The weather has generally been mild for the Arctic. The winds are not very strong and the temperatures are usually within a couple degrees of 32 Fahrenheit. The fog rolls in and out, but usually there are clouds of some type around. This is really quite pleasant for our work on the ice as it is not too cold or hot. The main weather challenge is that the fog sometimes makes it hard to see, which means we have to be extra careful to watch out for polar bear!
It seems like every day this week we have had a polar bear or two visit! Fortunately, they usually come when we are already onboard the ship, but sometimes we have to get our people onboard quickly. The bears have been known to play with our equipment, but they've only caused minor damage so far. We have a lot of open water around the ship. Seals like to peak their heads up out of the water to check out what is going on here. The presence of these seals also means that polar bears will be around.
