for scientists to study.

  

Glaciologists drill through the ice using instruments that  measure what’s going on. This may sound easy, but there are multiple hurdles that must be overcome. Getting there is the first one. These ice shelves are heavily crevassed—landing 
even a small plane may not be an easy task! These changing conditions, whether man-made or normal cycles of nature are changing our world.  The normal “sea of ice” in places, averages 3 km ( 1.9 miles in thickness) and is constantly flowing to open water.

  Scientists have  reached the conclusion that the deep Arctic Ocean has been flowing for the last 35,000 years during the chill of the last ice-age and warmth of our modern time

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 Glacierologists have been noticing changes in an icefield located in the western side of Antarctica known as the Pine Island Glacier. Cracks in the ice field have been recorded by satellites. Recently, a long crack has been noted and photographed.

The crack in the glacier grows.

Pine Island Glacier is a large ice stream flowing west-northwest along the south side of the Hudson Mountains into the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica. Satellite photographs  taken of this glacier  have noted  cracks in the glacier. Recent survey photos have seen the fissure growing. This huge field will soon break away to create a new and separate field of ice.

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 The break has been completed and  a large portion has broken away, becoming a “calf” of the glacier. A new "iceberg" has been born. Icebergs rarely have names, but this one is a good-sized chuck of ice.
   No recent photos of the new "calf" is available, however the newborn iceberg measures about 278 square miles (720 square kilometers) as  seen by  an earth-observing satellite . This enormous slab of ice, about  the size of Chicago is 200 feet thick and now free to roam.  On July 8, 2013, this huge area of the ice shelf broke away from the Pine Island glacier, the longest and fastest flowing glacier in the Antarctic, and is now floating in the Amundsen Sea in the form of a very large iceberg.

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A new iceberg "calf"

June is always a transition period for Arctic sea ice . Arctic ice-cover floats atop a vast ocean . “As the parent Pine Island Glacier retreats and flows out to sea, it develops and drops icebergs as part of a natural and cyclical process”, according to Angelika Humbert  a glaciologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute,. “But, the way the ice breaks, or “calves,” is still somewhat mysterious. Glaciers are constantly in motion,” she said. “Their ice is exposed to permanent tensions and the calving of icebergs is still largely unresearched.”

While the arctic ice appears to be lessening, the new edges of the gigantic ice cover are subject to lesser pressure  and the calving process continues.

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 While we, here in the North American Midwest are craving ice in our beverages, Mother Nature is doing her part in the "Great Up North”.

 Her offerings are larger than we can even imagine while the polar flow continues.