Tracy's Antarctic Adventure

PART OF WILKINS ICE SHELF COLLAPSES

2008-03-28T14:24:00.004+13:00

In late February a large chunk (41 km x 2.4 km) of ice broke away from the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. The break has triggered the breakup of much more of the ice shelf, so that now the whole ice shelf is in danger of disintegrating.

Below is an image from the National Snow and Ice Data Center that shows the location of the breakup:

Here is an image taken during a flyover by the British Antarctic Survey:

Scientists attribute the breakup to global warming. Temperature records show that the region around the Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a faster rate than most other parts of the world. The breakup of the Wilkins shelf will not contribute directly to rising sea level. It's more like having an ice cube in a glass of water melt -- the water level remains the same. However, as ice shelves disappear, it's likely the glaciers behind them will begin to flow more quickly into the oceans. This phenomenon is being seen today in areas of Greenland. The melting of these glaciers will contribute to a sea level rise. Interestingly, there's enough water stored in the polar ice caps to cause a 70 m rise in global sea level!

LEAVING THE ICE

2008-03-22T10:09:00.006+13:00

Nearly three months have gone by since I left the ice. I thought it was high time I document the trip back.

We left McMurdo early on December 8th. We were loaded onto Ivan the Terrabus for the half hour ride out to the Pegasus Ice Runway. Below is a view of all of us stuffed into the bus. Everyone was required to wear their extreme cold weather gear for the trip. Once near New Zealand, we would be stripping down to jeans and a t-shirt -- it was summer there.

Ivan dropped us off and we lugged our gear across the ice and onto the C-17 that was waiting for us.

Here's a view from inside the plane. We sat in rows of (very uncomfortable) jump seats that lined the walls and center aisle of the plane. It was a 5-hour trip.

As we left Antarctica, we stole peeks out the few windows that exist on a C-17. We could tell we were getting to warmer climes when we noticed the sea ice was melting and breaking up.

All in all, my trip to Antarctica was a wonderful experience that I'll never forget. I feel lucky to have seen it while the environment is still in good shape. Things will be changing fast as the Earth continues to warm.

SCOTT'S HUT AT CAPE EVANS

2007-12-06T15:50:00.002+13:00

Cape Evans lies on the west side of Ross Island and is an important site for Antarctic exploration. The site was used as a headquarters for Scott's 2nd Expedition in 1910-1913. The hut, Scott's Hut, still stands and contains many of the items used by the expedition. Below is a picture from the hill that overlooks Scott's Hut (foreground) and across the sea ice toward a glacier terminus. The hut is quite large, 50 feet long and 25 foot wide. A stable building (for nineteen Siberian ponies) approximately 50 feet by 16 feet sits against the the main building. Scott intended to use the ponies (rather than huskies) to pull the sledges to the South Pole. The horses didn't fare too well, unfortunately. Neither did the explorers!
The shelves remain stocked with food items, including a bottle of Heinz ketchup as well as the pickled onions, cabbage, and other sauces pictured below.
The expedition team included a number of scientists (mostly biologists and geologists), who carried out some basic studies. Much of their equipment remains, including chemical reagents, glassware, scratch plates, bunsen burners, etc. A penguin lies on one table, still waiting to be dissected (not shown here).
Scott ran his expeditions as military operations. The "officers" got the best quarters, while the "enlisted men" shared a warren of bunkbeds they referred to as "the tenements." Scott's bed is pictured below, with a candle for lighting and furs and woolen blankets for bedding. Some clothing is also stacked at the end of the bed. The walls around the beds are decorated with pictures, mostly cut from magazines.

DRILLING COMPLETE!

2007-12-02T18:28:00.001+13:00

Our target depth (and geologic time window of around 18 million years ago) was reached yesterday. Ours is the 2nd deepest drillhole in Antarctica.

We're now concentrating on writing up our on-ice summaries and readying ourselves to return to the real world.

PRESSURE RIDGES IN THE SEA ICE

2007-12-02T17:12:00.001+13:00

The sea ice is dynamic. Where it meets the land, tidal forces and the pressures of ocean currents and glacial movement cause the sea ice to buckle upwards into a series of ridges parallel to shore called pressure ridges. The photo below shows some pressure ridges formed along the point where Discovery Hut is located.

The fractures between ridges can extend all the way down to the water below. Because of this, these areas can be dangerous and are off-limits. However, some extensive pressure ridges form each year in front of Scott Base, the New Zealand station located about 2 miles from McMurdo. These ridges are carefully monitored, and each year the station marks a safe route through the features. Following the route is only allowed with a trained guide, and we were lucky enough to be able to take a tour today.

