Well, weather has yet again changed our plans. By this point, we are used to it! Our trip to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core drilling project was canceled this morning. No worries here ... we got to speak with the head of Antarctic glaciology from the National Science Foundation and learned a lot about ice cores in both Antarctica and Greenland. Very, very important research that gives us insight into Earth's past climate. I'll be writing up a fact sheet on the WAIS Divide drilling project in the near future.
Tomorrow afternoon, we are leaving this great continent. After only one week here, I feel like I have been here for months. It has been a life-changing (and life-enhancing) experience, both professionally and personally. The caliber of the people, the quality of the science and the reality of the landscape are so fascinating, they are almost too much to grasp.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me get here! I look forward to continuing to communicate Antarctic science with you after I return to the States next week.
And now for another attempt at a night's sleep under the Antarctic midnight sun ...
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Penguins and Ice Make Everything Nice
Our helicopter tour of the Dry Valleys region, sea ice and the Cape Royds Adelie penguin colony yesterday was simply out of this world ... I don't know how else to describe it.
Polygons of permafrost, liquid lakes that leak from towering glaciers, stark-white ice emerging from rocky Grand Canyon-like landscapes: this is the Dry Valleys region of Antarctica.
After visiting a research camp at Lake Hoarde in Taylor Valley (visible in the lower left center of the image above), where scientists of all disciplines are coming together to study the unique biology, chemistry and geology of the lake area -- and its similarity to the Mars landscape three million years ago! -- we were off to the edge of the sea ice nearby. Our helicopter needed at least 30 inches of solid ice to land safely, so the helo tech got out first every time we landed in order to measure the ice with a huge corkscrew before any of us could set foot on it. The ice we landed on was about six feet deep, so we were ok. The sea ice growth every austral (Southern Hemisphere) winter around Antarctica is one of the biggest seasonal changes on Earth! Every winter, Antarctica's mass nearly doubles in size due to an increase in sea ice (ice floating on top of the surrounding ocean, without being attached to a glacier).
Shortly after we landed on the ice, about 20 Adelie penguins visited us! This was just a hint of the treat to come later in the day, when we toured the Adelie colony at Cape Royds -- so many penguins! Located on the coast of the Ross Sea, it's the southern-most penguin breeding site in the world. After days of gazing out at frigid, icy landscapes and experiencing Antarctic weather, it was really refreshing to meet real, live animals that don't only survive in this environment, they thrive in it and are really quite content here!
Don't forget to read Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal entries about the trip so far, and check out my Earth Gauge and Capital Weather Gang post about South Pole weather.
Click on the pictures to view the larger versions!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
"Wicked cold" at the Pole, off to the Dry Valleys
Conveniently, our flight boomeranged again (this time without us on it) and we got to spend the night at the South Pole last night! Landing at the Pole and gazing around at the entirely flat icy landscape around me, then realizing that the Earth was rotating around the exact spot where we were standing -- this brought the most euphoric and surreal feelings I have ever felt in my life. Truly amazing.
Since the South Pole is the coldest region will will be visiting in Antarctica, the results for the "How cold will Ann get in Antarctica?" poll are in:
Not cold at all -- she's prepared
7 (15%)
Really cold
3 (6%)
Wicked cold
15 (32%)
Frozen ... like on a stick
21 (45%)
To the majority of you who voted for "Frozen ... like on a stick," I'm sorry to break the news: I was only "wicked cold" at the Pole!
It was only about -20 Fahrenheit with windchills in the -30 range when I was there. The clothing provided by the U.S. Antarctic Program worked really well (almost too well!). The only parts that were "wicked cold" were my face and fingers because I was outside taking so many pictures and holding a metal camera.
In New England, "wicked" cold is the coldest description of cold -- really cold, very cold, mad cold, extremely cold...none of them top "wicked cold," except "frozen on a stick." I'm glad that I didn't get frozen to the Pole marker!
Because of a packed schedule, travel delays, and internet issues, I have not had a chance to post a lot of photos or content about the actual science we have learned about so far. The South Pole trip was jam-packed with tours of some of the most amazing science research projects in the world -- Clean Air monitoring (including Carbon Dioxide and the Ozone hole), the South Pole Telescope and IceCUBE projects that look down through the ice and ground instead of up into the sky, and meteorology that forecasts weather for travel and station operations at the Pole using very little satellite data or other internet resources and in fast-changing atmospheric conditions.
