Providing Effective Science Support and Logistics in the Arctic

As the National Science Foundation's Arctic Logistics Contractor, VECO Polar Resources (VPR) has completed engineering, construction, and operations projects in environments ranging from the tundra of Alaska's North Slope to the summit of the Greenland Ice Cap. They have ranged from providing power and communications for remote instrumentation to building, maintaining, and operating 45-person field camps. The remoteness and extreme conditions found in these diverse terrains have offered a set of common challenges to the VPR team. The varied and extreme physical environments of the Arctic ensure that each project undertaken by VPR is unique. Tundra, permafrost, snow, ice all provide different engineering and construction challenges. A variety of extreme weather conditions require careful selection of materials for reliability and maintainability. High latitudes limit the length of construction seasons and accessibility to sites. Recruiting and retaining a quality workforce willing to work under such conditions can also be difficult. We will discuss how to strike a balance between meeting all of the unique requirements posed by the physical environment of the Arctic and maintaining an efficient and cost effective operation that meets the needs of our customer. The remoteness of many of VPR's field sites poses another set of challenges. Materials and equipment must often be transported to the sites via small aircraft. Communications and power infrastructure are typically nonexistent. Remoteness also contributes to staff recruiting/retention issues. We will address how to effectively undertake construction and operations in remote sites where little or no infrastructure is available. Field sites built and operated by VPR are the platforms for cutting edge scientific research, much of it environmental. Therefore we must operate with minimal impact on the fragile environment of the Arctic. We will discuss strategies we are pursuing for reducing emissions, incorporating concepts of sustainable design, and for delivering our products and services while remaining good environmental stewards.