The photograph below should give you some idea of the size of these features. Shown are my night shift buddies, who also took the tour. The walls of ice in the background are a few feet thick, and have been thrust from horizontal to vertical. You can also see the different types of gear issued by each country. Those in the red jackets and pants are Italians. The red and blue combo at left is worn by a German. The dark blue gear is Kiwi. The Americans are in red jackets and black pants.

At one point we came across this seal, who was resting after a long dive. He/she didn't seem to perturbed by our presence. The seal lay near a hole that had melted through the ice.

There were some amazing ice formations. It was all very surreal.

A FIELD TRIP TO THE DRY VALLEYS

2007-11-29T20:26:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I had the most amazing geology experience of my life. I was lucky enough to travel to Wright Valley, one of the Dry Valleys on the western side of McMurdo Sound and on the Antarctic mainland. These are valleys that receive almost no precipitation and so have little to no snow cover. The eight of us traveled by helicopter, leaving McMurdo Station around 8 AM.

We flew across the sea ice, past the ANDRILL drilling site, and into the Wright Valley. We flew first to the head of the valley to view a feature called the Devron Six Icefalls (below). This represents the very edge of the Antarctic ice cap, as it travels from the polar plateau and spills into the head of the valley.

We then touched down on a nearby mesa called the Dias, which splits the valley in two. From here, we had fantastic views up and down the valley. Shown below is a shot looking seaward (away from the icefalls). The U-shaped valley profile is typical of valleys carved out by glaciers. The lake in the center is called Lake Vanda. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. It is frozen over during most of the year, but melts around the edge to form a moat at the height of summer. Although frozen at the top, temperatures at the bottom (~200 feet down) are around 75˚F (25˚C). This is due to the high refractive index of the salty water and the activity of microbes (bacteria) that live at the bottom of the lake. Along the sides of the valley are smaller alpine glaciers that don't quite reach the valley floor.

Below is a closer view of the alpine glaciers. This shot was taken from the air.
The valley floor is covered by loose cobbles and sand, which was transported by glaciers that have filled the valley at times in the past. It made for difficult walking! Below is a picture of the valley floor. The black rocks, called ventifacts, have been polished and faceted over hundreds to thousands of years by the wind.

There are numerous seal carcases around the place. Radiocarbon ages suggest that some are several thousand years old. Most are young males. It's thought that they were driven away from their groups by older males and wandered off to find harems of their own. Unfortunately, they chose to wander landward and ended up too far from the sea.

On the trip back, we flew across the mountain ranges before heading out across the sea ice. Below is a view looking toward Mt Erebus, which lies behind McMurdo Station on Ross Island. The sea ice edge is visible in the middle left part of the picture, where the white sea ice meets the blue water. The sea ice is melting, and the edge is creeping ever closer! Summer is coming to Antarctica.

TURKEY TROT & THANKSGIVING

2007-11-25T01:40:00.000+13:00

Thanksgiving was celebrated at McMurdo on Saturday 24 November. This was to allow most people on the base to have a day off. The big events of the day included the annual Turkey Trot, a 5 km race out to the ice runway and back to base. About 200 people participated, some in costume, some taking it very seriously, and many walking. It was a beautiful day with clear skies. The second big event was the Thanksgiving meal, served to 1000! It was very traditional, from the relish tray to the pumpkin pie.

The top photo shows the runners stretched out along the ice road. The second photo shows Chris, who finished in a time of 27:19, not bad considering the cold temperatures and the slippery footing. He was in the top 10 of the "over 40's." I walked the course with others, and, frankly, we were more interested in taking pictures and enjoying the day than winning a race. Nonetheless, we finished in about 1 hour. The third picture is of me with Mt Erebus (volcano) smoking in the background.

OBSERVATION HILL

2007-11-24T07:23:00.000+13:00

I just returned from a midnight hike around and up Observation Hill, which overlooks McMurdo Station. It was a beautiful night, with almost no wind, clear skies, and temperatures around 25˚ F.

The top picture shows McMurdo Station as viewed from the sea ice road that leads to the ice runway (airport). Ob Hill sits at the right side of the photograph, and is around 750 ft high.

The second picture shows a view of McMurdo Station from the top of Ob Hill. The cross was erected in 1913 by the surviving members of Scott's fateful Terra Nova Expedition, a successful attempt to reach the South Pole that ended in tragedy when the party members who set out to reach the pole died on the return trip. They are pictured in the bottom photo, taken when they arrived at the pole. Scott is in the top row, center. The photo was found in the tent in which the bodies were discovered by a search party.

