Thursday, 1 December 2005

I anticipated doing "Bag Drag" today. This is the procedure where you bring everything you intend to bring on the plane back to Christchurch with you to be weighed. Then, you take back to the room just enough to wear in case you are boomeranged back to Antarctica. My flight was canceled, so everything is delayed a day. Bad weather (cold and windy here today) coming from the direction of South Pole across the high Antarctic plateau arrived at McMurdo this morning. The good news is that it is moving off to the Ross Sea. The bad news is that this is the direction I am heading.

There were lots of little errands to do during the morning and early afternoon. Then, we had a meeting in the Jamesway concerning the project at 2:00 p.m. A test flight was decided upon, and I got to go on it! So, I gathered my ECW gear, and joined Lee and Fred for the trip. The Twin Otter is not a big plane, especially when it is next to a C-130 or even worse a C-17. It is a turboprop plane with wings across the roof. The plane started up, we buckled up, the wind blew, snow surrounded us, and I wondered about the sanity of what I was about to do. I was very pleasantly surprised. The plane handled very well and the pilots were great.

Fred and Lee worked on the instruments, the pilots flew the plane, and I got to look out the window! It was beautiful. As you might expect, there is a lot of white stuff (clouds, ice and snow) on and above Antarctica. However, features could be made out including mountains, glaciers, and the ice sheet. In the distance, I saw Mt. Discovery, and the Transantarctic Mountains, and we flew over White and Black Islands and Scott Base. Mt. Erebus was not visible, but clouded over. The worst disaster in Antarctic history occurred when a plane struck the mountain, killing all the nearly three hundred people on board. I took it as my responsibility to keep a look out for the mountain in case it made a sneak attack on us. Pesky mountain.

Each feature in the area has become a landmark for me. When I look south, I look to Minna Bluff, and check to see if it is visible. If not, Minna Bluff which is on the major storm track, you can expect a storm in two hours. We were up in the air for about an hour and one-half. Between you and me, don't tell anyone, the first time I saw the Twin Otter I knew I had to get in the plane and see Antarctica from above. The C-130 was not going to do. Well, it happened. Contrary to many things one hopes for, it was as good as I imagined!

Antarctica is a wonderful place. The beauty is harsh, and the forces at work on it are unyielding, but it inspires one, and beckons one to explore and wonder at its majesty. I am glad to have passed this way and seen such beauty, had such wonderful experiences, and met great people.

Thank you, Doug.

Take care of one another. mp

Wednesday, 30 November 2005

Hello from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This will be a brief entry, and probably my last from "The Ice." Tomorrow will be a day of tidying loose ends, laundry, packing, and then "bag and drag." Bag and drag is where one is weighed, and everything that is carried is weighed before taking off. Too much weight and the plane go down! Yuck

Today, we visited the Emperor Penguins at the Penguin Ranch. There rookery of Emperors are found about 15 miles farther north, out on the ever-approaching sea ice edge. The ice is warming rapidly, and the sea ice is cracking creating the huge fields of pack ice, and freeing icebergs to calved from glaciers free. All this floating ice is freshwater. Later in Antarctica's summer season, an icebreaker will smash a path to McMurdo Station. The amount of ice floating above the surface is only one-tenth of the total, as the Titanic discovered.

The penguins on the ranch are collected from the rookery, and placed far from any unwanted air holes. The nearest air hole is about 2/3 of a mile or 1 kilometer away. The scientists are studying how Emperor Penguins hold their breath under water for long periods of time. Penguins are birds, and like all birds need to breath air. The study will conclude in a week or two when the camp needs to be broken down because the ice will begin to develop deeper cracks than there are now, and become too dangerous to be on. Then, the ranch penguins will be brought back to the rookery and set free. To measure some things needed by the scientists, the penguins have instruments to measure heart rate, body temperature, and respiration rate temporarily attached to their bodies. In addition, blood is drawn periodically from penguins to test the amount of hemoglobin in their blood. Hemoglobin is the molecule penguins and you use to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Two interesting things I found out about Emperors are that their heart rate can slow to three beats per minute when diving underwater from a surface rate of nearly 200 beats per minute, and each penguin is surrounded by nearly one inch of densely packed feathers that insulate them from the cold and keep them dry. The penguins seem real happy at the ranch, and some have gained weight! They feel very safe here, because even underwater when feeding, leopard seals and orcas are too far away to snatch them up to eat when they enter and exit their holes. Yes, they are really cute.

The ANTCI test flight went well this morning. Spirits are way up. A short trip is in the air now collecting data, and tomorrow the scientists are off the South Pole. This is great news! Data (information gathered from science experiments) will come soon.

Be well. Take care of one another! mp

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Today has been a day of errands, and tending to the smaller aspects of the ANTCI research project. At times, I feel like Radar on M.A.S.H. It is not an unpleasant role! I stole time out for a 45 minute walk towards Scott Base. It might sound redundant, but it was another beautiful, warm day. I never tire of the big expanses of mountain, snow, ice and sky.

In between errands, I spent time walking through the Crary Science Center, where our office and lab are located. It is named for a famous glaciologist. Science of all sorts is going on.

On our hall are microbiologists studying life in the Dry Valleys of McMurdo. The valleys were once thought to be sterile, but study revealed that there is actually a good amount of tiny, microbial life that make a living or whose niche is there, along with small nematodes, rotifers, and other tiny creatures creating a simple food chain. Adaptations to the extreme cold, including the production of biologic antifreeze are extremely interesting to scientists. Lichens, a mutualistic symbiotic grouping of algae and fungus are important colonizers of bare rock surfaces. Alga (a photosynthetic autotroph) makes food that it shares with the fungus, while fungus (a heterotroph) adheres to the rock surface and gives algae a secure living place. Each benefits from the arrangement.

On the second floor are geologists/paleontologists studying fossils, oceanographers studying tides and icebergs, glaciologists studying (surprise!) glaciers, volcanologists studying Mt. Erebus, meteorologists/climatologists studying weather and climate, astronomers studying cosmic rays, zoologists studying seals, and ornithologists studying the birds of the ocean, penguins. In this case, the ornithologists are studying Emperor and Adelie penguins. Tomorrow I go to the penguin ranch. More on penguins tomorrow. Before I leave this floor, I want to note that most astronomy is conducted at the pole, where astronomers constitute the single largest science group.

On the bottom or third floor, one finds the aquarium. As one enters, the aquarium lab, there is a touch tank on the left. In it one finds fish found in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, and surrounding Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean begins south of the earth circling, easterly moving Antarctic Circumpolar Current surrounding the continent. The current moves a volume of water four times greater than the Gulf Stream. One can tell you have crossed the current, and entered the Southern ocean by the change in water temperature which is significant, and abrupt. The oceanic Circumpolar Current, and the atmospheric Antarctic Convergence effectively isolate Antarctica from the rest of the world.

In the tank, one can see and touch a variety of starfish (echinoderms), soft shell clams (mollusks), sea spiders, eels, nudibranchs (mollusks), sponges, soft corals (coelenterates or cnidaria) and fish. The water is very cold (about 28 degrees Fahrenheit) to the touch, but the creatures seem to thrive on it. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, so it is rich with life. Cold oceans are characterized by a higher number, but less diverse life forms as opposed to warm tropical oceans where diversity rules! The limited types of organisms create food chains that are short and simple. Simple systems are less redundant and have fewer backups than complex systems. Consequently, cold water food chains, and the food webs they intertwine to form are fragile.

