Antarctic Trip Continues:
Well, since I last wrote, the weather has worsened and then improved. All in all, the weather has been very warm. I am not complaining. For a full day and then some we had to go through happy camping/snow school. This is required of anyone who leaves McMudo on a helicopter or small plane. If for some reason the weather turned bad, then we would be out there for a little while. Snow school was supposed to teach us how. It as a lot like the survival classes I took at UC Davis.
As you could predict, the weather turned bad just as we went out for happy camping. While it stayed warm, the clouds came in, and the snow dumped on us. The conditions were nearly whiteout. I guess you can see for yourself:
If you would like to simulate a full white out, just stick a white bucket on top of your head, as they made us do the day after. We stumbled around looking for each other with these buckets on our heads. If there were a chance I would have snapped a few pictures. Unfortunately I had a bucket on my head as well.
Below is the vehicle that we took out to the snow camp. The Nodwell is just a bigger sprite. At the snow camp we built snow mounds. To build a snow mound you just dump your bags, cover them with snow, and then dig down and then back up under them. That gives you a warm and quite spacious place to sleep.
The day after snow school we got good weather again. At this chance we set up a station at Arrival Heights, just above McMurdo. Not only was it good to get part of our project in place, but it felt great in general to be up at Arrival Heights. The picture below only shows you a glimpse of the vastness of Antarctica.
While quite picturesque, Arrival Heights is one of the harder places to put a seismic station in. It is smack dab in the middle of volcanic flow permafrost. Now, if you have had any reason to dig through frozen ground, you would know that it is difficult. If you have ever had a chance to dig through volcanic flows, you would know that that is also difficult. Combine the two and you have a pick axes worst nightmare. We broke two pick axes. The metal one bent back to the point we couldn’t use it. The wood one simply broke. Perhaps it was the rock, but then again, perhaps it was Jerry (the other grad student along with us) and myself being so buffed. :o)
Back in town at the lab where we prepare all the gear for deployment, we could see the same clouds as before, which mean there was little wind. The wind here is the harshest part of the Antarctic climate. It may be only -60 degrees Fahrenheit, but with wind chill, it can get down to -110 without a problem. It really isn’t a bad view from work, if it is a nice day.
I have never seen a place where so much recycling goes on. Here at McMurdo, anything that can be recycled is. It is required to take a course on refuse when you get into McMurdo. Because it is so difficult to get everything down here, it is important to use everything that you do get. Plus, they have to ship all the garbage back. So they try to get as much money out of the junk they send back. Just look how many dumpsters are outside the average dorm.
There really is a beautifully simple system. Refuse is divided up into burnables, aluminum, plastic, light metal, heavy metal, toxic, food waste, salvation army type clothes, and several more. Food goes into food waist. Cans go into aluminum. But oddly enough aluminum foil doesn’t. That goes into burnables. However, if you have food stuck to it, then it can go into food waste. But lets say you have food covered aluminum foil that has a bit of gasoline spilt onto it, that would have to go into the toxic waist, unless it is attached to heavy metals. Simple eh?
At the end of a long day I find out that we have an opportunity to fly out to the ice sheet site, out on the Ross Ice Shelf. So first thing I do is head back to the dorms (below left), and then get stuck looking at the halo made by the sun (below right).
This trip, which lasted from 11:30 PM to 3:30 PM was definitely worth it. We saw some great views, did some great science, and got to take a helicopter ride to boot.
Friday, we took another trip out to another site, Cape Roberts. This site was by far more beautiful, but unfortunately my batteries had run down, so I could take no pictures of the area. Just imagine a perfectly clear day (or night as it was) surrounded by sea ice from the south, east, and north, and glacial ice to the west. Underfoot lay boulders and rubble formed by older glaciers. Within the mix match of rocks were, there were igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks of all degrees, and sedimentary rocks. A true geologist could have had a field day with the samples.
The flight out there was just spectacular. We flew on the edge of the sea ice. Lined up all along the edge of the ice sat penguins. We really couldn't see them well, because we were so high up. But with a zoom lens we could. The reason they were all along the ice shelf, instead of in the water as well, was that killer whales were swimming in the water. We could see them spout water and splash about. Perhaps when I get the film (I do know how to use a film camera too) developed, I will scan some pictures in. On the flight back I was out of film, and we got to see some close ups of emperor penguins and Waddell seals. They were both more sizable than I expected.
We then had two days 'rest'. That is to say that we had two days free of flights. Yet these days were anything but restful. We found quite a few things that we had to change from the Cape Roberts excursion. We rewired a few cables (Maybe 40), filed down some aluminum pipe to fit inside another pipe (this took some time), drilled, hammered, and carried. Oh boy did we carry things around. We set up the equipment for four more excursions. We moved 40 pound cement blocks, 111 pound instrument shelters, 75 pound cases of pipe fittings, and the list goes on and on and on … .
Then Monday came. We had two flights in one day. We split up into three teams, each one going to a different site. This time we flew on a twin otter. These planes were originally pontoon planes. They take off and land in very short distances. As you can see below, they now have skies!
These planes are noisy, but very reliable. They are quite smooth at Willie Air Field.
Once you are in the air, they provide some of the most amazing views in the world, or perhaps that was a result of where they were flying. Just take a look at the views we say on our way from McMurdo to our site, some 350 kilometers away. Please forgive the window crud. We couldn't exactly roll down the window.
(Above Left) Discovery rises up sharply from the Ross Ice Shelf. The line running down the middle left is a moraine. Moraines are dirt, boulders, and pebbles, pulled along by glaciers. This one has formed between two adjacent glacers.
Then we hit the Transantarctic Mountains! This is the most amazing place! Just look at blue glacier below.
(Above) The Ferrar Glacier and Blue Glacier are not actually dry valleys. They boarder the dry valleys. They are impressive in their won right.
(Top Left) Taylor Valley some 6000 feet deep. (Top Right) Write Valley even deeper. (Mid Left) Write Valley again. (Mid Right) Lower Barwick Valley. (Bottom Left) Upper Barwick Valley. On the south flank you can see an icefall. Just on the other side of those mountains rests 6000 feet of ice. Just the tip of the ice is pouring over into Barwick valley. (Bottom Left) At the top of Barwick Valley is another icefall. On Saturday we will put a seismometer in the moraine off to the bottom left (south) of the ice flow. That moraine is called McSaveney Spur.
Then you reach the ice plateau. At first it is still entertaining. We see another future site, Mt. Littlepage (Below Left), which we will place next year. But, then all turns white and blue, and stays that way (Below Right).
Upon arrival we do a bunch of digging in hard snow and ice. I break a shovel, which I have a picture of somewhere. (Below) We install two towers; one with a wind generator and solar panels, and the other with just solar panels. We attach these to three car batteries, and then to the seismometer in the box to the right (North). Then we headed home, while I took even more pictures. A spectacular day.
Today, Tuesday, December 12, 2000, I was left home while others set up another site. Tomorrow Three of us go to the Diamond Hill, about 250 km to the south. It should be another good day. I'll let you know. That's all for now.
Cheers,
-Jesse