The third photo shows the view across the sea ice toward White Island (left) and Black Island (right). Most of the bad weather here makes its way toward us in the space between the two islands. The sunlight made the sea ice almost look like water.

A TRIP TO THE DRILLSITE

2007-11-21T04:29:00.000+13:00

I finally made it out to the drillsite, located about 20 miles from McMurdo Station (see map). The drilling rig is draped by a big white shroud, which serves to keep the weather out and allows the drillers to work in a warm environment. Associated with the drilling rig are a series of containers that are outfitted with work stations at which people carry out various analyses on the cores. Other containers are used as living quarters for the 30 people who live at the drillsite. The trip took about 2 hours by Mattrack truck, on a road across the sea ice that is maintained by an army of plows and monitored constantly for cracks that start to develop as the weather warms. The sea ice right now is between 6 and 8 feet thick. This might seem thin considering the water below is several hundred feet deep, but it's thick enough to land C-17s and other large jets. The route is marked by a series of flags mounted on bamboo poles, located about 20 feet apart. This seems a close spacing, but there are times when the visibility deteriorates to the point where it's not possible to see from one flag to the next.

WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

2007-11-20T01:36:00.001+13:00

Temperatures are warming, the sea ice is thinning and breaking up, and wildlife is beginning to appear around McMurdo Station. In the past couple of days, I've had the opportunity to take trips away from the station, and each time I've been lucky enough to encounter some Antarctic icons.

From top to bottom, these are:
The skua, a scavenging bird, which feeds on other birds' eggs, various young animals, and many other things too disgusting to mention here. They are adept at spotting food being carried from the galley across McMurdo Station, and commonly swoop down and snatch items from peoples' hands. It pays to look up when leaving the galley, as they tend to perch above the doorways.

A Weddell Seal, lying next to the hole it's made in the sea ice. The seal lay on its back and peered around at us. The Royal Society Range is visible in the background.

An Adelie Penguin, which crossed the road as we were travelling in a Mattrack across the sea ice. It was alone and seemed to be lost.

PROJECT ICEBERG VIDEOS

2007-11-19T23:39:00.000+13:00

Megan Berg is putting out a series of videos documenting ANDRILL and the history behind it. There is a new one each week. The videos may be found at:

http://www.andrill.org/iceberg/videos/2007/index.html

There are different download options, depending on whether you have a quick connection or a dial-up connection.

Chris and I are in the 2nd video, entitled "Antarctic Geology." The first video provides a good overview of what it's like to travel to Antarctica and work at McMurdo Station. The third video talks about the history of Antarctic exploration, and emphasizes the last International Polar Year, which took place in 1957. Several of the scientists who took part in some of the first Antarctic research efforts are interviewed.

FRESHIES

2007-11-17T06:16:00.000+13:00

Fresh vegetables and fruits are much sought after down here. We depend largely on military transport planes to bring fresh food to us. However, when the weather is bad or other types of cargo take precedence, we may not see fresh fruit and veg -- called "freshies" -- for weeks at a time. Today, after about 14 days with no freshies, we were happy to see some lettuce laid out for the evening meal. What a treat!

McMurdo does have a greenhouse, pictured above from outside and inside, but it isn't big enough to supply the ~800 people here now. The greenhouse was built in 1989 from existing buildings by a group of volunteers. I'm not sure where the produce ends up, but whoever gets to partake is lucky!

STEPPING BACK IN TIME: WHAT'S INSIDE DISCOVERY HUT?

2007-11-10T08:04:00.001+13:00

ABOVE: (from top to bottom) Discovery Hut, as viewed from McMurdo Station. Views from inside the hut, including a lamp box stamped with the expedition name, the kitchen, complete with a meal that still waits to be cooked (What are those strange lumps in the frying pan? Seal meat?), and two pairs of pants hung up to dry in the kitchen.

Discovery Hut was built by British explorer Robert Scott for the Discovery Expedition (1901-1904). The expedition wintered over in 1902 because their ship became locked in the sea ice. The original plan was to utilize the hut, but it was found to be very difficult to heat. As a result, many of the expeditioners preferred to live on the ice-locked ship. The hut was built on one of the most exposed points on Ross Island. Why? Because this is one of the few places that remains snow free. Unfortunately, the reason the area remains snow-free is because it lies exposed to strong winds that sweep the snow away. The hut was subsequently used as a staging post and/or storage area by later expeditions of Shackleton and Scott, and was abandoned in 1913.