After touring Crary, we went to do more ice coring with Castle Rock on the ridge, White and Black Island over the ice, Mt. Discovery on the horizon, and Mt. Erebus as our background. Techniques are being developed and troubleshooting is being done, so that ANTCI scientists may correctly, quickly, and efficiently obtain cores for study. Another beautiful day at Antarctica.

The ANTCI website is up, and I expect that Cinda, our webmaster at GA Tech, will be making additional parts of it operational. Thank you, Cinda. The website is http://www.antci.eas.gatech.edu.

Take care of one another. mp

Monday, November 28, 2005

Swirling snow obscured my boots, and wind stung my ears. I have forgotten what the outside world looks like without my sunglasses on. Higher in the atmosphere clouds remained nearly still in their puffiness. A light cast of gray in the clouds added solemnity to the day.

Today's adventure was traveling with Will Brubaker to Pegasus and Willie airfields. These airfields will become the primary sites once the ice runway near McMurdo is closed down on December 5th. Will, a heavy equipment mechanic, services the generators on a daily basis. Will hails from Jackson, Wyoming and learned his skills in the army. This is his first season, but plans on returning repeatedly. Will has a library of information about the workings of heavy equipment in his head, and in a place like Antarctica knowledge and skill are the bases for success. Again, a good education and constant training are the ways to obtain knowledge. The generators Will services run on a fuel similar to kerosene designated JP8. He used some of the same equations (for example; P = V x I) to check output. It was heart-warming for me!

While Will was changing the oil in one of the generators (zero weight oil is used) to help minimize wear and tear, reduce heat created by friction, and maximize the efficiency, I walked over to the Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter Balloon Experiment (ATCI) project. The scientists working at ATCI are LSU professors. They are sending up incredibly huge balloons with scientific instruments to collect information about Cosmic Rays in an effort to understand the beginnings of our universe (the Big Bang) and to increase our understanding of super novas. How heavy are the instruments carried by the balloon, how high does the balloon fly, and how big is the balloon? I am glad you asked. The instruments that comprise the payload are 4300 plus pounds, the balloon floats at 120,000 feet (at the very edge of space!) and when fully inflated the balloon is 171 feet high, and could fill the volume of a major league baseball stadium!

It still amazes me that a high school teacher from Atlanta, can introduce himself to a dishwasher, or power plant operator, or ATCI professor and each stops what they are doing, talks with me about what they do, and lets me take pictures. I work with, and have met great people here.

I went to see the test flight today. Dr. Glenn Diskin, who works for NASA and is responsible for the water measurements, is leaving tomorrow. Firm procedures need to be established to ensure the mission's success. Dave Tanner, a scientist at GA Tech, was sent to collect the other NO instrument at South Pole to be used in place of the faulty one on the Twin Otter. The one we have here is not up to par, and time is slipping away. He will return tonight.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

I worked as a DA at the 5:00 p.m. shift after Thanksgiving feast (which was great!) last night. DA is an abbreviation for dish room assistant. I wore two layers of gloves, a full length rubber apron, and a paper hat. I think I looked stunning. Cindy, my co-DA, and I got the frontline positions. People who are done eating, after scraping and sorting food waste and burnables, separate plates, bowls, cups, silverware, etc. at our window. You have to be fast, not mind splatters and splashes, and keep your footing on the slippery floor. After prewash of bowls and plates, an automatic dishwasher is loaded up with everything. If you have ever seen the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy and Ethel are in the candy factory at the assembly line than you have a good image of the job of a DA. It was all good natured work and fun. Nearly every diner thanked us and wished us Happy Thanksgiving. The regular crew seemed very appreciative for our efforts. It always feels good to help others.

At 11:30 a.m. today, a number of the ANTCI team and I joined others on a boondoggle (a trip out of McMurdo Station with fun as the intention). Our boondoggle was a Delta trip "To Nowhere." A Delta is a vehicle with a cab that can hold 18-20 people and their gear and has huge, wide tires allowing the vehicle to travel easily over snow and ice. It is a little rocky in the cab, but seatbelts hold one in place. "Nowhere" turned out to be "Somewhere" 50 minutes northward past the airport near the Erebus Glacier Tongue.

We drove north over the location of Seabee Richard T. William's death due to drowning as the sea ice broke below his tractor and he plunged to his death in 800 feet of water. Seabees are the construction and engineering personnel for the U.S. Navy. Their job is important, and often dangerous. Seabee Williams was participating in Operation Deep Freeze I at the time of his death, and Willie Field is named in his honor and commemorates him.

The frozen sea of McMurdo Sound is beginning to show some wear. There seems to be solid wave forms being created as pressure builds, and shifts. In some places, the pressure builds to the point where ice is thrown up to form pressure ridges, and in places cracks appear. It is at these cracks that Weddell Seals are found. Weddell seals are the mammals found farthest south (except for humans!). The books describe the seals as rotund, I would call them chubby. They grow to a length of about 10 feet, weigh nearly 1200 lbs., and may live for 20 years. Today, the weather was beautiful (clear and sunny, a balmy 20 degrees F, with a very light breeze), and they were lounging on the sea ice. Holes and cracks in the ice allow access to and from the sea. If necessary, the seals will use their teeth to chip away the ice to enlarge the opening. Weddell seals can dive to a depth of 1800 feet, and hold their breath for an hour. They eat fish, squid, and crustaceans. Seal pups are born in colonies during September and October. Weddell seals and Adelie penguins are the animals most of us think of when we think of Antarctic animals. Generally, I was told one can approach the animals up to about 50 yards before they are disturbed. I am here to say that the information given me about this is true.

After taking our pictures with Mt. Erebus, pressure ridges, and seals in the in the background, Kelly (a Coloradoan summering here as a van driver) and I took a walk. We were pretty far out there when we were flagged back. On the walk out across the sound were Mt. Discovery and the Transantarctic Mountains with their glaciers and surrounding snowfields clearly visible. It was beautiful.

At this point, I am writing you from the Jamesway (a kind of small Quonset hut) used by team to work on their instrumentation and to warm up. The Twin Otter sits just outside. Work is continuing on the instrumentation for the plane. Since power to the plane is on, someone must be in attendance to deal with fire, etc. It is my turn. When the van returns, I will head off to dinner. I will get to drive the van for the first time (completed driving school the other day). I am looking forward to the experience like a 16-year-old getting the family car for the first time.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Take a breath. It is actually a wondrous thing that we take for granted. The blue sky with its readily available life-sustaining oxygen found in the air wasn't always there.

Our planet formed, give or take, about five billion years ago from remnant dust of an exploded star. In effect, we are made up of recycled star waste. Our planet was molten for a while because of the heat generated by the impacts of falling comets, meteors and asteroids. One impact was so large that some of the planet was ejected and became our moon. At some point, the bombardment slowed down, and while it has not entirely stopped, occurs rarely in significant form, and an atmosphere formed. The atmosphere that surrounded early earth would have been deadly to us, but not to original life. Still, life developed, perhaps deep in primordial oceans, deep in rocks or some other place. Original life did not have the wonderful adaptations, interesting life-styles and exquisite beauty we associate with life now. Rather, it was very hardy, small, not very interesting to look at, and hungry. Hungry is important. Hungry things have to eat, and as their numbers increased the food supply dwindled. Starvation was a great possibility. Then, one cell made a mistake (called a mutation) when it was reproducing (making another one of its kind). It developed the ability to make its own food using sunlight. Other cells had made their own food before using energy found in chemicals (primarily sulfur), but this cell made its own food using sunlight. Sunlight, then, like now, is cheap and plentiful. This cell used the energy of the sun in a molecule called chlorophyll to combine the simple molecules of carbon dioxide and water to form a simple sugar called glucose. We all know of the energy found in sugars, just look at a group of kindergarteners after snack! This process, the formation of sugar from light and the building blocks of water and carbon dioxide, is called photosynthesis (light-building).

