German and French climatologists of the combined AWIPEV Institutes at the Ny-Ålesund science base probe the atmosphere with all the tools at their disposal, from weather balloons soaring 30 kilometers high, to airplanes flying a few thousand meters up, to a giant orange blimp lovingly called “Miss Piggy,” who humbly hovers 800 meters above the weather station with six “tails” tied to her tether in 100-meter increments measuring wind and temperature.

CLICK PHOTO TO JOIN THE TEAM:

AWIPEV scientists launch Miss Piggy. © Randall Hyman

Arrival at Ny-Ålesund airport. © Randall Hyman

This is the start of my four-month project as a Fulbright Scholar in the Norwegian Arctic exploring science, technology, culture and tourism in the context of climate change and shifting paradigms in the Arctic Ocean. After passing through Oslo and Tromsø and traveling non-stop to Svalbard, the first day of this huge project is spent in the village of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen island, where I wait one day on the way to the science base at Ny-Ålesund.  Snowmobiles and skis rule here.  Still lots of ice along southwest Spitsbergen, but relatively ice free around Longyearbyen.  Temps in low teens (for you Americans), minus 10 Celsius for the rest of world!  Flying onward to Ny-Ålesund tomorrow above the 78th parallel, just 780 miles from the North Pole.