Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 11/30/2007 - 20:27
Forums
Antarctic Ice Sheet Studies

Hi Mr. Gillette, it's Ryan. I was wondering what the weather is like there. How often does it change? Is it very windy, or more quiet? Also, when you go out on the ice, what type of clothes do you wear to keep warm? I know you must have to wear alot.  Ryan Luder

Wed, 12/05/2007 - 00:37

Brandon Gillette

The weather is a bit weird.  It snows a little bit almost everyday.  It doesn't really stick around though.  It is all a very dry snow, so what falls is very easily blown out onto the sea ice and ice shelf that surrounds the station.  The temps are always in the mid 10s to mid or upper 20s, at least this time of year.  They can always go up or down if a storm rolls in.  There is some weather forcasting that can be done with a large number of stations around the continent that help to monitor the current weather.  These forcasts, as with those back home, aren't very accurate out to more than a day or so, and as you know in Kansas, even that can change in a few minutes!For clothing, the key is layers.  You don't want to sweat, and if you do, you don't want to be wearing cotton.  Cotton kills is the saying down here.  It traps water and holds it close to your skin.  Down here water kills too.  At these temperatures it doesn't take much to bring on hypothermia.
Cheers,~Gillette