Interestingly enough, a product of photosynthesis is oxygen! For nearly all organisms found on the earth in the distant past, oxygen was a bad thing because it was a poisonous pollutant. Many died, and in effect a mass extinction occurred. Still, life survived, and since then, there has been a basic and everlasting struggle between organisms that make their own food (autotrophs; self-feeders; primarily plants) and those that can not make their own food (heterotrophs; other feeders; primarily animals, fungi, etc.).

Heterotrophs eat autotrophs to gain access to their stored energy sources and other nutrients, and in the process break down the sugars in a process called respiration releasing carbon dioxide and water. Thus, the carbon cycle is formed. Carbon in the form of carbon dioxide is taken up by plants, and stored as sugar. Animals eat plants (thereby tapping the energy of the sun) and release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. As an aside, struggles occur between heterotrophs because food sources are often scarce, and autotrophs can compete against one another for exposure to sunlight, or access to water, etc. This struggle and the original struggle between autotrophs and heterotrophs is called evolution and is driven by natural selection. Evolution, by the process of natural selection driven by genetic change, is the cause for all the varied life forms found on our planet.

The oxygen released by these proto-plants began to change our planet. At first, the oxygen was taken up by the available iron and the planet, in effect, rusted. At some point, there was not enough iron and other metals to rust, and oxygen began to fill our atmosphere. Skies began to gain our familiar blue color, but life on earth's surface was still, at best, difficult. Harmful radiation still pounded earth's surface in the form of Ultra-violet (UV radiation). Early life, like life today, is very sensitive to UV radiation. However, oxygen would come to our rescue. Some oxygen, in what would become our stratosphere combined in threes instead of pairs. This three form part of oxygen is called ozone. Ozone blocks UV radiation from striking the surface of earth, and allowed life to rise to the surface of the oceans and spread to the land surface. The ozone found above the troposphere in the stratosphere has been dubbed the ozone layer, and has been much in the news due to its destruction by man-made chemicals named chlorinated fluoro- carbons (CFCs). Ozone is ozone, hazardous to us when we inhale it, but our protector high above us! The ozone hole (thinning or elimination of the protective ozone layer) above the poles (primarily the South Pole) is a cause for alarm. While initially a surprise, governments quickly recognized the need to preserve our ozone layer and damaging CFCs have been banned and replaced. Remember, UV doesn't just cause sunburn, and contribute to cataracts, it kills life including plants. It is plants that form the basis of nearly all life on earth.

Over eons, life diversified and competed. Competition pit organisms against one another, and occurred against the background of a changing environment. Nearly 99% of all the life forms that have existed on earth are now extinct. Some of these extinctions have been catastrophic and massive like the extinction of the dinosaurs that occurred about 65 million years ago, but most have been quiet deaths. The only evidence we have for most life forms are fossils, and even here the evidence is sketchy, because fossils best come from the hard parts such as bones, teeth, and shells. Animals with hard parts became widespread about 600 million years ago during the time period called the Cambrian. There is evidence of life before this time, but it is not quite so dramatic.

For scientists, fossils have given evidence about the climate of the earth. Even tree rings, both fossilized and recently cut trees, give evidence about climate. For example, trees with thick growth rings indicate a benevolent climate; warm, sunny, readily available sunlight, etc. This indicates a warm planet, or at the minimum a location on earth that is warm such as a tropical setting (sounds real good writing from Antarctica). Other clues about earth's climate come from a variety of sources including glaciers and their effects on the land's surface. Evidence about the distant past is found in rock, while more recent evidence is found locked away in the frozen ice of Greenland and Antarctica. The gases found trapped in the earth's Polar Regions have been used to show the relationship between greenhouse gases (again, our familiar carbon dioxide) and the earth's average temperature. The ice found overlaying Antarctica averages more than two miles in thickness, and at a rate of 4-5 inches of snowfall a year. The gases found trapped in the ice give evidence about earth's atmosphere for quite an extended period of time.

Climatologists, glaciologists, paleontologists, and other scientists have clear evidence relating the amount of atmospheric certain gases and earth's climate. For example, increased carbon dioxide levels are associated with warmer climates. When I queried a climatologist about our recent warm summers, he said it wasn't warm summers that concerned him, but warm winters. It is during winter that ice freezes, glaciers grow, etc. If winters aren't cold, then these things don't happen, glaciers melt and polar ice sheets shrink. Evidence for glacial melting is plentiful, and study is ongoing as with regards to the polar ice. Melting glaciers mean an increase in sea level with its devastating effects on coastal cities, etc. and increased atmospheric water results in the probability of an increased number and ferocity of storms. If the climate shifts, so will agricultural belts, and in some climate models the American West becomes even drier and primary food producing regions will move northward into Canada. The U.S. would then be a net importer of food. This would dramatically alter our economic position in the world. Other scenarios indicate that warmer climates will open up vast areas for the movement of tropical diseases into regions that do not have them yet. An atmospheric scientist said to me that humans are in the process of running an experiment with the earth's atmosphere by the unrelenting and ever-growing burning of "fossil fuels" (coal, oil and natural gas) and its subsequent release of carbon dioxide.

In addition to the burning of fossil fuels, climate change is affected by deforestation and agricultural practices that promote the production of other atmospheric gases such as methane ("natural gas"). Natural gas is a byproduct of cow digestion caused by the digestion of the plants it eats. Bluntly, cows poot natural gas. Natural gas has even a greater effect than carbon dioxide on climate. Interestingly enough, water is a green house gas too. If you doubt water's heat trapping ability, think about how easy it is to cool oneself on a dry day as opposed to a humid day. It was summed up to me in a recent trip to Las Vegas that it is so much more comfortable here because it is dry heat (at literally, 120 degrees Fahrenheit).

This rambling brings me to the focus of the reason scientists are studying atmospheric gases here as opposed to Tahiti. Antarctica is incredibly cold because most of the continent experiences a prolonged period of darkness during winter. For example, at McMurdo, where I am, we are in summer and the sun is up twenty-four hours of the day. The days are relatively warm (20 degrees F), and will get a bit warmer as the summer season progresses. The sun will set here on February 20, 2006, and the long, cold, dark polar winter (with the opportunity for one to see the auroras, and do lots of great astronomy) will begin. Months later, the sun will rise and summer will return.

During daylight, sunlight strikes the earth and is absorbed. Then, energy of the sun is released back into the atmosphere (and ultimately outer space) in the form of infra-red (IR) radiation (heat). Some of this heat is trapped in our atmosphere by greenhouse gases (which are great and necessary up to a point, otherwise we would freeze!) Scientists studying earth's climate have made assumptions and created models that help them understand atmospheric chemistry and its relationship to climate. Recent work by ANTCI scientists has brought into question aspects (not the major ideas given above) about some assumptions made as to the interpretation of climate models that depend on ice cores. It turns out that in the ice surface, is not a static place chemically. The energy of the sun is promoting reactions (primarily of those compounds containing nitrogen; but all chemical reactions are linked together in cycles forming something not unlike a giant web of chemical interaction) that were not anticipated, and the "ice" appears to be surprisingly active chemically. This activity could modify beliefs concerning the reactivity of certain chemicals found in and above the ice's surface need. If this is so, then ice core samples will need reexamining, and climate models could be modified. I don't know if major media outlets will report on the workings of ANTCI scientists, but their work is necessary to our total understanding of earth's atmosphere. They are working in the realm of pure science.

You can exhale now, but appreciate it!

