It is not yet even autumn, but nevertheless, I woke up this morning to a white carpet of snow draped over the tundra.  There have been signs that this day was coming; yesterday morning, while uncovering the transmitter, I discovered snow and ice wedged into the folds of the tarps and the local fauna have being making their transition from summer to winter coats and plumage.

A light blanket of snow envelopes the tundra around the camp.

I was expecting a much more gradual transition, but I’m realizing just how quickly the seasons change in the Arctic. Consider for example that this region transitions from approximately zero hours of daylight at the winter solstice to twenty four hours of daylight at the summer solstice.  This means that over the span of one month, there is an average of four hours of daylight lost or gained, or over one week, there is an average of one hour change.

The ptarmigans around the camp show the gradual transition into winter plumage.

One of the more interesting observations I have made has been the transition of the animals.  The arctic hares are beginning to have a mottled grey and white coat as they transition to a fully white coat for winter.  The change in the ptarmigans is even more notable.  Instead of the mottled brown feathers of summer, white feathers are creeping upward from their feet, which have now become more snowshoe-like. I will be interested in seeing just how far the transition will come before I head back to balmy Southern Ontario.

As it turned out, almost all of the snow melted during the day; however, the reprieve was short-lived.  As the sun lowered in the sky, once again I felt the snow begin to fall.

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