URI Today

Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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Photo by Todd McLeish

Studying whales on top of the world

When the highlight of your summer vacation was eating raw whale blubber as icebergs floated by your tent, you know you�ve been on an unusual trip.

My destination this month was Qaanaaq, Greenland, the most northerly town on Earth, for an up-close encounter with narwhals, the Arctic whale with the unicorn tusk. When I decided to write a book about this unusual whale, I knew it would involve some challenging field trips, but little did I know that just getting to my research site would be an adventure in itself.

Traveling to Qaanaaq involved seven flights over three-plus days, beginning with a flight to Copenhagen, and then...

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