McMurdo's Turkey Trot was canceled today because of snow. Don't ask me, but I thought if any place on earth would be relatively unaffected by winter conditions, this would be it. So, instead of the race/walk I am going to take a walk before Thanksgiving dinner.

The feast follows, and then I am off to wash pots and pans for my holiday volunteer effort. I am done writing for the day. Be well, and take care of one another. mp

Friday, November 25, 2005

After breakfast this morning, I walked to the Kiwi station (a bit over three miles roundtrip) with my camera. I continue to walk, stretch, and do sit-ups. It is so easy to slip into not taking care of oneself. I am determined to not let this happen. Eating healthy too!

Then, I went to McMurdo Community Hospital and got a flu shot. Flu season runs from about November through March, although the season does vary. Influenza "Flu" is caused by a virus, and as such is not treated with antibiotics. It is transmitted through the air by coughing and sneezing, or by touch. Annually, about 5-20% of the U.S. population becomes infected with flu, 200,000 are hospitalized, and 36,000 die as a result of it. The flu virus is actually not one virus, but a series of strains designated, easily enough, A, B, and C. Each strain changes over time, so the vaccine mix needs to be updated annually, and people need to receive updated vaccines to maximize protection. The vaccines come in two forms. They are the "flu shot" which contains dead viruses, and the nasal-spray virus which is formulated from attenuated or weakened viruses. Each has recommendations and restrictions as to use. The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) has an excellent website to increase your knowledge about flu and other health issues. It is www.cdc.gov. I recommend it highly, and keep it as one of my favorites. In a world filled with sketchy reporting about potentially catastrophic diseases, CDC's site is easily accessible, easy to read, and informative.

"Crud" signs are constant reminders here. Crud is any communicable disease. Hand washing stations abound and hand sanitizer are plentiful. For example, when one cuts bread, it is important to not directly touch the bread, but to use a cloth. Everyone covers their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing. Second helpings of food are always gotten using a new plate. The truth is I have heard much less sneezing and coughing than I anticipated. Even injuries, regardless of how minor, are taken seriously; scrubbed, disinfected, and covered. So, I guess parents and elementary school teachers were correct when they taught you the rules of hygiene.

I volunteered in the greenhouse today. I planted seeds for tomatoes, lettuce and other things. Then, I took the small germinated lettuce plants to their hydroponics' growing station. In five weeks, these will be ready to eat in the galley. It is a good image for me.

No flights today. The team today is working on concerns/problems. It seems so difficult to fly sensitive instruments, in Antarctica, under time/money constraints, and measuring such tiny amounts of chemicals.

There is a seventeen hour difference between Atlanta, and McMurdo. Today is Friday, your Thursday (Thanksgiving, 2005). We will celebrate it tomorrow, Saturday. The majority of workers at McMurdo will then get a two day break for work (usual work week is six days).

Take care of one another. mp

Thursday, November 24, 2005

McMurdo was gray and overcast last night. This morning the station was covered in a dusting of about three-quarters of an inch of powdery snow. It was beautiful.

There is a scheduled flight tonight at midnight. Sounds late, but remember the sun doesn't set. I think it is a long flight tonight or later 2 a.m. All trips in the plane require that one takes their ECW and complete snow or happy camper school. Even though you didn't ask, there is no bathroom on the plane. The polite word for the device used is chamber pot, but everyone here says "pee bottle." It is plastic and has a screw on top, so it seals in an often bumpy flight. Enough said.

I strolled about town after working on the snow-sniffer (works fine!). The first stop was the firehouse. Firemen and Firewomen are responsible for a great number of things. At first, it might strike you as odd that there is a firehouse. However, remember that Antarctica is a desert, windy, and the station has all kinds of things to burn. If there is a fire, water has to be drawn from the total supply purified for the town, and if the power station burns, then the station or water plant needs to be evacuated in one or two days. There is little margin for error in Antarctica. In addition, to their fire fighting responsibilities, firemen let people into their rooms when they lose keys, clean oil and other spills, attend aircraft arrivals and departures in case of a disaster, and the list goes on.

I continued my set of errands and went to the post office. It was there I met LaVonne H. Weber. I asked her about mail service in Antarctica. The shipping point in the States to and from Antarctica is San Francisco. Mail takes about three weeks to travel in either direction. It costs the same to mail things here as it does back home. Mail arrives irregularly, with emergency transport and National Science Foundation (NSF) receiving priority. Four hundred pounds of mail arrived from the States last week.

Injuries happen, and people do get sick in Antarctica. If one needs medical care, there is the McMurdo Community Hospital. It is a small facility, but for more intense care, one is flown to New Zealand. Sometimes, it is not physical tending that people need, but spiritual time. The McMurdo Chapel is open to one and all. It overlooks McMurdo Sound. From it, over the transition (ice/ground area), one can see over the airport to the Transantarctic Mountains. The highest one tops 13,000 feet. It does make one contemplate the bigger picture.

Off to get a 12 foot bamboo pole with a red flag on it. Everything is flagged for safety. If there isn't a marked trail, or a flag trail (red or green), one should not go there. Casual walks in unmarked areas can be catastrophic. Search teams will look for you, but a foolish decision about not following rules and doing your own thing, can result in injury or death to you or rescuers. To say the least, this is frowned upon. By the way, two other flag colors are important to know. Black flags indicate danger, do not go there. An example of proper black flag use is to warn of crevasses. They are a constant source of danger. The other color flag is yellow. It is typically used as the indication for an outdoor field station pee site. There was someone on my happy camper school who seemed to be working on losing a popularity contest. He dug a stench for a shelter, and did a nice job at it. It took everything I knew to prevent myself (I wasn't alone in this) from moving the pee flag to the edge of his trench once he fell asleep. For the record, I didn't do it...

A minor thing struck me as I came back into the building today. All exterior building doors are very sturdy here. About half resemble industrial-size freezer door handles. In tropical and temperate climates, refrigerators are used to cool things, thick doors and sturdy handles prevent the inflow of heat. Here, in Antarctica, the cold surrounds us everywhere and the door keeps the heat in and the cold out!

I talked with my wife (Barbara) and daughter (Carsen Lee) on the phone today. It is great to talk with them. It is hard to hang up. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the States. We will celebrate on Saturday night. Saturday morning I am going to participate in the Turkey Trot run/walk, eat, and I signed up to scrub pots and pans in the evening. I would like to think that a cafeteria worker could get the time off. Staff works hard here. Tonight, I plan to go over to the Kiwi Station (New Zealand) station named after Scott. I plan doing a bit of shopping, and having a bit of adult time.

Take care of one another! mp

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Today, the wind blew fairly strongly in the morning. The ridge line on which I hiked led to a memorial (usually designated by a cross) offered spectacular views of McMurdo Sound and Station, as well as Black and White Islands. These islands are so named because of the relative amount of snow cover on each. Looking in the direction of the islands tells me I am looking south toward ever colder places. The memorial is dedicated to Richard T. Williams of which Willie Field is named. Willie Field is the airstrip closer to the Kiwi Station on the thicker Ross Ice Shelf. It will be used later in the season after the cargo ship comes in to McMurdo. Interestingly, the pier that will be used to unload new supplies and load the ship with waste and unwanted materials will be built of ice.

I ate a piece of breakfast pastry and had a quick cup of coffee before setting off to the three big and important plants of power, water, and wastewater treatment. My first stop was the power plant. It is big and noisy, as belies its purpose. The six engines or generators found in the plant were commissioned in 1981. Three of the six engines are working all the time, while the other three are there for emergencies or undergoing routine maintenance. In order to minimize waste, and conserve fuel (diesel) in addition to the electricity generated at the plant, the heat generated by the engines is tapped to heat buildings all around the station in a process called co-generation. Jordan Dickens, plant supervisor, was justifiably proud of this and pointed to the nearly 750,000 gallons of diesel fuel saved annually.