The hut is an interesting place to visit. It is a protected site, so we needed to find a guide to let us in and show us around. It was like stepping into a time machine. The food, cooking gear, and other items are laid out as if we can expect the explorers to come back at any moment. Seal blubber, used for heating, cooking, and lighting, lies trimmed and stacked neatly in the front room. The walls and ceiling are stained black with the soot. The lamp box pictured above is stamped with the expedition information from Scott's Terra Nova Expedition, on which he and the other members died while making their way from the South Pole. From the hut, the memorial cross for Scott is visible on Observation Hill, which overlooks McMurdo Station.

The most common food items in the hut are digestive biscuits, dog biscuits, oatmeal, and cocoa. I've never seen so many biscuits in one place. There are even a few lying around with bites taken out of them. There are also a couple of carcases hanging in the larder. The food is apparently still edible, and has remained this way because of the extreme cold and aridity. There are some folks down here studying this phenomenon in order to learn more about long-term food storage.

BIG RED

2007-11-07T05:40:00.001+13:00

Down here, Big Red is your best friend. Big Red blocks the icy winds and keeps you warm.

Sometimes it's hard to keep track of one particular Big Red, as there are so many other big reds about. When not being worn, Big Red is hung on a rack, along with many other big reds. It's a bit like parking a car in a WalMart parking lot or a 10-story parking garage. You'd better remember which spot you left it in, or it may take awhile to find it!

I'll miss Big Red when I'm back home.

TODAY SHOW BROADCASTS LIVE FROM MCMURDO

2007-11-06T03:52:00.000+13:00

Ann Curry, a correspondent for NBC's Today Show, broadcasted live this morning from McMurdo Station. Her broadcast formed part of a chain of live broadcasts from the Arctic, Equator, and Antarctic billed as "Ends of the Earth," which focus on the issue of global warming. This is the first time that a live broadcast of this sort has been made. There will be two more live broadcasts, which will show on Tuesday and Wednesday morning in the US (middle of the night here). The crew have been filming down here for about a week, and indicated that the broadcasts will include stories about the various science projects going on down here, including ANDRILL. Stay tuned!

BEST FISHES FROM ANTARCTICA

2007-11-03T07:51:00.000+13:00

On the lower level of the Crary Science and Engineering Laboratory is a room full of sea water tanks that house some of the fish and invertebrates that live offshore (and under the sea ice).

My favorite is the Antarctic Toothfish (aka Antarctic Cod). These guys have adapted to the extreme cold in some curious ways. They have antifreeze proteins in their tissues and blood because the seawater is colder than the normal freezing point of tissue. They have a very slow metabolism, with a heartbeat once every six seconds. These cods have a lifespan of about 40 years and can reach lengths of over 6 ft and weights that exceed 250 pounds!

The toothfishes in the Crary tanks will come up to the surface to say hello. These are young ones, less than a foot in length, caught offshore in about 500 ft of water. Aren’t they cute?

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

2007-11-02T01:50:00.000+13:00

ABOVE: A few interesting vehicles used around McMurdo, including (from top to bottom) Ivan the Terra Bus, a Delta, a Tucker Sno-Cat, a Pisten Bully, and a Mattrack pickup.

There are a lot of interesting vehicles down here, which are designed for getting around on the snow and ice. I’ve included pictures of some of the more interesting ones. In addition to these, there are standard vehicles, pickups and vans, which have been modified for the cold and snow (4-wheel drive, large snow tires, engine-block heaters, and hydraulic emergency brakes). When parked, vehicles are “hitched up” to electrical outlets to keep the engines warm. There are also a lot of bulldozers and tractors that are used in maintaining the roads. A few lucky people get to use the skidoos.

My first ride, from the airplane to the base, was on Ivan the Terra Bus. It's so big, the door entrance was at head level. We were taken to Happy Camp in a Delta, with 18 of us packed into the back. I'll soon be traveling across the sea ice to the drillsite, in either a Pisten Bully or a Mattrack.

HALLOWEEN

2007-10-30T07:02:00.001+13:00

Halloween is a big deal at McMurdo, probably because it gives people something to which they can look forward and for which they can spend time preparing. There was a big party Saturday night at the gym. People spent the days before the party searching out a costume. The options are to fashion one out of what you can find on base or to borrow one from the stock that has accumulated over the years. Some people planned ahead and brought a costume with them!

