Greetings from Juneau

Hello All, lots going on to say the least. We have had a fantastic visit to Juneau full of science, education and media. Lots of work being done aboard Ocean Watch and we have our first big open house tomorrow. Mark and Michael did radio interviews with Alaska Public Radio and we were on the Juneau Empire front page two days in a row. So excellent local press- http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/060809/loc_448715983.shtml

Yesterday we had a visit and interview with Susan Murray and Christopher Krenz from OCEANA. Their offices are right here in Juneau. Check them out. They are dedicated to ocean and sea issues, legislative initiatives, and active public campaigns. http://www.oceana.org/north-america/home/

Last night our scientist, Michael Reynolds, was the keynote speaker at the University of Alaska SE here in the Juneau area. Mark Schrader also spoke and I did a slide show to illustrate our journey up to this point and time. First time out of the blocks for all of us. It went very well.

Today we hiked up to Mendenhall Glacier with glaciologist, Roman Motyka. We learned more about the rapidly receding glacier and the cumulative effect this is having in the north, especially in Greenland with its massive ice cap.

Ice reports continue to come in from the Arctic. After a slow beginning to the melt season, the Arctic's ice is beginning it's seasonal melt and is proceeding at a rapid rate of loss. We are expecting the usual pattern of the last couple seasons where the Northwest Passage is completely open once again. Probably good for us, not so good for the planet.

We saw lots of wildlife on the way up especially after entering Alaskan waters. We observed Orcas, lots of dolphins playing wonderfully about the bow, eagles, and a couple humpbacks. We stopped and dissected a jellyfish for sampling and did some acoustic testing. All in all, a great trip north. Just the way we envisioned it could happen.