From the power plant, I proceeded to the water (supply) plant. We are surrounded by water here in the form of ice and sea water. Sea water, liquid at 28 degrees Fahrenheit is taken from beneath the ice, heated to 37 degrees Fahrenheit and purified through a process called reverse osmosis. The plant generates 120,000 gallons of fresh water daily.

Finally, I visited the wastewater treatment plant. It had an aroma, but it wasn't that bad. One thousand plus people generate a great deal of waste water and sewage. Upon entering the plant, raw sewage is ground up, and screened and directed through a series of chambers. A combination of air (oxygen), mixing, and microbes work together to break down the sewage into sludge. After settling the clarified water is removed, and disinfected with ultraviolet (UV) light. At this stage the now clean water is sent back into the sea under the ice. The sludge which settled at the bottom of the clarified sewage is compressed into bio-solid cakes or just cakes, and then shipped back to the United States. To be on the safe side, I slathered on the hand-sanitizer several times.

After lunch, I worked with Doug on a "snow sniffer." It will be used to detect nitrogen in the snow at a depth of about twenty inches.

I couldn't help but notice the obvious today. The station is a place without the laughter of children or the wisdom and eye twinkles of older folks. I miss both. Young adults and middle-aged folks are well represented here. The difficulty in ensuring the health and safety of the young and old, as well as the cost of feeding, housing, etc. must be overwhelming. Too bad really, it is a less rich place for it.

It is cold, windy, and overcast tonight. A warm room, with a soft pillow is calling me. Take care of one another. mp

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

As I remember, today was the date in 1963 that President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. It was a sad day, to be followed by the death of Malcom X, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy.

I toured the kitchen at McMurdo Station. McMurdo personnel are fueled by the food prepared by folks in the kitchen. Nearly four thousand meals are served daily. Meals are planned over a year in advance, and eight to ten thousand pounds of fruits and vegetables are flown in weekly from New Zealand. Everything has to be flown in or shipped in. As always, the individuals working in the kitchen come from diverse backgrounds. I met a chemistry/physics teacher (unbelievable isn't it?) preparing cut fruit, a chef who lived in Atlanta for ten years and worked at the Hyatt downtown (He was also a chief in Yellowstone National Park!), and a baker from Schenectady, NY (not far from where I went to college). The kitchen, even at the height of the breakfast crowd is spotlessly clean and organized. In addition to restocking breakfast, preparation for lunch, dinner, and the upcoming Thanksgiving feast (which occurs on Saturday to give most personnel on base a two day vacation) was occurring. Heck, I even got a kitchen hat to take home.

Today I introduced myself to Sandra Southerland an air traffic controller at McMurdo. Sandra is African-American. We shared breakfast time together. Quiet, and reserved, but as the conversation proceeded she proved to have a quick wit and a wry sense of humor.

Sandra is a former Navy air traffic controller whose first assignment was in the Indian Ocean, at Diego Garcia, helping to land military jets and transports. She hails from West Palm Beach, Florida. She has a husband and an eighteen month old daughter. She views this experience (which she has tried for three years to get) as a great opportunity, and a stepping stone to bigger things. She misses her family dearly, and emails or calls daily. Concerns she didn't have in Diego, but has in McMurdo include the periodic penguin walking across the runway, or the leopard sea sticking its nose through its entry hole.

I asked her straight-up about opportunities for minorities and women. She said there are great openings for both, but education and hard work are the keys. To be an air traffic controller, one must complete a five to six year program in college, or gain entry to the profession through the armed services. It was breakfast, and she didn't want her picture taken, but she invited me down to the tower today for a tour and said she would then. I'll be there!

I got to the air traffic control tower about 3:00 pm just in time to see a C-130 landing on its trip from the pole. Sandra directed the plane in. It was quite a sight to see this big plane land. Next up was our Twin Otter for take-off. I got lucky, and it was Sandra's turn again. The plane looked so little compared to the C-130. People's lives depend on the quality of work done by the controllers. After a brief tour of the inside of the facility, we said good-bye and parted. The pilots, crews, and planes seemed to be in good hands.

On the way out Building 155, I stopped by the radio station fm 104.5. McMurdo is a microcosm of everything we have in the states. People like to carry their culture with them. Building 155 epitomizes this and is the social hub of the station. It holds the cafeteria, a dormitory, recreation facilities, base store, library, computers, etc. It is so busy that the central hallway is called Highway One. There is always something to do or explore in Building 155 or leading from it.

Monday, 21 November 2005

Up the hill and to the right, hidden behind construction lumber on a non-descript path is a bit of paradise at McMurdo Station. Paradise is warm lights, warm air, green plants and a hammock. All can be found in the McMurdo greenhouse. Building 147 is a great treat for the eye starving for more than the stark beauty of black rock and white ice at the base.

Upon entering the building, one is reminded to quickly close and slam the doors to prevent heat loss. A brief list of rules for the visitor, a sign-in sheet and the sweet smell of growing herbs and vegetables greets one just inside the foyer. Not a soul was present while I was there, but a quick look around clearly signals that the place is tended to regularly and loved by the caretaker. The greenhouse is actually two trailer sized buildings connected (not actually a double-wide), and contrary to temperate climate greenhouses, not glass enclosed, but the ceilings and walls are lined with reflective Mylar. Light from overhead sources reflect off the Mylar and bathe the plants in life-giving light from all directions. The peppers, cucumbers, parsley, lettuce, basil and other plants are grown hydroponically (without soil, but anchored in a mineral rich water pot). The plants were at all stages of development from seed to readily harvested fruit.

As I strolled the aisles between the growing plants, I savored the rich smells of the herbs and spices, and fought off the temptation to pick a pepper from the vine. I sat a few minutes in a chair provided by the caretaker, and drifted off imagining a spring season to come. On the way out, I promised myself a return visit and left my email address so I could be contacted to be a volunteer.

New Topic!

The test flights are over and ANTCI scientists took the Twin Otter up today to collect data. The plane took off at 12:30 and headed for the front edge of the mountains. Massive glaciers descend between the mountains from their source on the high plateau of Antarctica. Today, the front edge of these frozen rivers of ice was the place measurements were taken. Dr. Doug Davis, Saewung Kim, and Lee Mauldin were the on-flight crew. Their path took them to an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet above the glaciers. ANTCI scientists predicted that the chemical species NO would be greater at the leading edge of the glacier with the greater downflow. Initial results indicated this was true. Confidence level and excitement are high. Future flights will take the scientists up glaciers at heights only one hundred feet above their surface, and other flights will proceed to the high Antarctic Plateau.

Take care of one another! mp

Sunday, 20 November 2005

I awoke refreshed. It is amazing how easy it is to sleep on a bed with a pillow instead of ice! I shared coffee with my room mate Bob "Black Island" Gosdin. His nick name stems from his trip to Black Island to repair a repeater for the radio. Bob hails from Horseshoe Bay, Texas located on LBJ Lake. This is Bob's second season on the ice. He is a heavy equipment mechanic. He knows his way around tractors, and other huge pieces of equipment. He took me on a tour of his shop. It is a pretty amazing place. He is also a source of great information about McMurdo, and when I need an answer to a question, he knows it or knows where to go. He is a real nice fellow.