The cold can make it difficult. As you can see from the top picture, sometimes you just have to wear "big red" over your costume to keep from freezing to death. The middle picture shows that some folks may have wished they wore their coats. This centurion was running like mad from the gym to his or her room, probably because the temperature was 15 below zero (F) and there was a fierce wind blowing. The dude in the bottom picture is David, a leader of this ANDRILL project. I think the hair suits him.

Unfortunately, those of us blessed with working the night shift were unable to attend the party. However, we were visited by costumed partygoers and were able to watch the parade of costumes out the lab window.

I'm told that the Halloween party is rivaled by the Skirt Party at New Zealand's Scott Base (just over the hill from us). This is a party where all the men dress as women. Sounds interesting, given all the big hairy men down here!

ANDRILL team

2007-10-29T04:51:00.001+13:00

Here's a picture of the ANDRILL on-ice team, consisting of scientists and educators from four countries: USA, New Zealand, Italy, and Germany. Not shown are 7 others, who work full-time at the drillsite, located about 35 km away on the sea ice. See if you can spot me among the red parkas, lovingly referred to as 'Big Red.'

ON ANSWERING THE CALL OF NATURE IN ANTARCTICA

2007-10-26T05:56:00.000+13:00

No discussion of life in Antarctica would be complete without including a discussion of the intricacies of…um…well, peeing in Antarctica. People have asked how it’s done at thirty below. If you’re offended, stop reading now. Otherwise, here goes.

At McMurdo Station itself, there’s absolutely no problem. As you might imagine, the buildings are equipped with modern toilet facilities like you’d find anywhere in the US.

Out in the field or when hiking in the area around McMurdo, however, it’s another story. The Antarctic Science, Tourism, and Conservation Act of 1996 places tight restrictions on the introduction and disposal of materials brought into Antarctica, including human waste.

Happy Camp, discussed earlier in this blog, was where I first came to grips with the intricacies of relieving oneself in an area where there’s nothing to hide behind and the wind chill is on the order of 50 below.

The options are as follows:

(1) Pee in a designated spot. These spots are marked yellow “Pee Flags.” If you’re lucky, there may be an outhouse, which is basically a crude shelter that sits over a hole in the snow (sometimes a bucket that’s occasionally transported out and disposed of). The toilet seat, about 4 inches high, is made of Styrofoam, something one can’t stick to, even at cold temperatures.

(2) Use what’s called a “Pee Bottle” and carry it away with you (or empty it at the next Pee Flag you come across). Campers especially prize these bottles, as they save a trip outside in the middle of the night. Pee Bottles are wide-mouthed Nalgene bottles marked prominently with the letter P (so as not to get mixed up with one’s water bottle). Pee bottles are all right for men, but pose some difficulties for women! To deal with this, women are issued with “Pee Funnels;” these also make peeing in the open a little easier. I’ll leave further description to the readers’ imagination.

PHOTOS AT TOP: Outhouse and Pee Flag at Happy Camp. Pee Bottles (photo credit to Stream Team).

CHRIS HAS A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2007-10-25T05:57:00.001+13:00

ABOVE: (top) Chris was kind enough to share his birthday cake with others. (bottom) Chris and others, taken in 1997 around the time of his 40th birthday, also in Antarctica.

Chris turned 50 today. We had a cake at midnight -- lunch for those of us on the night shift -- and there's a party planned for later today. It was quite an undertaking to get a cake. Luckily, ANDRILL's McMurdo contact, Leslie, was able to procure one for us. Thanks, Leslie!

Chris also spent his 40th birthday at McMurdo Station. I wonder where he'll be on his 60th -- here again?

CONDITION 2 AT MCMURDO, CONDITION 1 AT THE DRILLSITE

2007-10-23T02:49:00.001+13:00

ABOVE: (top) Yesterday’s weather report for McMurdo, showing most areas under Condition 1. Under Condition 1, no travel is allowed, and all persons must be accounted for.

The weather changes constantly at McMurdo, and can go from being relatively benign to deadly very quickly. Here, the weather is classified into three categories. McMurdo residents are kept informed of the current conditions through the McMurdo intranet, a television weather channel, and a scrolling sign in the main building. We’ve been in Condition 2 for the past 2 days. It’s been much worse at the drillsite, where they’ve reached Condition 1. The drilling and core recovery has continued through this, but it’s not been possible to deliver core from the drillsite to McMurdo. As a result, we’re not too busy now. The downside is that we’ll have an awful lot of catching up to do when conditions improve.

