Science Young'uns at Play

Last night we celebrated Thanksgiving at McMurdo by stuffing ourselves with turkey, dressing, and shrimp cocktail (an unusual, yet well appreciated addition to the traditional fare), and getting to meet a few more of the other researchers down here. One of whom - Paul, a post doc glaciologist originially from NC - dubbed us "science young'uns" due to our relative lack of experience, schooling and age.

Today, Allen and I went for a hike around Castle Rock to take advantage of the blue skies and warm weather (28 degrees F). Here's a map of where we went:

The +'s on the map are emergency shelters stocked with food, sleeping bags, and a phone line to McMurdo. The base would be just off the map to the bottom left.

Vast expanse of ice - I would say it's about yea big.

Castle Rock, in the upper right. The thing in the cloud on the upper left is Mount Erebus (a volcano).

Jenny loves EPS.

Allen loves Mount Erebus.

Ice ridge and snow-covered ridge in the distance - Allen Pope for scale (he would be standing closer but we're not supposed to leave the flagged routes for fear of crevasses and other dangers).

Scott base is the Kiwi (New Zealand) Antarctic base just down the road from McMurdo. It's much smaller than McMurdo (~100 people in high season) and all of the buildings are green. Don't be deceived though; the insides are quite nice, or at least the store and the bathrooms where we were allowed to go.

P.S. Allen and I are starting to coauthor our posts...

Mac Town

So what's it like to be at the biggest station on the coldest continent on Earth?

McMurdo Station is 77 degrees 51 minutes South (approximately 950 miles away from the South Pole) and 166 degrees 40 minutes East. Our current weather conditions (according to the McMurdo weather service) are overcast skies, 1/4 mile visibility, blowing snow (it's not falling, just moving around in the wind), a temp of 21 F, wind chill of 1 F, and wind speeds of approx 35 mph. Needless to say, it's a bit chilly down here.

This is what it looks like:

This sign is on the back of building 155 (where everybody eats)

Observation Hill- members of Robert Falcon Scott's party ascended this each day to look out for their leader as he returned from the ice (he never made it). There's a memorial cross on top of the hill, but the power lines are blocking it in this photo.

Antarctica's MGH- not quite as fancy as Mass. General Hospital, but it has more personality.

Assorted McMurdo buildings. The flat white behind them is the sea ice in McMurdo sound and behind that you can see parts of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM). Unfortunately, views like this one have been rare since we got here- right now all we can see past the buildings is a white wall of cloud and snow.

No Penguins

Today was just another day at McMurdo base. Wakeup, get to breakfast before the galley closes at 7:30 am, and then off to work. Today work was getting all our equipment sorted - or at least starting to. Here, the cargo building and next door Berg Field Center (BFC - also stands for Big F(rea)king Closet) is home to everything you'll ever need out in the field, from the necessities (sleeping bags and tents) to the academically important (tape measures and chisels) to things you wouldn't otherwise think of (rock drill and portable toilet system). It is also the closest we’ve come to a penguin yet…on the international Do Not Freeze symbol. 

Although we still have some equipment to organize and obtain, the BFC will be closed for the weekend in observance of Thanksgiving. So, besides working today we also went to an outdoor safety lecture which means we are now allowed to use the hiking and skiing trails around McMurdo. Hopefully there will be some spare time this weekend for that.

Also, this morning Jenny and I got a tour of McMurdo Base. We saw all the dorms, admin buildings, firehouse, hospital, cargo area, helipad, cardio gym, multi-purpose gym, rec center with bowling alley and bouldering cave, and of course the three bars (smoking bar, pub, and wine bar/coffee house). This place is really a little city.

