Minus 5

It has been getting warmer as the sun moves higher in the sky every day. This morning it is -5 degrees C here at Lake Hoare, still below the freezing point of water. In spite of that, there are signs of melting. I took advantage of the midnight sun and walked around our camp to take a few pictures last night. The glacier calved over this winter. A sliver of ice from the cliff face peeled off and came crashing to the ground. This is good news for us because it provides a source of drinking water. We collect these ice chunks and melt them in a large stock pot for drinking, cooking, washing up. It's also nice because as we stand at the east window of our hut to wash dishes, we have a slightly newer view of the glacier cliff.
Standing near the cliff face last night I could hear water dripping from everywhere. The sun warms the face of the glacier, so even though the air temperature is below freezing, the solar radiation can cause the glacier to melt. Water is trickling down the face of the glacier and starting to accumulate in the stream channel. The stream is not really flowing yet, but there is liquid water. The stream team will be happy to have more work to do. Liz from the glacier team is hoping to sample the cryoconite holes on the glacier before they melt. Everyone is watching the weather.