Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/14/2011 - 23:19
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Human Impacts in Antarctica 2011

I saw the pictures of you getting off the plane. What is it like to step on the ground? Do your feet sink into snow at all? Is the ice slippery and smooth, or crunchy, or bumpy? -Jorge

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 17:49

Michelle Brown

Hi Jorge,It was a really strange experience to step off the C-17 onto the ice.
The snow is very dry and my boots do a good job of gripping the surface.
Sometimes it can get slippery though. Yesterday I went to a sea ice
training and we went out on some ice. This winter the McMurdo area had
more snow than usual, so there's been a buffer to keep us from slipping
on the ice. The ice is loud though! Since it's so dry it is quite
crunchy and squeaky!
Thank you for your question!
Sincerely,
Michelle