It’s hard to believe the expedition is almost here. I’ve been preparing for well over a year! But now it’s time to go: my bags are finally packed and the before-expedition outreach is done.
I'm all packed and ready to go! I hope I didn't forget anything...
Throughout all of the outreach I’ve been doing, I’ve been collecting a lot of great questions from everyone and I’ll do my best to answer them over the course of the trip. Please feel free to contribute more questions via the comments!
Even though I’m not in the field yet, I figure now would be a good time to start in on the many “Closer Look” questions I received. Plus, this one is kind of important.
A Closer Look At...East Antarctica
Let's Take a Closer Look question submitted by Diego, 3rd grade.
How is there an East Antarctica? Isn’t Antarctica just South? – Diego, 3rd grade
Where is ‘east’ Antarctica? –Dwight C.
So, where are you going? – Mom
While I’ll definitely be posting more information on Antarctica in general later in another “Closer Look”, knowing where we’re going is a good place to start. East Antarctica, sometimes called Greater Antarctica, is the two-thrids of the Antarctic continent on the Indian Ocean side of the world—in the eastern hemisphere.
Location of East Antarctica in relation to the rest of the world. Credit: maps-world.net
It’s over 8,000 miles away from Los Angeles, across the Pacific Ocean! There are no direct flights to Antarctica. Scientists and staff fly into New Zealand, Australia or Chile then board another plane or a boat (in our case) to get to the continent. We’ll be flying into Australia and boarding the ship in Hobart, Tasmania. From there it’s an ocean voyage to East Antarctica.
East Antarctica, separated from West Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountians, is much larger, higher, colder and drier than its western counterpart. The Eastern side of the continent has an average elevation about 98,000ft and is home to both the geographic and magnetic South Pole as well as the polar plateau. This side of the continent is covered in almost 14 million square miles of ~1.5 mile thick sheet of ice, called the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). While East Antarctica contains just a little less 60% of the world's fresh water, it's all locked up in ice; the area is actually a desert with very little accumulation of snow and other precipitation. This region of Antarctica has the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station but has not been intensively studied as West Antarctica. Due to increasing ice loss in this area, now more scientist are studying this side of the continent to learn about how the EAIS is melting and how that affects us and the planet—much like what we’re doing in this expedition.
Some Things To Look Forward To!
Throughout the expedition, in addition to the journal updates on our research and life on board the ship I’ll be posting the answers to your “Let’s take a Closer Look at…” questions (including more information on Antarctic wildlife, our research techniques—like what is “multibeam bathymetry”—and other cool polar science info). Be sure to look for your question! I’ll also be posting lots of awesome photos, a few more giveaways, fun science experiments to try at home the Flag Contest winners’ flags flying, and a few other surprises! Don't forget to subscribe to get notifications when new journals are posted. I can’t wait to get going!
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