Meet McMurdo: Albert P. Crary Science Center
Meet McMurdo! A journal series to introduce you to McMurdo. Photo courtesy of Alex Eilers.
Albert P. Crary Science Center, my home away from home!
When we’re not out on the ‘ice’, the Albert P. Crary Science Center (Crary Lab for short) is likely where you will find the rest of the team and me, busy at work. The support staff here call the scientists ‘beakers’ – affectionately, of course! Maybe that’s because the lab is located on Beeker St. But they seem to have gotten the spelling wrong. Do you think they actually meant to name the street after the ‘meeping’ Muppet, Beaker?
Beeker St. – the only street sign I’ve seen at McMurdo. Photo credit: Hanry Kaiser
Who was Albert P. Crary?
The building was named after polar scientist Albert P. Crary (1911-1987), who was a geophysicist (a scientist who studies the Earth using gravity or magnetic methods) and glaciologist (a scientist who studies glaciers).
Albert P. Crary resting after a long day of research. Photo credit: Commander Jim Waldron, National Science Foundation
Besides being a noted scientist and researcher, one of Crary’s ‘claims to fame’ was that he was a true polar scientist, working in both the North and South Polar regions. Incidentally, he was the first person to actually set foot on both the North Pole, on May 3, 1952 (his plane landed on an ice flow), and the South Pole, on February 12, 1961.
He was also known as the ‘father’ of the American Antarctic science program. But wait, that’s not all, you’ll find a few other things in Antarctica named after him – the Crary Mountains and the Crary Ice Rise.
Crary Lab
Let’s go on a tour of Crary Lab. This multi-level building has 5 wings or ‘pods,’ each one housing a different science specialty or function.
This is the where I work! Can you guess which pod I’m in?
Pod A
Pod A (the core pod) is the heart of the building. Here we find stockrooms filled with all sorts of basic science equipment, such as glassware, bottles and other consumables we need to do our experiments. You’ll find basic science instruments like microscopes stored here as well. The scientists couldn’t manage all this equipment without some help, so the administrative offices are also close by. The people who work in this area really keep Crary Lab running!
Crary supply room. The scientists call it the Christmas room. Photo credit: Alex Eilers.
This pod also has a second story. The library, conference room and lounge are here, all with breath-taking views of the Antarctic landscape, I might add!
Pod B
This is home! Pod B is where I work and where our biology labs are. We are sharing the pod with 11 other biology teams. While we are studying seals, other biologists are studying penguins, microorganisms and other sea creatures found in this unique ecosystem. This pod has everything we could possibly need, including microscopes, cold storage areas to keep our samples preserved and our staging area used for loading and unloading our equipment.
This year we are in lab 143. During the 2012 expedition, we were in lab 142.
Both of the labs are located in the lower left-hand corner of the picture.
Another amazing thing about working in Crary Lab is the view from the window. Out my lab window is a breath-taking view of White Island. Wish I could take this view home to my office at the Pink Palace!
What a beautiful view! Beyond the building is White Island. Photo credit: Alex Eilers.
I work in this space. It is a little messy, but we have lots of work to do, so there is little time to clean up our desks. When we are out on the ice, we are taking measurements, collecting samples, weighing the seals, etc. But in the lab, we are processing our samples and packing them up to ship back to the States. Dr. Burns and her team will run more tests on these samples at the lab in Anchorage, Alaska.
My work area - where I write all of the journals. Photo courtesy of Alex Eilers.
Pod C and D
Pods C and D house the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences labs. Some of the earth scientists I’ve met are studying the volcanic Mt. Erebus, as well as the tectonics (Earth movements) of the Transantarctic Mountains.
Some of the atmospheric scientists who study weather and climate come to Antarctica to drill deep into the Antarctic ice sheets to collect core samples. These samples can tell us how the Earth’s climate has changed over time.
Take a look at this one!
Gases from the past and volcanic ash trapped in the ice make this a VIP (very important popsicle) of climate change! Photo credit: Heidi Roop.
Pod E
Everyone loves coming to Pod E because it’s the aquarium pod! It houses many of the marine life being studied. One of my favorites is the Antarctic toothfish (also known as the Chilean sea bass). Weddell seals have been known to snack on these ‘little’ creatures. Just kidding! Not about Weddell seals eating these fish, they definitely do. But Antarctic toothfish are not little! They can weigh 135kg, which is nearly 300 pounds!
There are a number of tanks here. The larger tanks house the animals currently being studied, and of course, we are not allowed to touch them. So, was I so excited to find the touch tanks! ‘Curious me’… now I get to touch some of these amazing creatures!
Wow! Take a look at this sea anemone ans sea spider. The spider is so big!. Photo credit: Alex Eilers.
The water in the tank is very, very cold – about 30°F. I could barely keep my hand in there longer than a few seconds. So, it’s difficult for me to imagine these beautiful creatures actually live in these frigid waters!
Take a look at this… I had to take advantage of getting to touch this isopod.
Look! It's me holding what I believe is an isopod.
Typically, the touch tank contains creatures like:
- Rock cod (small fish)
- Antarctic scallop
- Gastropods (snails and slugs)
- Chitons (mollusks)
- Sea spiders
- Sea anemones
- Corals
- Sea louses
- Nudibranch
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