I have changed the second header on my blog to "Follow me in January 2010 to learn about Antarctic science" because I will be posting more of the science later this week and after my return. So, please keep checking back both during my last few days here and throughout the month.
Today, we are going on a helicopter tour of the Dry Valleys region -- the <2% part of Antarctica that is not covered with ice, and where it hasn't rained in over 2 million years!
Since the South Pole is the coldest region will will be visiting in Antarctica, the results for the "How cold will Ann get in Antarctica?" poll are in:
Not cold at all -- she's prepared
7 (15%)
Really cold
3 (6%)
Wicked cold
15 (32%)
Frozen ... like on a stick
21 (45%)
To the majority of you who voted for "Frozen ... like on a stick," I'm sorry to break the news: I was only "wicked cold" at the Pole!
It was only about -20 Fahrenheit with windchills in the -30 range when I was there. The clothing provided by the U.S. Antarctic Program worked really well (almost too well!). The only parts that were "wicked cold" were my face and fingers because I was outside taking so many pictures and holding a metal camera.
In New England, "wicked" cold is the coldest description of cold -- really cold, very cold, mad cold, extremely cold...none of them top "wicked cold," except "frozen on a stick." I'm glad that I didn't get frozen to the Pole marker!
Because of a packed schedule, travel delays, and internet issues, I have not had a chance to post a lot of photos or content about the actual science we have learned about so far. The South Pole trip was jam-packed with tours of some of the most amazing science research projects in the world -- Clean Air monitoring (including Carbon Dioxide and the Ozone hole), the South Pole Telescope and IceCUBE projects that look down through the ice and ground instead of up into the sky, and meteorology that forecasts weather for travel and station operations at the Pole using very little satellite data or other internet resources and in fast-changing atmospheric conditions.
I have changed the second header on my blog to "Follow me in January 2010 to learn about Antarctic science" because I will be posting more of the science later this week and after my return. So, please keep checking back both during my last few days here and throughout the month.
Today, we are going on a helicopter tour of the Dry Valleys region -- the <2% part of Antarctica that is not covered with ice, and where it hasn't rained in over 2 million years!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
South Pole or Bust
I survived survival training yesterday, which is always a good sign. In about 12 hours, I will be on a LC-130 "Hercules" plane to South Pole Station -- yup, the geographic bottom of the Earth. Because the station is located on an ice sheet (which is a large glacier that gradually moves over the land below it toward the sea), the pole marker has to be moved about 30 feet every year to remain accurate. Lucky for us, it was re-adjusted at the beginning of the year.
We have a full day, as we are flying on a three-hour flight there tomorrow early morning and returning late tomorrow night with many tours and scientist interviews in between flights. We'll be learning about the South Pole Telescope, meteorology and ozone research.
Temperatures at the Pole have been around -10 Fahrenheit for the past few days. However, today they dipped down to -20. We each have a full set of Extreme Cold Weather gear, as well as an overnight bag in case we get stuck overnight due to weather. Here's a Webcam so you can keep up with the current conditions. There is a brand new station there that was completed in 2007 and is an engineering marvel.
It was a beautiful, warm (well, relatively) and sunny day at McMurdo today. We saw some Adelie penguins nearby! In addition, we watched the southern-most rugby game in the world, played near New Zealand's Scott Base between the Kiwis and Americans. The Kiwis won, of course. It's funny to learn about the activities people living here do to stay active and combat cold and boredom. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to upload pictures in the next few days.
To the South Pole or bust!
We have a full day, as we are flying on a three-hour flight there tomorrow early morning and returning late tomorrow night with many tours and scientist interviews in between flights. We'll be learning about the South Pole Telescope, meteorology and ozone research.
Temperatures at the Pole have been around -10 Fahrenheit for the past few days. However, today they dipped down to -20. We each have a full set of Extreme Cold Weather gear, as well as an overnight bag in case we get stuck overnight due to weather. Here's a Webcam so you can keep up with the current conditions. There is a brand new station there that was completed in 2007 and is an engineering marvel.
It was a beautiful, warm (well, relatively) and sunny day at McMurdo today. We saw some Adelie penguins nearby! In addition, we watched the southern-most rugby game in the world, played near New Zealand's Scott Base between the Kiwis and Americans. The Kiwis won, of course. It's funny to learn about the activities people living here do to stay active and combat cold and boredom. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to upload pictures in the next few days.
To the South Pole or bust!
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