Scientists are worried that an overburdened atmosphere may lose its ability to adequately cleanse itself. The peculiar chemistry of the Arctic spring is key to understanding ozone and pollution processes across the northern latitudes. Many more flight miles are added as the plane rises and falls to measure chemical compounds at various altitudes along the way. Churchill is a tourist spot for viewing white whales in the summer and polar bears in the fall. Churchill's aircraft facilities are a runway and fuel.
Staff take turns staying up all night to tend heaters and instruments.
At least Thule has a hangar. Sometimes I wonder how we got into this. But the scientific questions are so important that it's worth the hardship. Meanwhile, in the stratosphere above, the returning springtime sun triggers chemical reactions that deplete ozone, creating a smaller, northern version of the Antarctic ozone hole. As springtime weather changes circulation patterns, ozone and ozone- producing compounds travel into the far north from the polluted regions of northern and central Europe.