Antarctica ... A sea of white. About 20 minutes out from McMurdo Station.
Stepping out of the C-17 aircraft onto Antarctica. Winds were out of the north when we landed so the weather here was a bit warmer than normal ... in the 30's.
So how big is Antarctica? For comparison purposes Antarctica is about as big as the US ad Mexico combined. There are no native people that inhabit the continent. The people there number between 4,000 - 5,000 during the summer months (November - March) and drops to about 1,000 during the winter. The activities taking place on the continent are almost exclusively for scientific purposes, and are controlled by an international treaty. To learn more about this treaty visit http://www.classroom.antarctica.gov.au/7-international/7-1-antarctic-treaty
McMurdo Station from Ob Hill.
A little background about McMurdo - McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed territory of Antarctica. British explorer Robert F. Scott first established a base close to this spot in 1902 and built Discovery Hut or sometimes known as Scott Hut. The United States officially opened its first station (a US Navy facility) at McMurdo on Feb. 16, 1956. Today, McMurdo Station is Antarctica's largest community and a functional, modern day science station, which includes a harbor, three airfield, a heliport and more than 100 buildings.
Find out more about McMurdo Station at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station.
Also, check out the live web cam of McMurdo Station at http://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/mcmwebcam.cfm
NOTE: All of Antarctica is in the same time zone as New Zealand.
Shortly after landing on Saturday (my time … Friday Pennsylvania time … that darn international date line get sin the way) I had several briefings about the unique environment I'm entering and the rules and policies that will help everyone complete their job safely. At the meeting I met up with the AGO Team leader Bob Melville which was a real shock considering they were supposed to have already been at South Pole. But that's the way it is in Antarctica … Mother Nature always has the last word, and she wasn't being very cooperative. Poor weather at South Pole was keeping flights from coming in, so the AGO Team was stranded in McMurdo Station. But what was unfortunate for the AGO team was good for me. Bob, Andy, Dave and Gill were a big help showing me around the place and giving me lots of great pointers.
After my meetings I got checked into my room. I found my luggage and then checked into my room. If you've ever stayed in a college dorm room, cut that in 1/2 and put three people in the room. And I even got top bunk … that's what happens to the last guy that checks in. :-)
My room at McMurdo Station. Top bunk is all mine. You need to drink lots of water because Antarctica is a desert. In the field they want you drinking at a minimum 3-4 liters per day just to stay hydrated. So you can imagine, you're up a couple times through the night. Interesting getting in and out of top bunk when you aren't really awake.
My roommates are actually very nice. Both are graduate students studying Mt. Erebus, one of the most active volcanoes on the Planet.
From there it was dinner time so I met up with Bob and company at the cafeteria. Let's just say there's no danger of going hungry in McMurdo … the food is pretty good and there's plenty of it. It's all you can eat buffet style and I had two big plates of spaghetti!
After dinner I really thought I better go get some exercise, so Andy and I headed up Ob Hill. Ob Hill is a cinder cone volcano. Cinder cones tend to be small with steep sides and made of ash and rock that gets ejected out from time to time. The entire area surrounding McMurdo is volcanic in nature and every where you look you see the ash and rock.
Ob Hill is the cinder cone volcano in the background on the other side of McMurdo Station.
Take a look at all the gas pockets that formed when the boiling lava cooled and solidified. The rock was then blown out during an eruption.
It was close to 9:00 PM by the time Andy and I returned from the Ob Hill hike, but you would never know it. It wasn't any darker than when I landed in McMurdo eight hours earlier. I was up at 4:30 AM to get the van from my hotel to the airport, so my mind was telling me I should be tired, but my body just wasn't. It's very strange how you get used to things like the Sun rising moving across the sky and setting. When that doesn't happen and Sun just goes around the horizon it's easy to lose you time bearings. My first night in Antarctica I stayed up in the lounge until 1:30 AM before I finally felt I could go to sleep. I quietly walked into my room with bright sunlight peaking around the window shade and climbed up into my top bunk. Definitely was a restless night. I'd sleep a couple hours and then be wide awake.
Finally when I got out of bed (I forced myself to stay there until 9:00 AM), I cleaned up and headed over to Sunday brunch. Again good food and lots of it … as much as you want. The AGO Team still hadn't made it out because Sunday is a down day and no one flies. So we hung out after brunch and talked. every now and then people from other research projects would come by the table and join in the conversation. It's interesting to see folks interact and share ideas. So few people come to Antarctica most of the scientists have know each other for years, and they get together to keep caught up with the research of their colleagues.
The AGO research team after brunch visiting with colleagues. (left to right - Bob, Dave, Gill, and Andy)
After brunch and long conversations, Andy, Dave, and I headed out on another hike. This time it was the ridge on the other side of McMurdo. the winds had shifted since yesterday and were now coming out of the south, and it was definitely colder than yesterday. I was glad I brought the heavy gloves and hat, because they were certainly necessary. Sunday evening I attended Sunday Evening lecture where scientists take turns presenting their current research projects. This one was on ice core sampling. I always wondered how the drill a core hundreds or 1000's of feet below the surface. I'm used to using a drill bit to drill a hole through wood or metal but not a core. The trick is to use a drill that is a cylinder. The cutting teeth are at the base of the cylinder wall so that as you cut down through the ice you are basically cutting a circle again and again going deeper and deeper. And when you're done clips at the base of the drill head break off the core and you pull the core up. Pretty cool!
Last night I slept pretty well surprisingly, and my body does seem to be adjusting to the sun that never sets. But the real test is yet to come. The Bob Melville and the rest of the AGO team finally made it out to South Pole today, and I started a series of training. This morning was High Altitude Training. South Pole Station is sitting at an elevation of 2,800 meters (9,186 feet) and when you consider the Earth’s atmosphere is thinnest at the North and South Poles, it actually feels more like 11,000 feet above sea level. Basically at high altitudes the air is thin and that means less oxygen you take in with each breath. Some people can experience swelling of the brain and fluid build up in the lungs, so it’s important to be able to recognize the symptoms both for your own safety and the safety of your team members. Symptoms can include things like headache, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, lack of focus, and eventually loss of consciousness. The important thing is to be prepared, and our field team will have the equipment necessary to deal with altitude sickness if necessary.
I had a chance to talk with my trainer Jennifer Erxleben about her career path that brought her to Antarctica. She is a snow hydrologist who started out pursuing a career in the arts, then changed to science. Take a few minutes and listen to her story. If you're thinking about what you want to do for your career, Jennifer might just give you some ideas for you. The Youtube video is here - http://youtu.be/fNitbWB-dBc
Tomorrow I start a two day training they call Happy Camper Training … pretty much this is survival training. We’ll spend two hours in the classroom, and then we head out into a remote area and learn how to survive in the field in extremely cold temperatures. We’ll be building snow shelters and learning the dos and don’ts necessary for survival on the ice.
Once complete Happy Camper Training it’s off the Cape Royds and the Penguine colony for about 10 days. Stay tuned … there’s lots more to come! For more information on the Cape Royds Penguin research project check out this link about a colleague of mine and her work there. http://womeninantarctica.com/portraits/jean.html