In a period of 48 hours, our weather has changed three times, from (almost) Miami Beach-type temperatures, to driving snow, and back to sun late this afternoon. Lingering morning snow prevented a survey of the region by helicopter. Instead, time on the ground gave the scientists an opportunity to finish building their instrument towers. We also have started to pack camp, stacking trash bags and tools about 200 feet from our tent in preparation for our scheduled helicopter ride off the ice tomorrow morning.

There is still no word about Sarah Das’s dye, which she poured in a moulin several days ago to track drained lake water flowing from the base of the ice sheet to the coast. Our source on the coast south of Ilulissat (Sarah’s graduate student, Maya Bhatia) said recent storms have prevented her from going out in her small boat to monitor for the dye in a coastal fjord. Two scientists on our team predict that it will arrive by tomorrow.