big balloons

New Year is nearly here and our LDB (Long Duration Balloon) facility has been letting off enormous balloons to celebrate. Actually, they launched three of these monstrous white pillows the size of football fields with nearly no weather or launching problems, to conduct a great amount of scientific research up in the sky. If you are interested in their projects, or tracking the progress around the continent, you may access that information by clicking here: Long Duration Balloon Projects in Antarctica.

ice pressure

Today I wandered out on the soft sea ice and found my way through the pressure ridges by Scott Base. The temporary sea ice and the permanent Ross Ice Shelf collide in this area, creating some unbelievable ice sculptures in the sky. Yesterday was the last day for these tours as the melt pools are getting deeper beneath these formations and ice conditions are getting dangerous.

The temporary sea ice has been known to "blow out" up to the permanent ice shelf before. The wind helps aids the warmer summer temperatures down here to push out the ice. When this happens, a boat could pull up in front of Scott Base. This hasn't happened in a number of years, but we all hope the open water comes this far in. Until the temporary ice leaves the area, the pressure will continue to mount between the two frozen bodies and create intricate designs in the sky.

The permanent Ross Ice Shelf forms from glacial ice flowing off the continent. Our island is half surrounded by the edge of this massive ice flow. The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest floating glacier in the world and our sea ice sheet is roughly the area of California. Beneath our feet at our Williams Field Skiway, or Pegasus White Ice Runway there is 600-800 feet of ice. This is the "shallow" end of the glacier which actually floats on the water.

The day was a bit cooler than our just-over-freezing temperatures which made for a little more solid footing. A few seals lined the ridges (nothing like the hundreds that will populate our area in a month). We actually heard their sublime calls echoing through the icy structures. They have their grunts and groans, but they also have beautiful pings and whistles like a whale or submarine.

Back on station, I reflected on the awesome power that was reflected in the energy of the sea on itself in the Coffee House while I downloaded my pictures. In the bigger picture, these little ridges are such a small part of a much grander creation. They are but a reflection of the 12-14 thousand foot mountains across the sea; and those mountains are but a fraction of a reflection of what my God is.

under the ice

I don't post other people's pictures often, but I retrieved some photos from Bruce Miller on our common drive. I have become friends with a couple of divers this year and they describe their ventures under the ice as indescribable; as their own surreal cathedral. These pictures capture a glimpse of their underwater scenery in Antarctica. From ice crystals forming in the water to dancing star fish, the seascape appears crystal clear in the clean cold Antarctic waters.

Because the water is salty, the temperatures down here are a chilly 28.5F. Divers wear a few layers of clothing under their dry suits. The only part of their body that is exposed is their mouth. Due to the cold temperatures, there are many safety precautions in place for these people. While they can see a long way under the ice, their diving depth is limited.

Some of these scientists come to explore the oceanography and the sea floor, some study the effects that our presence has had on the habitat and species in this area, and others study the sea creatures that dwell under the ice. One group , in particular, is studying the "anti-freeze" that fish (particularly the Antarctic Cod) use to keep from stiffening up. I wondered aloud to one of these researchers if they weren't really part of a covert operation to get antifreeze from these fish to inject into their own bodies as part of a global espionage scenario. Probably not.

I've already mentioned Werner Herzog's new film, Encounters at the End of the World (I have his autograph somewhere from his stay here last season). Herzog's work also includes some of the fluid scenes underneath the Ice we all walk on. I would recommend watching the film if you are curious about what goes on here on our Western side of Antarctica in the summer. He talks to many people who I know or am familiar with from my time here and offers his audience some amazing Antarctic scenery.

the sciences

Sunday at 2pm there is a tour of Crary Lab. This facility is home to the grantees and scientists who come down through the National Science Foundation. There are offices and labs throughout the building and it is probably the most technologically advanced place on the station.

There are 127 projects going on this year in Antarctica through the National Science Foundation and 80-some of them will come through McMurdo at some point, or another. During the tour, a few of these projects were highlighted.

