The WAIS Divide crew has arrived in Antarctica! Yesterday, after an early wake-up call at 5:00 a.m. we headed off to the airport to catch our flight. To our surprise, we headed south on an Airbus. This was a special treat because we normally fly down on LOUD, windowless C-17 airplanes. On the Airbus
I am heading back to Antarctica! Today I will get on a plane in Seattle and head to New Zealand- marking the beginning of the long journey to the icy Antarctic continent. The first 2.5 hour flight will take me from Seattle to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, I will get on an Airbus and fly to Auckland
These two videos should demonstrate what I did today. This video was made Friday before I headed out to work. It shows what I wore out to the ice. http://
We’re flying! OK, not at the moment, but we’ve been flying the past 2 days! I can attempt to describe the process; however, I think pictures will do the most justice in this case. We begin our flying days with two helicopters and an hour and thirty minute ride out to the Roadend fuel cache Kristin
Dear viewers, On Thursday the 18th I took off from McMurdo on a C-17 Hercules. There were only five passengers on the flight, and six crew. This was still an important flight, though, because each Hercules flight brings in important jet fuel for use here at the station. The plane comes in as full as
Jim asked me to visit him in his lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in La Jolla, California to begin the preparations for the expedition. My first impression is that I am the luckiest teacher around. Jim is not only a top notch researcher, but also a wonderful person who cares
After seeing Scott's hut (see my previous journal for that!) we walked along a high rise and down to the Ob Tube, and observation tube inserted down through the ice so you can see under the ice. On the way there I snapped some pics. We knew there were seals and even a few penguins around, but I didn
What happens when you put a Styrofoam cup under a lot of pressure, like in the bottom of the ocean? Scientists have known for decades that the tiny air bubbles that help the cups keep drinks hot or cold burst when crushed under the pressure of the water, shrinking them into tiny cups. For years
The idea of going to Antarctica as a member of a research team is finally starting to sink in. The thought of participating in a PolarTREC expedition has been an abstract and remote fantasy for many months. It has been more like a bedtime story for my kids than a real possibility. But now, having
