Siberia Blog

URPP GCB Siberia Blog 2013

With a little help for my friends

29. July 2013 | Michael Schaepman | Keine Kommentare |

by Michael Schaepman

July 27, 2013

Travelling far raises expectations and wishes! Also this time, we were well prepared with questions and wishes before leaving and we try now to answer some of them, prior to returning for more details …

Samuel from the soil group provided the team with tubes to be lowered into the soil at the Kytalyk site – this is well underway! Additionally, in search for a perfect plant nursery for this highly labelled isotope plants, we came across a well suited greenhouse infrastructure and recommend to establish it as a remote MICE station for Samuel.

Unused greenhouse infrastructure at the Ayutun site (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Unused greenhouse infrastructure at the Ayutun site (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Kentaro and Rie from evolutionary biology asked us to spot some plant species they are interested in as well. Due to heavy workload, a junior plant spotter team was put in place and it successfully discovered almost all species on their wish list, but was finally more interested in the more uncommon species such as the one shown below.

Junior plant spotters at work at the Ayutun site, approximately 40km north of Chokurdakh on the Indigirka river banks (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Junior plant spotters at work at the Ayutun site, approximately 40km north of Chokurdakh on the Indigirka river banks (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

 

Non-photosynthesizing parasitic plant living on Alnus (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Non-photosynthesizing parasitic plant living on Alnus (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Wolf, also from evolutionary biology, asked us to look out for flies. Not regular ones, but dungflies. First, we needed to find large grazing herbivores in the tundra (producing dung J). Hearing about herds of 500’000 reindeer one might think of an easy task – but it was not. Luckily, we found a few grazing animals, but the dung was completely free of any flies (it might have been too cold (at around a few centigrade above zero) at the time). With the help of colleagues from Yakutsk, we learned that those dungflies are not abundant in this region and we are looking forward to a more southern location to spotting them! The junior plant spotting team decided spontaneously to convert to a junior animal dissection team …

Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) grazing in the tundra close to Kytalyk (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) grazing in the tundra close to Kytalyk (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Zoologists from Yakutsk at the Ayutun site, inventorying for the first time small rodents (mice, spitzmaus (sic!) and lemming) populations in the Yakutian tundra (Photo: L. Schaepman, July 2013).

Zoologists from Yakutsk at the Ayutun site, inventorying for the first time small rodents (mice, spitzmaus (sic!) and lemming) populations in the Yakutian tundra (Photo: L. Schaepman, July 2013).

Erich, a remote sensing specialist with a flair for aircraft, is provided with almost unique aircraft spotting images such as the ones below.

Chokurdakh airfield populated with Antanov (AN-2, AN-4?, AN-24) aircraft as well as a MI-8 helicopter. The wingtip to the right is our (cargo-)aircraft (Antanov AN-26-100) with luggage self-loading (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Chokurdakh airfield populated with Antanov (AN-2, AN-4?, AN-24) aircraft as well as a MI-8 helicopter. The wingtip to the right is our (cargo-)aircraft (Antanov AN-26-100) with luggage self-loading (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Self-unloading cargo and luggage from the Antonov AN-26-100 at Yakutsk airport. Luggage is strictly limited to 20kg per person and every spare gram is filled with frozen fish (Chir), being the heaviest part of the luggage (Photo: L. Schaepman, July 2013).

Self-unloading cargo and luggage from the Antonov AN-26-100 at Yakutsk airport. Luggage is strictly limited to 20kg per person and every spare gram is filled with frozen fish (Chir), being the heaviest part of the luggage (Photo: L. Schaepman, July 2013).

Finally Reik – a remote sensing Phd – volunteered to join this campaign. Unfortunately, because of many other obligations, he finally was unable to join in. We therefore provide him with a few impressions from the trip from Kytalyk to Ayutun (indeed, we had to skip Russkoye Ustye because of bad weather and unavailable infrastructure).

Ayutun accommodation (sleeping a group of 5) with greenhouse in the back (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2012).

Ayutun accommodation (sleeping a group of 5) with greenhouse in the back (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Indigirka river (foreground), floodplain (middle-ground) and for once a blue sky (background) close to Ayutun (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 26, 2013).

Indigirka river (foreground), floodplain (middle-ground) and for once a blue sky (background) close to Ayutun (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 26, 2013).

Still no sunset on July 26 in Ayutun (Photo: M. Schaepman, midnight, July 2013).

Still no sunset on July 26 in Ayutun (Photo: M. Schaepman, midnight, July 2013).

All you can eat fish every day! (Photo: G. Schaepman-Strub, July 2013).

All you can eat fish every day! (Photo: G. Schaepman-Strub, July 2013).

Ayutun hill site (max elevation about 300 m a.s.l.) with overview of the Indigirka river (as well as cold and bad weather moving out …) (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Ayutun hill site (max elevation about 300 m a.s.l.) with overview of the Indigirka river (as well as cold and bad weather moving out …) (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Early morning boat ride on the Indigirka back to Chokurdakh (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

Early morning boat ride on the Indigirka back to Chokurdakh (Photo: M. Schaepman, July 2013).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abgelegt unter: Up and running