Local Posting Day and Time- 1-4-08 1:08PM
Central Standard Posting Day and Time- 1-3-08 6:08PM
McMurdo Weather Temperature- 30F Wind Direction- East Wind Speed- 5 mph Wind Chill 23F
Today's WATIZIT Picture What time was it when I took this picture?
Bonus In which direction is the top of the picture pointed?
WATIZIT
WATIZIT
Learning how things are done here is important for safety as well as to protect the environment. Everything that is brought to Antarctica should leave Antarctica, even human waste. Recycling is a huge deal. Here you do not just throw things into the garbage. Items are seperated into many different containers to be recycled.
Recycle Bins
Do YOU Recycle everything that YOU can?
We went to several trainings today to learn what needs to be done to help with garbage management and eliminate any pollution. Any small leak or spill must be reported and cleaned up. We were told about specific techniques that make perfect sense but might not be obvious. For example never fill containers all of the way to the top with liquids. Since they will likely freeze and either crack the container, or warp it so it becomes more difficult and expensive to ship off the continent.
We also went to vehicle training. Julie gave us instructions on inspecting and driving three different kinds of vehicles; pick up trucks, MacTracks, and Piston Bullys. I drove both the MacTrac and the Piston Bully.
Julie showing us how to inspect the Piston Bully
Julie teaching us how to inspect and drive a Piston Bully
Julie and Piston Bully
Julie teaching us about the Piston Bully.
MacTRac
I had driver training in a MacTrac
The team of scientists with whom I am working, manage about 60 automated weather stations that they have placed around the continent. While I am here we will be traveling to some of those stations to work on them and/or to add additional instruments to them.
You can see real time weather measurements, past weather and information about each station from this team of scientists' stations at this website.
On Saturday, George, Jonathan and I are scheduled to fly, via helicopter, to work on one of the weather stations here on Ross Island.
So your mission (if you chose to accept it) is to figure out which station we will be flying to. Here are two hints…
1) The station's location is on Ross Island Lat : 77.22S Long : 166.44E2) We are going out to the station to replace its wind sensor.