I talked with Barbara and Carsen Lee this morning (my wife and daughter). Not being around them is the hardest part of the trip by far. So, rather than moping around, I took a walk by Scott's hut, and up the hill to the memorial named for the person that Willie field is named for. It is relatively high, cold and windy up there. It is amazing how quickly one can get away from civilization. Following good happy camper school technique, I told my room mate where I was going, bundled up, and gave an estimated time of return. I was five minutes late, and true to form, Bob (who has taken snow school too) was beginning to get concerned. It is a stark place, and a study in contrasts. The black basaltic rock overlaying the white ice and snow, the warmth of the building interiors and the surrounding outside cold, the aloneness of walking the hill and the camaraderie of the galley at meal time.

I have a few places indoors that I want to see. They are the greenhouse (you read it correctly), the desalinization plant (using reverse osmosis to purify seawater), the aquarium, and the weather station. Though, mostly I enjoy the outdoors; especially the wind, cloud formations, and changing images of mountain and ice.

I relearned today that ice of Antarctica is not static, but moves. The pole placement has to be redone because the ice that holds the actual pole is moving down slope to the sea. The pole sits at approximately 8500 feet (I will check the exact height later) on the polar plateau. It is not the highest point on Antarctica. Vostok, the Russian station sits higher. There are two other "poles" in Antarctica of note. While the earth rotates on its axis on an imaginary line connecting the north and south poles, the magnetic pole is not (relatively) any where near the geographic south pole. The earth can be thought of as a giant bar magnet. The field that this magnet produces protects us from much of the sun's dangerous emissions. Also, it funnels or accelerates some particles so fast that electrons are ripped from their nuclei, and as they rejoin their nuclei release packets of light called photons. We appreciate these photons as giant curtains of light called aurora. These are only visible in the dark periods of the year. The northern lights over the northern hemisphere are called Aurora Borealis, while the southern version is the Aurora Australis. I will miss them because we are in summer and it is perpetually light outside now. In New Zealand I hope to see the star pattern or constellation called the Southern Cross. The North Star (Polaris) found relatively fixed above the geographic North Pole is invisible from here, and the Southern Cross serves the same direction aligning function here. The other "pole" is called the "Pole of Inaccessibility" because it is so difficult to get to.

Antarctica is divided into two parts (East and West Antarctica) by the Transantarctic Mountains. East Antarctic holds concern for scientists. Much of it is reportedly underline by water, and as the earth warms because of the greenhouse effect (driven by carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal), the ice could "slip into the sea, melt and cause massive flooding of coastal cities." Not a good scenario. The Antarctic Peninsula, called the Banana Belt because of its relatively balmy temperatures, is bordered by the Weddell Sea/Ronne Ice Shelf extends towards South America. To give you and idea of how large Antarctica is here are two facts. One, the continental U.S. would easily fit inside the area of the Antarctic, and the South Pole is approximately 800 miles from McMurdo and is considered the close approach...

I just met an Air Force flight surgeon with a rank of Lt. Colonel named Jim Barrow. He was kind enough to share some pictures of Antarctica with me. He has been to pole. Everyone seems to want to talk with a teacher to help with the outreach effort. I appreciate it. For example, I met Charlie Kaminsky, a Raytheon employee two days ago that indicated that I could have sent to me a set of ECW to show to students. It is a small world. Charlie has a friend named Dave Dundee who is an astronomer at the Fernbank Science Center in the DeKalb County School System where I teach.

Two places one can access on the web to find out more information about Antarctica are www.AntarcticaSun.usap.gov (Try keywords Antarctic Sun USAP if you have trouble accessing the site directly, it worked for me.) This is the newspaper (online or hardcopy of Antarctica) and the second site is http://www.mcmurdo.usap.gov/. This gives information about the USAP (United States Antarctic Program), procedures, etc. I recommend both. Our ANTCI site should be up in the next couple of days. Long distance communication, different time schedule, and slow internet speed makes things difficult. Other interesting sites are produced by the US government agencies NOAA, and NASA.

After dinner, Andreas Beyersdorf and Dr. Barry Lefer discussed with me the overview of why the experiments are being done, and their relative importance. Tomorrow's flight will examine a fairly large number of chemicals in the air including water, ozone, hydroxyl ion, carbon monoxide, nitrogen containing compounds, sulfuric acid, hydrocarbons, etc. as well as a number of physical items including temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction, etc. All of these items, and more will be correlated and examined for relationships among them. Models of their interactions will be created and tested in an effort to greater understand the sources and sinks of chemicals. Larger goals will be to integrate the work done in Antarctica with information collected globally. ANTCI scientists are endeavoring to increase the scope and depth of understanding as to how the larger chemical cycles including that between Carbon and Nitrogen operate, and ultimately to understand man-made (anthropogenic) effects on our atmosphere.

Enough for today. Remember to take care of one another. mp

Friday & Saturday, 18 & 19 November 2005

Friday and Saturday, November 18th and 19th was snow school. It is known by other names, one of the more pleasant is Happy Camper camp. It is the gateway course for many activities and projects here, so it is widely attended. Actually, on the whole, it is mandatory if one wishes to get off base significantly, take small aircraft (helicopters and small fixed wing planes), and go to a field camp. So, many people have to take it, and some are not too happy to do so. Others take it for a break from their six day a week jobs at McMurdo. It is an interesting mix of people. On it were vulcanologists, glaciologists, zoologists (studying penguins at a field camp), mechanics, cooks, janitors, fireman (very important job here) and a teacher. In the beginning of the course, we wondered how we would all mesh together, but as the next thirty hours unfolded, we all appreciated each other and worked well together. Working together, following procedures, and constantly learning new skills is not optional here. The harshness of the environment demands them.

The course began with a brief introduction. Then, it proceeded to the two most important safety concerns found on the continent frostbite and hypothermia. Frostbite, while painful, and at its extreme, gruesome will not kill a person. For frostbite, the progression is cold, frostnip, first degree frostbite, second degree frostbite, and third degree frostbite. Cold and frostnip are easy to treat, and nearly everyone who lives in a place that experiences freezing temperatures in winter has had these. Gentle warming and gentle rubbing of the affected body part will be the treatment. First degree frostbite is a surface freezing with the skin not likely to spring back into place when stretched, while third degree is freezing to the bone of the affected body part. Obviously, more care needs to be taken the farther along in the frostbite scale one is. One should never rub frostbitten body parts because the ice crystals one disturbs in the tissue will tear good tissue and create an affect not unlike ground meat. Yuck. Hypothermia will kill. It starts with cold and believe it or not, shivering (uncontrollable, persistent) is middle of the scale. Through shivering, the process is easily reversible through gentle warming, drinking warm liquids, etc. One good sign of the body cooling is called cold diuresis. Excessive peeing as one cools because the body is shifting liquid to the body's core (abdomen, chest, and brain, in affect the body is sacrificing the extremities). Excessive shivering is the body trying to warm up through activity, and eventually this fails too, to be followed by lethargy and death. In a non-emergency sense, frostbite and hypothermia can and should be avoided. In an emergency, one should work to stay dry (avoid getting wet and don't get sweaty!), stay out of the wind, drink fluids (water preferably), get clothing on, and eat. Primarily, the rest of the course dealt with these.

At the conclusion of our classroom sessions, we dressed in our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) clothing, gathered food, water, shelter, tools, first aid kits, etc. and boarded this huge vehicle and drove to the Instructor's hut on the other side of the "mountain" near the Kiwi (New Zealand) station. The ice on which we were going to spend the night is actually part of the Ross Ice Shelf and as such never melts. It was beautiful, windless, clear, and warm (15 degrees F) day. I had been there for ice coring a couple of days before, so I knew it could be very unpleasant. We had some more classroom time, and then out to camp. Our camp was situated so that Mt. Erebus was breath-takingly beautiful, and majestic in appearance. During the next three hours we learned how to set up Scott tents (tall and yellow), build ice walls (cutting bricks of snow about in 2 foot all around cubes), construct Quinzees (snow caves, which can get very elaborate in decoration, and function), boil water for freeze-dried dinner, socialize and explore. For all of you that want to know,... pee does not freeze at the temperatures we were at, but it is still an unpleasant experience. Enough said on this matter.

