Lots of Travel Ahead
I received my travel plans from the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) last week. The document includes my flight itinerary for the trips to and from South American. The first leg of the adventure begins on Thursday, September 1st. Approximately 29 hours later (including three flights and some extended layovers) I will arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile on September 2nd. While in Chile, the research team and I will work on unloading equipment and setting up special laboratory areas before our departure on September 7th (more information on this in a later journal). Click on the video below to see a brief animation of my travel plans.
Packing List
I started formally writing down items on a packing list about a month ago, but the packing process has been on my mind for quite a few months. The staff at PolarTREC, USAP and the members of the research group have been great about suggestions on what to bring. These items include warm base layers, plenty of gloves, warm socks, slippers, etc. It was pretty easy to throw these items together and begin making piles. The only problem - the piles continued to grow. There is only so much storage space in the berths (cabins) on the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer and there is only so much that you are allowed to take on the flights to South America. So, I allowed the piles to grow and then began the process of removing non-essential items and the extra items that I don't believe are necessary. I managed to reduce the pile quite a bit to the point where I decided to try to put the gear into bags. The current status is one large duffel bag and one small duffel bag with some room to spare in each. With seven days to go before I leave for the airport, I'll continue to add and remove items with the hopes of meeting the weight limit and not forgetting any of the essentials.
Planning and preparation are important for a succesful deployment. Piles of base layers, wool socks and fleece jackets are added and removed daily. After removing a few items and adding a few others, the end result is a large and small duffle with some room to spare. Some items may or may not remain before the bags are zipped up for the departure on September 1st.No Drugstores for Miles
Another important factor to consider when you are packing for a 6-week trip at sea is to think about the items that you won't easily be able to drive down the street to purchase. Travel sized items won't do the trick, so strategic planning and some purchases in South America should do the trick to make sure that I have all of the essentials while aboard the ship. One item that I am not taking any chances with is lip balm. Antarctica is one of the most arid locations on Earth. The graphic below shows the average precipitation levels throughout Antarctica in millimeters (mm). For scale, remember that 25 mm is approximately 1 inch.
Graphic showing the average precipitation (in mm) for the Antarctic continent. Although some coastal regions may receive 15-20mm of precipitation per year, the climate is so dry that Antarctica is technically a desert. Graphic courtesy William W. Connolley (creative commons).Add driving winds and climate controlled cabins to this arid climate and you have a recipe for chapped lips. I was told on numerous occasions to bring lots of lip balm and lots of moisturizer. I walked around the house and collected a few to bring along - do you think I have enough?
PolarTREC teacher Cara Pekarcik prepares for her trip to the dry climate of Antarctica by stocking up on important supplies - including lip balm and hand salve.No Internet for Days
I repeat - NO INTERNET FOR DAYS! In today's technologically-driven world, it is hard to imagine the inability to access information by simply typing it into a computer. I have been forced to prepare for this reality because of the limited connectivity aboard the ship. So, in addition to packing, I have been doing research, saving interesting guide books, research papers and images with useful information related to my trip. I have also added some marine biology, oceanography and guide books to my packing list so that information will still be at my finger-tips, it may just take me a little longer to find.
With limited connectivitiy aboard the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, PolarTREC teacher Cara Pekarcik adds reference textbooks and guide books to her packing piles.Stay Connected
If you haven't done so already, please use the Subscribe to Journals section of the Southern Ocean Diatoms expedition page to receive email updates when journals are posted. You will also receive an email to sign up for the PolarConnect event (find information about PolarConnect here) - a live presentation from the field! The tentative date for the event is sometime in the last week of September or the first week in October. Be sure to sign up for email updates so that you don't miss the announcement!
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