The ANDRILL Project Iceberg is one of the bigger ventures currently going on down here. It is an international effort with Germany, New Zealand, and Italy to sample the earth beneath the Ross Sea Ice. Last year, they drilled through the permanent ice shelf, through the water below and into the ground to pull up core samples. This year, they set up their drill shop on the temporary ice shelf and into the layers of ground below the sea. As part of our tour today we were allowed in the "Curator's Only" room where the analyzation of the layers occurs. The cores brought up are sliced in half and laid out by metric depth on tables to be looked over by various scientists before the next day's samples are brought in. I was fascinated by the "normal" appearance of the rock they pulled up (so far about 75 meters down).

A number of penguin, seal, climate, astrophysic and other projects also take place from this building. The Long Duration Balloon Project will be attempting the launch of three balloons this year which are able to circle the continent before the payload is cut loose and the data retrieved. If I remember correctly, one mission was a success last year.

The most interesting part of this building for me was to take a little tour of the aquarium. The sea creatures in this room are all plucked from the Ross Sea right out our door steps. I continue to be amazed by the variety and number of living organisms that can survive in the salty 28.5F temperatures below the ice surface. There are continuing studies about the "antifreeze" that the fish have in their bodies to keep themselves from freezing in the harsh ocean conditions.

There is also a touch tank in Crary Lab where a select few of the friendly sea creatures are chosen to be poked and prodded by curious visitors like myself. I felt nearly all the little critters in the tank (although the water was chilly enough to make your hand go numb. And, I had a little scare then the shrimp I petted decided to jump straight up when I felt his back. It was quite funny actually!

I have learned quite a lot from Nick, a diver and engineer with the SCINI ROV (Remotely operated vehicle). He is excited about his work here and realizes the immense privilege it is for him to be a part of the program. SCINI is a skinny robot that requires only a 6 inch hole to be drilled through the ice (rather than the larger 13-15 inch hole that is less practical to bore). Divers have depth restrictions in the cold water here and this robot is a useful tool to reach deeper waters.

This project is important for recovering old scientific projects, finding out how organisms react to human impact on their environment, and observing the behavior of various life forms under the ice and on the sea floor.

tent island fatamoragana

A beautiful sight across the sea ice today was Tent Island. The natural occurrence called fatamorgana played against this island today. Most folks are familiar with this phenomenon in desserts when it is frequently called a mirage. When the air density is thicker near the surface of the earth, the moisture magnifies whatever is on the ground (or in this case, on the ice).

I took a tour with the crew of the C-17 today and instead of bringing them to the store, which was closed, Kaska (the newest air services rep) and I drove them over the hill to Scott Base. Upon cresting the hill and descending on the small Kiwi station, we had a beautiful blue view of the rolling pressure ridges. This year they are much more dramatic than last and it almost look like the sea is rippling into shore.

Ross Island (where both McMurdo and Scott Base are comfortably situated) leans against a permanent chunk of sea ice. This ice chunk, fed by glaciers, is the largest of it's kind. Its thickness varies from 600 - 2450 feet of mostly floating ice, and it's breadth spans the area of France. The other side of the island is flanked by temporary pack ice. This tends to thin out and melt in the summer months down here. Pressure ridges appear along the shores of our island as both types of ice push against land. Ridges also form a bit as the temporary ice pushes against the permanent ice shelf.

My new Italian friend, Roberto, who is doing PhD research for the Smithsonian Institute on the Weddell Seals this year showed me some of his pictures today. The seals are beginning to give birth and he had some tender photos of mother and pup within hours of their birth. I like seeing the excitement of the grantees and their photos are a great reminder of what we are doing here to support this station and their research.

better than a box of fluffy ducks

I thought I'd post some random facts of the day. I have a few items that will fill in some gaps and offer some random pieces of life in Antarctica.