The creation of ice walls, Quinzees, etc. were all tiring, but showed everyone how to survive in the harsh environment one might find oneself on the ice. More importantly, to harp on a point, it showed the necessity of working together for the greater good.

I slept snugly, and surprisingly well, and mercifully, unlike most of my group didn't wake up to the need to go to the bathroom (get dressed for a cold, relatively distant trip...). The sun never set during the night. Rather, it traced a circle over us during the time we were on the ice. Morning broke to a colder day, and we congratulated each other for surviving the night, ate, packed up and then had more classroom sessions concerning how to use radios in the field and how to save someone lost in a white out. Finally, it was back to McMurdo for instruction about helicopter safety (decapitation is unpleasant), and caring for the environment (a very big concern here).

Upon returning back to camp, Jim Crawford met me to tell me about a debriefing occurring at the plane after the test flight. The situation is much improved, and all the scientists seemed pleased with the results, and optimistic about the success of the mission. Each is very bright, and a good problem solver. Each uses their extensive education in multifaceted ways, and each will not accept failure as an option. Relentless, in a quiet way is how I would describe them. The first scheduled flight for data collection is Monday. The plane will be flying (approx. 150 mi/hr) up the face of a glacier testing for the needed data. The plane will be flying at about 100 feet above the surface of the glacier, and encounter winds of about 50 mi/hr. After the debriefing, the group broke up for dinner, with some eating in the smaller cafeteria near the plane, while others went up the hill to McMurdo proper (my option). I tried writing yesterday, but I couldn't focus, and fairly early went to sleep.

Thursday, 17 November 2005

I attended a mandatory waste management lecture this morning. As with mandatory things, I go in with a bit of reluctance. However, the lecture was informative and, believe or not, interesting!

McMurdo handles all the waste not only for McMurdo, but for South Pole, and many outlying field camps. These places average a total of 2,000 people during summer time (now), and generate tons of waste. Before the conservation acts and various mandates, no one cared what happened to the waste. There was even a nuclear reactor here for power (now gone). Presently, near all power comes from fossil fuels (diesel and gasoline), but some comes from solar, etc. Waste heat is not vented to the environment directly if at all possible, but is used to heat buildings, and hot water. All of this fuel must be imported via ship.

People here, like people everywhere eat, work, play, etc. and generate waste. As reported in the meeting, 100% of solid waste is collected, and 60% is recycled. Compared to a typical American city this is an astounding amount. All over the station, one encounters various recycling bins, signs to remind everyone, and places where waste is stored. It is not pretty, but garbage and litter is not either. The separation of solid waste extends way beyond paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, compost, etc. Metals are separated by type, waste water is not just waste water. Did it come from showers, kitchen, lab, etc.? A few drops of oil spill or antifreeze are a big deal. Even the Skuas (large gull-like birds) seem to get into the act. One buzzed me on the way to breakfast apparently thinking my leather glove would be a tasty treat!

People here recycle seemingly quite willingly. There are rules and penalties for not doing it, but they do not seem to be the driving force behind the effort. Rules only seem to carry people so far, rather it seems to be traditions we generate as a society that seem to carry the day. People break rules, but follow traditions.

The people here are an interesting lot. They seem to love edgy environments. It is after all, the bottom of the world. Some come for research, others for adventure, others to make relatively good money, and still others to escape. One can encounter tai chi and yoga practitioners discussing the relative merits of dumpster diving and find out they are PhD s in an amazingly difficult field of study. Throw in purple hair, and it is very interesting.

I suppose that living in a place like Antarctica, one doesn't take things for granted. On the ice (term for Antarctica), everything has to be planned for carefully. Nothing just happens. Imagine having to think about each breath you take. It is a marvel of life that a simple change in the pH (acidity) triggers a response in the neurons that causes an exhalation and a subsequent inhalation. It just happens, and people that can't do it are tied to ventilators or die. It is like that here. Food, heat, work, play, waste, medical care etc. has to be thought out, and planned often years in advance. The amazing thing is not the number of logistical problems encountered, but the ability of humans to handle them!

The pace of the experiment is increasing. Worries abound as the test flight is being prepared. Not all is going smoothly, and the scientists are endeavoring to solve problems as locally as possible. They are very capable group. The brainstorming going on, and the and the focus is to accomplish it. I am sure it will not go as exactly planned, but I believe it will happen pretty close to hope!

Today is bit windier and colder than yesterday, but not too bad really. I am going to explore parts of town, and if it clears a bit hike up the hill for a view. Then, I will return to the office to share what I learned. I am hoping to start to fill the webpage today and send pictures, and share more with you.

Take care of one another. mp

Wednesday, 16 November 2005

The day started with incredibly beautiful. It was nearly perfectly calm at sea ice level, clear with thinly spaced clouds aloft, and a bright warm sun shining brightly. I walked the mile or so to the airfield (frozen sea ice) to the planes. The scientists were working hard on the instrumentation, and they seemed a bit more anxious than yesterday. Time, cost, and energy are all thought about constantly. The logistics of working in the Antarctic are difficult. I took some pictures, and as always everyone took time to answer my questions and chat a bit.

The walk back was equally pleasant. Mt. Erebus (which in Greek means the gates of hell) was venting. The plume rose upwards, and then deflected. The mountain stands at about 13,000 feet, and rises from sea level majestic and confident in its power. I noticed cracks in the ice road way. I am sure it is still cold enough to refreeze. Still, in the not too distant future, the McMurdo crew will move the airfield to Willie field on the back side of the McMurdo hills. As sea water freezes, it pushes out and down the salt creating a higher than normal sea concentration of salt water directly under the ice. Certain halophilic (salt-loving) alga and bacteria thrive in this condition, and other sea creatures such as krill feed on them, and in turn other creatures feed on the krill. It is a food chain containing untold numbers of creatures at each level. The ice on which I was walking is more than 70 inches thick (a six foot person is 72 inches), and as it melts seals, and penguins move in. They use the cracks and holes that develop in the ice to enter and leave. Orcas follow, and as they see shadows burst up and shatter the remaining ice to capture prey. Humans are advised not to walk on the ice at this time.

Some of the crew gathered for lunch. As always, tasty a d if one chooses wisely, healthy. My computer was repaired, or at least improved over the day of my arrival, and I am now working on it and not using the systems computers.

Ice core samples were scheduled for 2:30 PM. We gathered in our ECW gear, and drove off to core. The drive is only about 2.5 miles away over the hill near the Kiwi station (New Zealand). The station is much smaller than McMurdo. The buildings are painted appropriately kiwi green. The wind was blowing very hard and it was very cold there. I could see where I will be taking my snow school. It is going to be quite a night. The sea ice never melts there, and is said to be tens of feet thick. As the ice is pushed around pressure builds, and massive pressure occur thrusting ice upward. It is quite an impressive sight. Typically, the McMurdo group and the Kiwis at Scott station are not permitted to mix. Thursday nights is an exception, and a shuttle runs on the hour. I am going to go.