 Since there wasn't that much exciting today, just thought I would mention some of the people we've met so far. Kaycee, who Jenny and I sat next to on the flight to McMurdo and has spent a full year at McMurdo working as a dining assistant, says that Antarctica hosts a "kaleidoscope of awesome people and whackjobs." So far we've only seen the awesome side - like Claire, a cycle racer from Madison, Wisconsin who has wintered at South Pole station maintaining the instrumentation for the IceCube project, or Ian, the scientist who has come down to the Ice for decades. Yesterday we met some of the Crary Lab staff (Paulene, Amy, Kevin...) and today we met some of the BFC staff (Rebecca, Martha, Craig...) who make sure scientists like us are all taken care of. It is truly amazing how many people are in this city on the end of the world (up to 1200) and the diversity of backgrounds that come together for the common goal of advancing science.

 Okay, enough philosophizing - it's time for dinner. Hope you all are enjoying the blog! And please, tell us any comments you have or if there's anything in particular you want to know.

Midnight Escape

They say a picture is worth a thousand words- so here's 2000 words:

We made it to Antarctica!

Just 45 minutes after midnight, Allen, Robert, Rob, and I (along with some 20 odd other ice bound folks staying at the Windsor) piled into 2 shuttle buses headed for the USAP clothing distribution center at the airport. Upon arrival, we picked up our extra Antarctica gear and changed into the mandatory extreme cold weather (ECW) gear. ECW gear consists of boots, puffy overalls, gloves, snow goggles, hat, and the classic big red USAP parka (that's why all of us are dressed the same).

After suiting up for the ice and checking in our baggage, we were briefed on what to expect when we got to McMurdo (another briefing...), then we headed off in a bus to our plane (a C-17 Globemaster III). For the next 5.5 hours we sat in the cargo hold, along with 64 barrels of fuel to be airdropped, as our pilot took us father south than Allen or I had ever gone before.

Around 9 am (we'll be on New Zealand time in Antarctica to avoid traveling through too many timezones by moving east/west), we landed on a runway constructed on the sea ice just outside of town and took our first steps onto Antarctica (the temp. was 12 degrees Fahrenheit) . After a short ride in our terra bus, we finally arrived in McMurdo - the main US base on Antarctica (woohoo!).

I should point out that we still haven't reached our final destination (the Dry Valleys). Before the four of us can head out on our own, we have to go through Snow School (aka Happy Camper training) so we know what to do in the cold. Even long time veterans like Robert and Rob have to take refresher courses. Due to the upcoming holidays (in McMurdo, Thanksgiving is observed on Saturday so that the staff can have a 2 day weekend), Allen and I won't be able to do our 2 night training course until Tuesday - which means that we won't really be able to get to the Dry Valleys until next Thursday at the earliest.

Ice on the Horizon

We are still in Christchurch after our flight this morning was cancelled yet again. Yes, it's nice to sleep in, but we're starting to get a bit antsy. To kill time we've been doing some work and just got back from a sunny picnic lunch in a park.

Good news, though: Our flight has been scheduled for tonight! That is, the shuttle will pick us up at our hotel around 12:45 am to make sure we are at the airport at 1:30 am for a flight at around 4 am. So (in theory) we should get to McMurdo for a tasty Thanksgiving lunch.

To keep you readers happy, here are a few more photos of the last couple days and a map to see where we've been. Zoom in on Christchurch to find Lyttelton and Taylor's Mistake on the small peninsula near Christchurch. Yesterday we went north up to Kaikoura on highway 1 (side trip to Gore Bay, lunch in Cheviot) and came back south via 70 and 7 near Hanmer Springs.


View Larger Map

Jenny blends in with the driftwood at Taylor's Mistake.

A fur seal at the Kaikoura seal colony.

Folding in the limestone at Kaikoura. There were some awesome chevron folds nearby, but the zoom on my camera couldn't quite get them.

Clear water, stone beaches, and limestone cliffs at Kaikoura.

A view from on top of the cliffs really shows the limestone bank and it's complex channels.

Alas- Still in NZ

This morning started off exactly like yesterday morning (with a 4:45 am knock on my door informing me that the flight had been delayed another 24hr and I should go back to sleep). Word on the street is that the weather in McMurdo is fine for flying, but the weather in the spot where our plane needs to drop off supplies on the way back from McMurdo is bad... so we don't get to fly in. So it goes down here I suppose.