McMurdo Station was chartered in 1841 by James Clark Ross, Robert Falcon Scott made a base in the area in 1902, and the United States officially established a station on site on February 16, 1956. Our little community can carry up to 1100 people and we sit on Ross Island, about 30 miles off the continental coast of Antarctica. We are situated in a nook between a couple of volcanic hills which shields the town from winds sweeping across the Ross Sea from the South Pole, but when the temperature rises in late December to January, it's location makes for a muddy walk to work. The settlement borders the permanent Ross Sea Ice Shelf and ship access requires melting or ice breaking of the temporary ice shelf to enter the port. Next to the station is Winter Quarters Bay. This icy deep waterway harbors our fuel tanker, our container ship, ice breakers, and a couple of research vessels each season when the ice melts, or is broken up. It also host a great deal of garbage, broken machinery, and pre-Antarctic Treaty items that should not be down there. We share our island with Mount Erebus; an active volcano that is always venting; sometimes it's steam and other times it throws out lava rocks. I also learned this weekend that there is a caldera (mostly covered by water that Inaccessible, Little Razorback and Razorback Islands are part of. It gives some scientists a little hope that they may find other underwater volcanoes in the area; although, that would only be a bonus to the work they are doing right now.

On Sunday I attended a science lecture about a remotely operated video camera that the scientists can play around with under the sea ice. The data and pictures they come back with are amazing. Much of the sea floor in this part of the world is unseen. Divers are limited in depth here (although the water is so clear they can see a long way) and other video cameras have not been as successful in operating in this part of the world. Nick, one of the National Science Foundation's grantees I've met, is an undergrad who is working as an engineer on this project. He's also a diver who took his first swim under the sea ice last week. Brrr!

I neglected to add earlier that on my C-17 flight to The Ice, I was able to get up on the flight deck and see the ice oceans below us from the pilot's perspective. Seeing the vast landscape of ice below our cargo plane was wonderful. And, seeing all the instruments and computers that fly the massive machine was the highlight of our trip!

Usually on the flight down, the body of the plane is filled with commercial airline seating pallets. This year, upon loading the plane, we noticed a string of jump seats down the belly of our C-17. This reduced the number of available seats from 140 to 126. The primarily-democrat community down in Antarctica certainly doesn't need another thing to blame the on the war, but apparently, our comfortable seating pallets were damaged in Iraq and they were unable to get new seats for our flights to Antarctica.

The round trip flight time of the trip I took from Christchurch to McMurdo and back to New Zealand was the fastest ever. They completed the trip in 10:24. Once we landed, they dropped the cargo door in the back of the plane. I was hoping they would do a combat offload (when the cargo is pushed out the back of the plane while it taxis), but they just wanted to have a short ground-time and be ready for the loaders to swap out cargo. After hurrying us out of our seats, they must have hustled to safely arrive back in Christchurch in record time!

A very random-fact-of-the-day is that pencils here fall apart relatively quickly. You know how sometimes the lead rattles inside the wood, or the entire end falls off? In Antarctica, it's so dry that the wood of pencils dries out swiftly, shrinking the writing utensil and causing it to loosen up and fall apart. On that note, we are a station of pencil-users. Anyone who goes outside will usually be carrying a pencil as the ink in pens will freeze up and be useless.

Other than that, I can tell you that the longest penguin dive recorded in the area is 27 minutes. This does not count what happens to penguins when they go out to sea as there is no recorded data on that. I attended a lecture on penguin research by Dr. Paul Ponganis. He works with the penguins that are in the Duracel battery commercial where they strap a video camera on the back of the bird and let them waddle into a hole at Penguin Ranch.

Personally, I've been adjusting, finding a routine of sorts, and getting to know a lot of fabulous people while keeping in touch with friends from last year, too. As Paul, the Kiwi from Scott Base said today, "I'm better than a box of fluffy ducks."

severe weather conditions

"Please stand by for a McMurdo Station extreme weather announcement...McMurdo weather has set Condition 2 for all locations."

I took some snapshots of our Condition 2 weather yesterday because we won't likely have a lot of these storms blow through this season as the temperature warm up. While the temperatures were slightly up from the last week, the wind picked up and blew snow in from across the continent causing low visibility and gales that nearly undercut any parka-clad person as they walked from building to building. Those red, fur-lined hoods are great for staying warm, but when they blow in front of your face, it's all-but-impossible to see anything peripherally, much less right in front of you.

Our weather conditions are put into three categories. Condition 3 is fair weather. Condition 2 is accelerated winds, low temperatures, and low visibility. Condition 1 is white-out conditions, forcibly high winds, and extreme cold temperatures.

