Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 01/01/2008 - 15:49
Forums
South Pole Ozone Changes

What are ice cores? Why did they need to be shipped to maine?

(Reffered to: Elke Bergholz's Journal Entry on December 27, 2007)

 

When does the winter season start in Antarctica, when do you have to leave?, If you are there for new years, how do you celebrate?

 If you had the choice of living in Antarctica or living in any other part of the world for the rest of your life which would it be?

Thank You,

Sarah

7th grade The School at Columbia University

p.s.

I enjoyed having the video-conference with you and some of your team, all the topics presented were facinating and intriguing.

Wed, 01/02/2008 - 09:10

Elke Bergholz

Dear Sarah, Thank you for your comments and for your questions. My team and I also enjoyed the video conferences with your school. It was very special to see and talk to students life.The research you are referring to was done by a team from the University of Main. I listed a website about them and you can follow some of their work. They took ice cores while traversing Atarctica . Ice cores are collected with long tubes, just like if you would put a straw into a soft cake . Inside the straw would be the "cake core" once you pull it out again. They test the snow for different deposits to determine climate changes. Their laboratory and instruments are in Main and that is why the cores have to bi shipped their for analysis. It was very interesting having met the travers team. Some members have ben collecting ice cores for many years. The winter season starts here once the last plane leaves in mid February. The next plane will not be able to come and land at the South Pole until the end of October. I will leave in about a week or so. We celebrated our New Year with a muic and dance party. Three bands from the station played for us. We decorated the Gym for the party.  We also celebrated the New Year by moving a new Geographic Pole marker to the correct position of 90 degrees South. No one could live for good here in Antarctica. However, I would like to come and be here more often, if I could. I am not certain where I would like to go and live for the rest of my life; that is an interesting question. However, I would make certain that the area had a good winter every year. New York has been my home for many years and I am often in Europe or travel to places I have not seen yet. That is a good balance for me.  Happy New Year,  Elke