The ice cores taken today were an effort to test equipment and procedures. Cores are taken to see how gases trapped in the ice and snow mixture compare with atmospheric gases. The deeper one goes into the snow and ice, the older the trapped gases. Many people have heard about this technique as in regards to carbon dioxide (involved in the greenhouse effect/global warming). Snow falls at about four inches a year in Antarctica, so a twenty inch core means a five year record. The test today showed that the technique needed to be modified. The snow at about one-half meter (one and one-half feet) was harder than expected, and bent the plastic liner. A shorter collection height is being considered.

It is gray, windy and cold now. I am glad to be at the station. I finished up the ANTCI McMurdo scientist directory and the overview for the teacher page is written. It will need some editing, but it is close. Look for it shortly on the ANTCI website.

I am tired today. I walked a lot. I called my parents (reached my mom), and talked with Barbara and Carsen on the phone. I wonder what Shackelton, Scott, or Amundsen would have thought about the creature conveniences and communication devices we have now.

Be well. Take care of one another. mp

Tuesday, 15 November 2005

Clear, windy and cold today. Wind on the ice sheet this morning stings the ears even in a cap and hood. My feet were invisible below the windy snow layer. The ice on the sea is more than 70 inches thick, but when I see these huge planes landing on the surface I wince. Long timers here say they can see the ice bend under the landing plane. Not a pleasant thought. Mt. Erebus in the near distance fumes, but the white of the steam makes me think the fire within it is cold and not hot. It is a majestic mountain rich with snow fields and glaciers that looms over McMurdo. On Friday/Saturday will be my snow survival school relatively near it.

Working on the ANTCI webpage today.

Robert Falconer Scott's "hut" (pretty big actually) sits nearly pristine at the edge of the station. His group was the second to reach the south pole (after Amundsen), but the first to perish on the way back. They died within eleven miles of relative safety. Not usually a superstitious person, I am finding myself postponing a close up viewing of it.

The crew is working on the Twin Otters. The scientists have been kind, and thorough in their efforts to make me understand their tasks. First flight in about a week. Lots of modifications to the plane are occurring. Holes, hoses, and devices extend from it in every direction.

Skua, large seagull like birds frequent the station. They eat anything, and will take food from unsuspecting human hands and prey on baby penguins. More reports of penguins in the area.

Today's after dinner discussion will be between the principal investigators and the pilots. Plans for the type, and duration of the twin otter's flights will occur. So much goes into making this expedition work.

Storms (not here) over a goodly portion of the continent have delayed research. Everyone hurrys to end up doing not much. I suppose that precious research time will be lost, or lots of long days will ensue.

Food is plentiful here. Eating is a priority. I suspect that it gives everyone a chance to socialize. The amount of clothing people wear, and sometimes the shear isolation of the work people perform invite the camaraderie and friendship that surrounds food, etc.

Pretty neat. People seem to appreciate a teacher here and they take efforts to make me feel welcome, and included. Everyone takes care to minimize the Antarctic Crud. Crud is anything that makes one sick. Hand washing is a must.

The cast of characters is broad. Unusual hair color is not uncommon, and it is fun to find some colorfully coiffed person proceed on about their research in some high level science field to a person perhaps sweeping the floor and equally well coiffed.

Most of all, I am finding that education, hard work, and a sense of adventure can take one far. mp

Monday, 14 November 2005

Hello everyone. We left Christchurch, NZ early this morning by C-17 a huge military jet transport. The flight took 5 hours. On the return to NZ, I anticipate taking a C-130, a prop plane (8 hours). I am at about 80 degrees South latitude at McMurdo Station. We are in the same time zone as New Zealand. From the air, we could see pack ice, and the pilot allowed us into the cockpit to see the expanse of the continent before us. It was quite an amazing sight. The Ross Sea was below us; in the distance mountains were poking their summits through the snow and ice. We landed on sea ice. In late December a supply ship will follow an ice breaker to the same spot.

McMurdo is not a pretty place (but very functional), however the areas one can see from the station are very beautiful. The rock here is basalt indicating volcanic activity. In the distance, one can see Mt. Erebus. It is an active volcano, and steam appears at its summit. Antarctica, larger than Australia sits upon one of the seven major tectonic plates.

Upon our arrival, we received an orientation to the base. Safety is a prime concern here. I will be taking a driving course, and snow survival school as I said before. Lots of younger folks here (mid-20s), construction workers, lots of support personnel (cafeteria, maintenance, etc.) some professors, and a teacher. The personnel at the base promote us exploring the area by foot, possibly snowmobile, and skis! I hope to do all three.

It is not very cold here (but still below 0 degrees Celsius) . However, the weather can change rapidly. Light winds today, but they are not of the fearsome Katabatic nature. On the plane trip over, we had to wear our EWC (Extreme Weather Gear) gear. It is pleasant to be out of most of that gear and into my own boots, etc.

Tonight at dinner, we will organize ourselves and our responsibilities. Soon I will be posting to the ANTCI site. Last night at dinner it was a treat to listen to the mission scientists discuss the expedition. They were talking through procedures, etc. The scientists are very educated, hard-working, dedicated people with the principal scientist being Dr. Doug Davis. I will be sending you information about many of them, and I hope to include pictures and some of their data too!

Sunday, 13 November 2005

I am in Christchurch, NZ. It was a 19.5 hour flight at 550 mi/hr. I crossed the Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn and the International Date Line. I lost Friday, November 11, 2005! The sunset across the US was beautiful, and the colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The sunset lasted a long time because were flying towards it!

The flight out of Los Angeles was on a 747. It was very crowded, and the man in front of me threw up. Yuck.

The people of New Zealand are great. It is a beautiful, clean, and orderly country. Captain Cook found the islands on one of his three scientific expeditions. I think of him as the greatest explorer of all time. The indigenous (native) people are called Maori. New Zealand became a British colony. I am staying in a Bed and Breakfast (Devon) on the River Avon named for the Bard Shakespeare. Today we got our Antarctic gear. There was a lot of it. The boots are called bunny boots! Tomorrow at 5AM we leave on a C-17 for McMurdo station. McMurdo is the closest a ship can get to the South Pole during its summer. Yearly, the ice sheet doubles the size of the continent, and an ice breaker leads the supply ship in to port. The sea it crosses is the Ross Sea. The icebergs that calve off the glaciers (rivers of ice!), are said to be huge. I can't wait to see them. Not much large land life on the continent except for penguins. The surrounding sea is rich with life including seals, whales, krill, and plankton.

There are fossils found on Antarctica because it was once farther north and part of a super continent called Gondwanaland (named after a place in India) that also included Africa, South America, India, Australia, and New Zealand! It split up in a process called Plate Tectonics.

I have met many scientists representing people from all over the world. These women and men are helping us all understand our planet and working to improve it for all. The astronomers I met are looking for clues that will help explain how the big bang that started our universe produced galaxies. They are studying images produced by microwaves and testing a theory called the Inflationary expansion of the universe. Pretty neat. Our group, ANTCI, is studying atmospheric gases specifically those containing nitrogen (NO, N2O, and NO2). These gases affect a lot of the chemistry found in our atmosphere.

A few facts. Antarctica is the coldest, driest (four inches of snow a year only), and windiest continent on earth. 97% of the continent is covered by ice or snow averaging 2.5 miles deep. The strong winds on the continent are called Katabatic winds.

I hope to get to the pole, and ride in the small prop plane called the Twin Otter. The Twin Otter is the plane where most of the instrumentation for the expedition is found. The weight requirements are very tight. I will also drive people around so I have to take a driving course, and to get into the Twin Otter I will need to spend a night in a handmade shelter I build in Snow Survival School.

It is "summer" in Antarctica, so the sun will be up nearly all the time. I found out that ice cream sundaes are available at midnight for free! mp