As a result of the weather, we had no air traffic and a relatively slow day at work, too!

real-ly furry

At gear issue in Christchurch, we are given a large quantity of cold weather gear. Instead of making us take a whole lot of clothing that we never use down with us from New Zealand, this year we had the opportunity to give much of it back and decide for ourselves what gear might be necessary (there are still a few required items).

Some of the ECW (extremely cold weather) gear we receive is brand new. Last year, I had a crisp new pair of black carharts, and a patched-up old parka with matted faux fur around the hood. This year I received a mini-pair of shrunken fleece long underwear pants that would fit my four-year-old girlfriend, Morgan, and a twice-over-washed-and-dried poli-pro thermal underwear shirt that had the consistency of a padded manila envelope (I brought those back for replacements). I also received a brand new pair of those same fleece long underwear and a parka with real arctic fox fur. Now, I'm not condoning skinning animals for luxury clothing items, or for the sake of vanity, but when it comes to keeping your face warm out on the sea ice when the wind is ripping at up to -70F degree temperatures, I will take that silky soft fox fur's warmth for survival any day next to the fake stuff! I've rubbed my cheek against is a dozen times already.

It's been cold enough in town the past few days to see the frost build up on my collars, and my eyelashes actually stuck together on my way home from work this afternoon. While I do not like cold weather, I find myself quite content to take advantage of my short and rushed walks from building to building. After all, I'm in Antarctica!

the last week

Last week Sunday (the day that never was for me), I was on a plane from Los Angeles to Auckland. This week, I am in Antarctica and had my first Sunday morning brunch; Belgian waffles, cheese platters, pastries, cinnamon rolls, and the rest of the breakfast menu (except the fruit this morning, as we did not receive any "freshies" pallets on the cargo flights from New Zealand this week) are out from 10:00 to 13:00. After sitting and enjoying the leisurely morning with my coffee and food, I participated in the Protestant worship service in our small chapel. It was a nice reminder that (like the Ben Harper song), as ugly as we are to the world on the outside, we still have things to share with our community and we can still have Diamonds on the Inside. Even in the remote areas of the world, we are part of a much bigger Christian community than our small corner of an island in Antarctica.

I have been busy the past few days. I arrived on Wednesday, worked three 10 hour days learning a new (but very antiquated) software program and the other tasks my new job as Air Services Representative encompasses. I will feel much better about the job once I grasp the program! My supervisor is Susie, a friend from last year who I really enjoy working with. I am looking forward to the season at work.

Since I am in the same department as the shuttles office (where I worked last year), I have received some vehicle refresher courses so I am qualified to drive for them if they need me. One of my trips included a flight transport in the big 67,000 pound Terra Bus. I never thought I'd drive the bus again, but found it to be much like riding a bike; even with a full load of 56 people on board from the flight.

Being out on the Sea Ice when the C-17 is landing is beyond understanding. These planes carry up to 100k payload (not including the weight of the plane itself) and are landing on 78 inches of ice (that's 6.5 feet) at the thinnest part near the beginning of the ice runway. The minimum ice depth for this aircraft is 72 inches. Since I can hardly figure out what holds this beast in the sky taking off out of New Zealand, it's beyond comprehension that we can take a landing on ice as well!

Another fun task I participate in as part of my job is giving crew tours to the C-17 crew when they have a little extra ground time. We pick them up from the plane, drive them to the store, allow them to take pictures with the "McMurdo Station, Antarctica" sign, and stamp their passports with the unofficial, but mostly legitimate, "Antarctica" date stamp. After our tour yesterday I felt like singing It's a Small World. One of the load planners on yesterday's tour grew up within 10 miles of me near Bellingham/Lynden, Washington. Another guy on the tour knew a high school friend, Greg, out of McChord AirForce Base. He took a picture with me to send back home. As the crew from the AirForce C-17 flights get very little ground time, being able to leave the plane and see the station is a big deal for them. Some may never fly back to Antarctica and there was a lot of excitement from this group of men and women.

Last night I ventured out of my dorm for a bit to check out the concerts at the Coffee House. Some of my friends were playing and after a week of flights in, it's great to see familiar faces, as well as some new ones. There was a lot of catching up to do and learning as well. Last night I was able to speak to a few NSF (National Science Foundation) grantees (the people the rest of us are down here to support) about their work. I even ran into a diver who will begin trips under the ice this coming week already!