The three conditions are defined as follows:

Severe Weather Condition 1 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent: (1) Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is less than 100 feet.

Severe Weather Condition 2 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent: (1) Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is 1/4 mile to 100 feet.

Severe Weather Condition 3 is issued when all conditions exceed criteria for Condition 2.

Until yesterday, we'd been almost continuously under Condition 3.

If you want to see what Condition 1 is like, I recommend this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2SeEzxMuE

I hope I don't experience it!

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

2007-10-21T02:10:00.001+13:00

We’re living in dormitory rooms eerily reminiscent of my undergraduate days. The rooms are simple: two twin beds, a desk, a nightstand, and closet space for two. Separate bathrooms for men and women are down the hallway. Each building has a lounge with a pool table and television. We get a few TV stations, including the armed force’s network. Two other stations play movies (without commercial interruption!) around the clock. We are in one of the nicer dorms. Apparently there are others with four to a room!

Noise is an issue, and it’s been hard to get a good night of sleep. This is mainly because lots of people wear boots, and the clomping echoes down the hallways. Those of us on the night shift are often awakened by dayshift people who can’t seem to resist stopping by the dorms during the day.

CHRIS, NIGHT-SHIFT SEDIMENTOLOGIST EXTRAORDINAIRE

2007-10-20T03:58:00.000+13:00

ABOVE: (left) Chris squirts acid on a core to test for calcium carbonate content. (right) A glacial deposit called a ‘diamictite.’ It’s a mixture of mud, sand, and gravel that was essentially bulldozed up by a glacier and eventually deposited at our drillsite in McMurdo Sound. The comings and goings of such deposits in the core provide clues about changes in the extent of glaciers (and, hence, climate change) through time.

Chris’ job down here is to describe the core itself, in terms of changes in sediment types, fossil content, etc., and to provide an interpretation of the environment in which the sediments were deposited. He works with a group of 5 others to do this each night.

Core is delivered from the drillsite by helicopter each night at around 10 PM. While I’m busy squeezing pore water from samples, Chris and the others are down the hall describing the core. Each morning, they provide a show-and-tell for the day-shift folks, who then work to determine the age of the sediments and to provide more detail about depositional environment.

THE NIGHT SKY

2007-10-19T05:15:00.001+13:00

Today the pictures speak for themselves. Suffice it to say that the night sky here is beautiful. It never really gets dark, but is like a perpetual sunset between the 10:30 PM to nearly 5 AM. The sun moves along horizon, from west to east, at an amazing rate. All the photos were taken from my laboratory window.

A VISIT TO SCOTT'S DISCOVERY HUT

2007-10-18T03:11:00.001+13:00

Yesterday after work I took a walk out to Hut Point, which lies to the west of McMurdo Station. The point is named for the presence of Discovery Hut, built by Robert Falcon Scott for his Discovery Expedition of 1901 to 1904. It was built to serve as a land base for sledging treks on Ross Island and onto the ice shelf. Ernest Shackleton and three companions used the hut in 1909. The hut later served as a supply depot for Scott’s ill-fated trek to the South Pole (Terra Nova Expedition) in 1911-1912, when he and his companions died on their way back to base after reaching the South Pole. They were within 11 miles of a food depot that would have saved their lives, which illustrates Antarctica’s harsh climate. I was unable to go inside (one needs to be accompanied by a guide), but I understand that it is just as it was left almost 100 years ago.

The Discovery Hut was prefabricated in Australia and brought in by ship. Insulation was provided by felt placed between the inner and outer wood plank walls. Apparently, this was insufficient, and the expeditioners preferred to live aboard their ship, which was ice-bound nearby. The hut was heated using seal blubber, which stained the interior walls, the contents of the hut, and probably also the epeditioners’ lungs! The mummified corpse of a seal, presumably brought to the hut to use as a fuel source, still lies outside. It’s extremely well preserved, given that it’s been lying exposed to the elements for over a century. It almost looks like it’s smiling.

On a knoll that overlooks the hut is Vince's Cross, a wooden cross erected in 1902 to commemorate Seaman George T. Vince. He died after falling down a steep slope and into the water during a blizzard.

ANDRILL SCIENCE

2007-10-17T05:12:00.001+13:00

I’ve had some questions about what it is we’re trying to achieve here, so I thought I’d say a few words about that. The purpose of our work here is to establish a robust, long-term history of past Antarctic ice sheet variation and climate evolution. Results will provide a context, or a baseline, for understanding current and future climate change. The Antarctic was chosen because the poles are most sensitive to climate change. In other words, global climate changes are typically seen first and most obviously at the poles and later and less obviously at the lower latitudes.