Fortunately, we were somehow able to distract ourselves from the bitter disappointment of a second postponement by driving up to Kaikoura and taking in more of New Zealand's amazing landscape (we also saw a lot more sheep, a bunch of cows, some farmed deer, and even a few llamas). Here are a few pictures from our excursion:

Cathedrals Viewing Point - a stop along the way to Gore Bay (disclaimer: Gore Bay doesn't have any places to buy food!)

Another stop on the way to Kaikoura

Limestone Cliffs at Kaikoura

Kaikoura is also home to a seal colony - most of them are pretty stationary, but this guy got up to find a better sunbathing position

As far as getting to Antarctica goes... we'll try again in the morning and hopefully the third time's a charm.

Making Lemonade

As the old saying goes- when life gives you lemons, go explore New Zealand. Thus, because our flight to McMurdo was canceled, we used our spare time to roam the Canterbury countryside and fully absorb the beauty and fragrance of fields, trees, and flowering plants before we head off into a frozen wasteland.

I thought you folks back in the northern hemisphere might enjoy some pictures of spring:

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

This is where sweaters come from. Merino sheep are raised EVERYWHERE in New Zealand due to its wool industry. Interestingly, possums are also everywhere in NZ because they were foolishly introduced to the island country and took over the place. To encourage the removal of the possum pests they make clothes out of possum fur too.

Cliffs in Canterbury

Tomorrow morning we will make a second attempt at getting to McMurdo- an attempt that involves leaving our hotel at 5:15 am, taking off at 9:00 am, and (fingers crossed) landing in McMurdo around 3:00 pm (New Zealand time). If all goes well, we won't be seeing any flora until 2009. Cheers!

Still in Christchurch

We were very kindly woken up at 4am to hear the news that our flight to the Ice is postponed for 24 hours. Nobody told us exactly why, but the experienced hands at breakfast suggested either a mechanical problem or really, really bad weather at McMurdo. 

Either way, we have another day in Christchurch. Hopefully Rob (note: from this point onwards Robert = American research assistant and Rob = Kiwi mountaineer) will be able to show us some of the Banks peninsula near Christchurch, but we'll just play it by ear.

Since we're still here, though, here are a couple photos from Christchurch:

The port of Lyttleton, from the Port Hills.

A kiwi, at the Canterbury museum.

Cathedral Square, central Christchurch.

The Winsor B&B Hotel, our home in Christchurch.

In the Botanic Gardens.

Greetings from the Future*

We have finally all arrived in Christchurch, but (as should be expected when any elaborate schedule of air travel is concocted) it has been a rather exasperating trip.

At 2:30 pm EST Nov 20th, Robert and I headed to the airport in Boston with no fewer than 22 hours of flying time ahead of us. After a smooth connection in Los Angeles and a successful 14 hour journey across the Pacific, we landed in Sydney with just moments to spare before boarding our final flight from Sydney to Christchurch... or so we thought.

Our original plane could not be used due to a technical malfunction and a substitute plane would have to be flown from Melbourne for our use- so our flight (scheduled to depart at 9:15 am Sydney time Nov 22nd) would be delayed until 1:00 pm (net delay = 3.75 hr). Our rescue plane, however, was also unfit for further use due to a broken wing flap (which we learned about while our plane retreated from the runway). Several hours later we learned that our flight had been canceled and everyone would try again the next morning at 9:15 am (net delay = 24 hr).

On the bright side, this meant that Australia gave us permission to leave the airport (so that we could get to a hotel) and we were able to see a little bit of the city in whose airport we had just wasted away many hours of our life:View of Sydney from Botany BaySydney Opera House (note person for scale)

In the morning we boarded our plane for Christchurch, again, only to sit in the plane at the gate while a few paperwork issues regarding fueling were sorted through (net delay = 24.75 hr). Eventually we began taxiing to the runway and preparing to take off, when our captain informed us that THIS PLANE TOO had wing flap problems and we would be returning YET AGAIN to the gate to try and evaluate the situation. Happily, the problem was indeed fixable and we finally took off at 11:30 am Sydney time Nov 23rd (net delay = 26.25 hr).