The last couple of days the weather has been quite "Antarctic." When I arrived, I was looking forward to my nose hairs freezing when I got of the plane and it didn't happen, but the last three days, my whole nose has nearly froze walking from building to building. Yesterday, when the plane came in, we had a -51F windchill. It is drier than last year around here, too. My nose has been so dry that it prevents me from sleeping at times. But, such is life down here.

I have a lot more to post than I may ever get to, so keep your eyes open. I have to adjust to our network and computer access here yet, as well.

arriving antarctica

I woke up a couple times Wednesday morning in Christchurch looking for a note under my door explaining a delay or cancellation of our flight. An extra day in Christchurch was my aim, but our cargo flight took off as scheduled and the C-17 landed safely on the Annual Sea Ice Runway. Our temporary ice runway is less than a mile from McMurdo Station. In January, ice breaker ships came down to clear a channel through the sea ice so the fuel tanker, research vessels, and cargo ship can arrive at the McMurdo ice pier. When this channel refreezes in the winter, it provides a great place for runway construction.

This year I was given a tour of the flight deck. Those pilots have quite a view literally underfoot. There is a corner window below their boots.

We landed in near ideal conditions. My nose hairs didn't even freeze like they did last year. It was a gorgeous -25F, but the winds were low and the sun was shining when we touched down. I had forgotten how huge and amazing the mountains are. Even Ob Hill next to station seems to tower higher than I remember.

After an arrival brief, we all received room assignments. Sadly, I'll have three roommates again this year, but happily, I will be living with my good friend, Char, this year.

After an overwhelming supper with my new McMurdo "family," I crashed in my room and went to bed. Unpacking can wait!

The pictures are of the pack ice as we flew further south, the continent's landscape and the C-17 parked on the Ross Sea.

antarctica

For those of you who are relatively new to my blog, I thought I'd introduce you to Antarctica.

As Matt Costa says to preface his song, The Road, "We cling to our tried and true…we’re creatures of comfort and we find our patterns and stick to what we know best, but there's a big wide beautiful world out there; and for those who want it, it's out there."Antarctica is an enchanting part of that big wide beautiful world; picture massive glistening snowfields and seas of pure white, shadowed blue mountains reaching their full height (9-14k feet) from sea level before your eyes, ice flows and glaciers carrying a hint of turquoise as they ride out into the frozen sea, and cold that decorates your nose hair and eye lashes with little crystals of ice.

I'm reading a book now, Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica by Sara Wheeler, that describes the peculiarities of the dry valleys. No rain falls there, and time stands still in this area. There are windblown ice sculptures, frozen salty lakes that magnify sunlight and heat the water underneath up to 77F, and carcasses that don't deteriorate in the dry cold. Perhaps this is why people thought the lost city of Atlantis could be found in Antarctica; and where your body can exist forever.

Antarctica is also a land of misconceptions to the majority of North Americans who consider the southern-most continent, so I'll clear some of those up. The Antarctic Circle is in the south, the Arctic is in the north. Similarly, while it is winter in the north, I will be enjoying a 24 hour daylight summer at McMurdo Station. There are no polar bears or walrus in Antarctica. The temperatures will be over freezing occasionally (late-December, January). There is more to the cold continent than ice and snow; in fact the dust gets downright annoying). Antarctica is not a country, and, there are no native "Antarcticans" who live on the continent.

This is the land of superlatives, as well; the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent.

Nearly 4,000 people from the international community sprinkle themselves over The Ice during the summer endeavoring to prove and disprove scientific hypothesis. Only about 20,000 living people can claim they have been to this landmass stretching about 1.5 times as far as the U.S. The continent is governed by the International Antarctic Treaty and is designated for research. The next two years will be a celebration of the International Polar Year, or IPY. Various scientific projects will be commenced and continued this year focusing on the polar regions of the earth. For more information about Antarctica, check out the World Fact Book or the United States Antarctic Program site.

Well, back to packing. My finger is healing very well, but I still cannot use it. And, I have not gone through coffee withdrawal since leaving Starbucks!