To achieve our objective, we are drilling a 1000 meter deep drillcore into the sedimentary layers that lie in the Ross Sea. The figure above shows the type of drilling rig we’re using. It’s set up on the sea ice about 35 km from McMurdo Station (I’ll be visiting it later this week, and will post pictures then). We anticipate sampling sediments that range in age from 0 to 17 million years. Environmental conditions in the spot where we’re drilling will be reflected in the sediments we recover. As will drill more deeply and back through time, changes in the types of sediments we recover will record things like changes in the amount of sea ice, the proximity of glaciers and, by proxy, climate.

Our team includes the following types of geologists:
Sedimentologists, who describe the core and provide an interpretation of depositional environment;
Petrographers and geochemists, who examine the chemical composition of the sediments and the waters contained in the sediments. These data provide information about the source regions of glaciers and the type of weathering regime; Paleontologists, who examine the fossils contained in the core. Their data will provide information about the age of the sediments and changes in local ecology that often relate to climate change; and
Geophysicists, who study the physical properties of the core.

I am part of the geochemistry team. My role is to extract and analyze the waters that are contained in the sediments. These are waters that are buried along with the sediments. Most often, the water is seawater. However, we know that the glaciers have advanced and retreated several times in this region. As such, we also expect to find glacial meltwaters buried in certain sediment layers. I extract the water, which is held in the pore space of the sediment, by squeezing samples of the sediment in a metal piston using a hydraulic press. The water comes out a small hole in the base of the piston, and it is collected in a syringe. Yes, that’s me in the second picture, squeezing the bejeezus out of a sediment sample. Using the press, I can apply up to 40,000 pounds of pressure. So far I’ve been getting about 30 ml of water out of sediment sample that is 125 cc. I’ll get less and less as we drill more deeply and the sediment becomes more and more compacted.

Do you like the lab coat? I found it in the supply closet and just had to have it. With everything down here white and gray, a little color is a nice thing.

SITE ORIENTATION -- WHERE IS MCMURDO?

2007-10-16T01:22:00.000+13:00

I thought I’d take the opportunity afforded by having to stay up all night to fill you in on the local geography. The image above, assuming it is readable on your screen, is a landsat image of the local region. The inset of Antarctica shows the approximate location of the landsat image. McMurdo Station sits on the end of a southward-pointing peninsula of Ross Island.

Ross Island comprises three volcanoes, namely Mt. Erebus (3794 m), which is still active, Mt. Terror (3230 m), and Mt. Bird. Ross Island served as the base for many of the early Antarctic expeditions, as it is the southernmost island that can be accessed by sea. Some of the huts built by the early expeditioners (Scott and Shackleton) still stand and are preserved as historical sites. McMurdo Station looks out across the sound toward the Royal Society Range.

I have a fantastic view to the south out of my lab/office window, from which I can see Black Island, White Island, Mt. Discovery, Mt. Warning, and up toward the Scott Coast. The view changes daily. Sometimes it’s so clear that I can see beyond Mt. Discovery and Mt. Morning. There have been other times, however, when blowing snow makes it difficult to see anything beyond the shoreline, which is located about 400 m from my window. The photo above doesn't do the scene justice, but gives a general idea of the view on a clear day. Just try to look beyond the buildings in the foreground.

ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST CORE & THE NIGHT SHIFT

2007-10-16T01:18:00.000+13:00

This evening, around 10 PM local time, we celebrated the arrival of the first core, which arrived by helicopter from the drillsite some 35 km away. The helicopter arrived just at sunset, but the scene was lit up by the glare of the core paparazzi (aka. scientists so excited that they braved the cold to photograph the event).

Work will now begin around the clock. Those of us lucky enough to work the night shift have a long night ahead of us! Sunset was at 11 PM, over two and a half hours ago, as I write this. However, it still looks like dusk. Sunrise is at 4:30 AM. It seems it won’t ever get truly dark while we’re down here.

