Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/14/2008 - 10:06
Forums
Antarctic Weather Stations

Hi Mr. B,

We are excited about the IPY tomorrow. 

Today's questions:

Why doesn't the ice break if so many people are running and jumping while playing rugby?

Did you take your cell phone with you to Antarctica and does it work there?

We have a question about the lava, but see that you are looking for that answer already.

How deep is the sea ice at its deepest?

How deep is the sea ice where the Oden is breaking it?

Have fun on your trip this afternoon.

3W

 

 

 

Mon, 01/14/2008 - 23:24

Kirk Beckendorf

Great questions!!!First I have to give a little explanation. There is a difference between sea ice and the ice shelf. Sea ice is frozen ocean water itcan be one year old or older. The ice shelf is basically a glacier which has slide out onto the ocean. Sea ice is much thinner than the shelf. Sea ice will get 5 or so feet thick. An ice shelf can be 500 or even 1000 feet thick.
Close to McMurdo the two kinds of ice meet. In the spring, the large airplanes that fly here, land on the sea ice. But it is too thin now so they land on the ice shelf, but that is farther away. The rugby game was played on the Ross Ice Shelf.
Icebreakers can only break through sea ice, not the ice shelf. From what I can tell from shore it looks like the Oden is breaking through ice that is only a foot or so thick.
I did not bring my phone, I had been told that it would not work here.
Thanks for writing. 
Mr. B.