Now all we have to do is fly the much less dependable route from Christchurch to McMurdo.
Woohoo!

*This is, of course, a reference to that one must fly across the international date line to get to New Zealand (currently 18 hours ahead of the US).

Christchurch

Finally all four of us are in Christchurch, New Zealand, and tomorrow morning we head off to the ice! While Robert and Jenny had some issues with planes on the way down (see Jenny's post), I got down here without a hitch. 

After landing and making my way to our hotel, I decided to explore Christchurch a bit - which is pretty much what I've been doing yesterday and today. I saw the beautiful botanic gardens, the Avon river, Christchurch Cathedral, the old Canterbury University, and the Canterbury Museum of Natural History. Christchurch isn't exactly a bustling metropolis, but it is a very charming place to spend a couple days. The gardens felt very much like a fairy tale, and the gothic buildings all over the place enhance the effect.

Today, my sightseeing took me up to the top of the (volcanically formed) Port Hills (via gondola) on the edge of town and across the other side to the town of Lyttleton. Lyttleton is the port near Christchurch which originally brought settlers to the area and was also used by many Antarctic explorers, like R. F. Scott, as a base from which to head South. It turns out Lyttleton isn't as hustle and bustle as it used to be (at least on a sunny Sunday afternoon), but is still an active port.

Apart from the sightseeing, I did actually spend some time getting properly outfitted with cold weather gear. There is a required list of items and we had to double check that everything fits as expected, because it's now or never - Antarctica is not the place to find out that your boots are too small! I now have the warmest coat and boots I will ever own as well as three separate fleece layers for both top and bottom. At the outfitting I also met Rob, our mountaineer, who was the one who suggested today's adventure - he used to live in Christchurch until a couple years ago.

And, finally, Robert and Jenny arrived in time for dinner this evening, and so we are set for an early morning departure. 

Photos coming soon - I wanted to upload them now, but for some reason the wireless connection is being very slow. 

Going South

First thing's first - who's on this trip?

Robert - Research Associate in the Noble Gas Lab. Cosmogenic nuclide and Antarctic geology expert. More than a dozen Antarctic field seasons. He's the boss on this trip.

Jenny - Undergrad at Harvard working in the Noble Gas Lab towards a thesis using the sample and data collected on this trip. 

Allen (me)  - I did my undergrad at Harvard, including a thesis on Antarctic glacial history with Sujoy Mukhopadhyay in the Noble Gas Lab. So, this trip is letting me do the Antarctic field work I never got to do. I'm currently at graduate student working on remote sensing of glaciers at Cambridge University.

Mountaineer - Some of the work we're doing requires a little safety expertise. We'll have a fourth joining the crew so we can reach those hard-to-sample areas.

Although we aren't leaving for Antarctica for another week, I'm getting excited about this blog, so I wanted to post. Everybody asks me, how do you get to Antarctica? This post is an explanation of the trip down south. That, and playing around with maps on my computer. 

If you're an oceanographer or working at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, you take commercial flights to the southern tip of South America and either take a boat or a plane from there.  (Map from http://mabryonline.org)

We are working out of the Dry Valleys via McMurdo Station (the largest base on the continent) , so we take commerical flights to Christchurch, New Zealand - I'm going via Chicago, Los Angeles, and Auckland for some reason while Jenny is flying through Los Angeles and Sydney; not sure where Robert is going. (Thanks Google Maps for the base image.)

In Christchurch where we get cold weather gear and final logistics before taking a chartered flight with a bunch of other scientists down to McMurdo Base. We'll spend about a week there doing final preparations for our field work in the Dry Valley. The map below is from the original proposal for this research. (I split it into two pieces so it would be a bit bigger.) See the links on the side for more information about the Noble Gas Lab, the Dry Valleys, and Antarctic glacial history. And hopefully, this post answers how we will get to Antarctica.

Formal Attire in Antarctica

The photo is from my brother, when he did a stint as a research assistant in Antarctica. We may not be interacting with any penguins, but they are so iconic I had to add the photo.