TRACY AND CHRIS WERE HAPPY CAMPERS

2007-10-14T17:03:00.000+13:00

Earlier in the week, Chris and I attended a two-day snow survival skills course. Attending (and passing) the course allows us to leave McMurdo Station for travel to the drilling rig, which is remote, and to the Dry Valleys on a planned field trip. Around here the course is referred to as Happy Camp, but I'm sure you can imagine that this is somewhat of a misnomer. After a half day of lectures on survival in extreme cold, we were taken out to our camping spot on the sea ice. There were 18 of us, and we were put to work putting up two Antarctic (so-called Scott) tents, four regular mountain tents, and a wind break made out of blocks of snow we carved out of the ground with a steel saw. Two industrious guys dug a snow cave and slept in it. Our instructors then left us to make dinner (dehydrated packets of pasta that we added hot water to), endure the night, then break camp in the morning by a certain time.

The night was excruciating, although the snoring that rang around the camp suggested that at least two people were able to get a full night of sleep. The air temperature was 22 below zero Fahrenheit (that's 33 below in Celsius), with a wind chill of 62 below. Chris was able to get a bit of sleep, but I spent most of the night awake and shivering. I did situps, drank water, and ate chocolate to keep warm. Getting up for a bathroom break was out of the question, but you can ask me about the mechanics of that some other time...

The next day we went through some drills to simulate emergency situations. One exercise was meant to simulate a situation where a team member becomes lost in a white-out. We wore white buckets on our heads to simulate the conditions. We were given a rope and told to make a plan. What a learning experience! Trying to communicate was virtually impossible because we couldn't see or hear anything. We found our victim, but managed to get ourselves so tangled in the rope that if the situation were real we would have found it difficult to find our way back to the shelter.

We were more successful with the next situation. In this case, we were told that the vehicle we were traveling in had caught fire and burned to the ground. A big storm was coming, and one of our team members was going hypothermic. We needed to set up an emergency camp, and fast! We ripped open the survival kit (provided whenever anyone travels remotely). It included a tent, a sleeping bag, a stove, a shovel, and some food. We also managed to salvage the ham radio from the car. Our task was to pitch the tent, stabilize the hypothermic person, build a wind break out of snow blocks, boil some water, set up the radio, and make contact with the base. All this in under 20 minutes. To our great surprise, our group managed to do it -- and all in a howling wind.

Both Chris and I came back rather worse for wear. I had a low-level cold going in, and now have laryngitis. Unfortunately, Chris has frostbite (2nd degree) on three of his toes, and now has to be extremely careful while it heals.

Upon reflection, the experience gave me a huge appreciation of the early explorers who braved the conditions for months at a time. I also have a much better sense of my own capabilities and the extremes that I can endure.

UPDATE: Chris' toes are completely healed. We both look back on the experience with appreciation, as we have a good sense of what we would do if we were stuck somewhere remote in bad weather.

ARRIVAL IN ANTARCTICA

2007-10-11T16:57:00.000+13:00

Just a short message to let you know that we arrived safely and are now based at McMurdo Station on Ross Island. After a day of rest in Christchurch, New Zealand, we were sent to the US Clothing Distribution Center to be issued our Extreme Cold Weather Clothing. This was basically lots of hats, gloves, socks, coats, etc. The best parts are the big red parka and the so-called bunny boots. These are huge, white rubber boots that look ridiculous, but are supposedly very warm.

We flew across in a large military jet (C-17). There were about a hundred of us, along with quite a bit of cargo. We sat mostly in jump seats, which were surprisingly comfortable given the flight time of about 5 hours. The crew allowed us to visit the cockpit when we flew over the Transantarctic Mts.

Since arriving on Oct. 5, we've been setting up our workspaces in the Crary Laboratory in preparation for the arrival of the first sediment core. We're living in dorm rooms and, yes, Chris and I luckily got a room together. We weren't sure ahead of time that this would happen.

Tomorrow we're off to what is called Happy Camp. This is a two-day snow survival school. We'll be building snow shelters and then will sleep in them overnight. It's supposed to be fun.

The temperature today is 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit with a wind chill of 36 below. It's supposed to be a few degrees warmer tomorrow. With that I'll sign off until our next update. I hope everyone at home is keeping well.

Why a blog?

2007-10-08T16:28:00.000+13:00

This blog is meant mainly for family and friends who wish to follow my adventures in Antarctica.

I traveled to Antarctica in October 2007 to take part in an international geological study that goes by the name of ANDRILL (ANtarctic DRILLing). ANDRILL's objective is to recover cores of sedimentary rock from the sea floor beneath the Ross Sea, which will help us to interpret Antarctica's climatic history over the past 50 million years. The results will provide a long-term context within which climate changes going on now may be assessed. More information on ANRILL may be found at www.ANDRILL.org. Follow the links to Project Iceberg to see lots of photos and even video.