Antarctic Science

Since we are here supporting scientific research, our blog wouldn't be complete without a posting on the kinds of projects being conducted. The average worker doesn't get to hear enough about what's going on around us, but the NSF does try to promote different projects by hosting science lectures on Wedensdays and Sundays. Additionally, if you have the time and motivation, the science lab building is filled with displays and data. Tours of the labs and the aquarium are given on Sunday afternoons. Michiel went on a tour last weekend and had an excellent opportunity to touch sea spiders, starfish and other sea creatures housed in the aquarium tanks.

Antarctic Octopus


There is quite a bit of marine biology work being conducted here which require dive shacks (little huts with heaters located such that they sit on top of a hole cut into the sea ice) and dive tenders (regular people who help the divers get themselves and their equipment in and out of the holes in the sea ice). Dive tending is considered a "boondoggle" or morale trip and the opportunity is offered by supervisors to individuals in all departments. Some of the marine biologists are studying the anti-freeze in the blood of certain Antarctic fish and looking at other applications for similar man-made materials.

Other science parties are studying meteorites and life forms (microbes) in the dry valleys, penguins (Emperors and adelies), Weddell Seals, activity in the active Erebus Volcano, and the atmosphere (the hole in the ozone layer (which is located largely above where we are located). I believe the greatest proportion of the work right now is focused on global warming. There are many science groups working in different locations on the continent using ice core sampling techniques, sonar, radar and other technologies to measure the thickness of the ice and compare it to historical data.

One of the science lectures focused on the catastrophic break up of an ice sheet on the other size of the continent. The before and after photos were astounding and particularly worrying because up til now, the melting of glaciers in every other part of the world has been balanced out by the increase in the ice sheet on Antarctica (as the earth warms, the temperature in Antarctica also warms and becomes more amenable for snowfall. When more snow falls in these regions, glaciers increase in size. When the temperature is too low, there isn't enough moisture in the air for snow to fall - which explains why Antarctica is the highest, coldest and DRYEST continent on earth.)

For monitoring weather conditions, scientists send up huge long-distance balloons carrying monitoring equipment that record atmospheric conditions. Here's a photo of one of the balloons that was launched this season.

There's so much going on here in science that it's difficult to discuss or even understand it all. If you would like more info, check out the US Antarctic Program website: www.usap.gov

Dutch Citizenship

Sheri is now a Dutch American! We received a most excellent email from Michiel's sister telling us that I got my official letter from Queen Beatrix. I am a dual citizen of both the Netherlands and the United States. Yippee! or Joepie! (in Dutch)

Recreation

We work hard and play hard. In order to provide recreational opportunities for 1000 people with different tastes, McMurdo has a recreation department staffed by three people.

Gear issue services includes the rental of musical instruments, cross-country skis, climbing shoes, etc. A small 2-lane bowling alley (with one of the last manual pin-setting operations in the world!) is located in Building 63. Open bowling hours are on Sunday evenings. They also have cosmic bowling (using black lights and glowing bowling balls!)

The sports gym is the site for volleyball, basketball, aerobics and other activities. Sign up sheets for league and team play are also posted on the Recreation bulletin board. The climbing wall is also located in the gym. All personnel on station who have received training on its proper use can utilize this wall. Training classes will be announced at various points throughout the season.

The weight room offers nautilus type equipment, free weights, exercise cycles and other exercise equipment. Upstairs, this building has a Ceramics room, a sewing room, and a bouldering cave. The Acey Deucy (Bldg. 78) is completely outfitted with aerobics training equipment. Both facilities are open 24 hours a day for your use.

The library has books on many different subjects and interests that are available for checkout. The library is open most evenings each week.

There are three clubs open to serve the McMurdo community. Gallagher's, the non-smoking club, offers a 'burger bar' three nights of the week. The Coffee House has a cozy atmosphere and serves coffee, wine and cheeses. Southern Exposure is the smoking bar.

Beer, liquor and soda are available for purchase at the retail store during regular store hours. The amount purchased per visit is limited. Video checkout, fax service and pre-paid long distance phone cards are also available through the store, as well as t-shirts and souvenirs, toiletries and maps.

Chapel of the Snows offers a variety of religious services for community members.

A band room is available after work hours and is equipped with amps, sound board and instruments. This season, I am playing drums in a reggae band so our band has a two hour slot on Wednesday evenings for practice.

Aside from the regularly available activities and services, the recreation department ensures that there are clubs, games, special activities, trips and parties every night of the week and on some days (for the night shift workers).

Our costumes for the 70s party and Halloween (I guess you could say that we are Queen's Day celebrators?)




Some of the best of the very creative Halloween Costumes. Costumes were judged for Best Overall, Best Antarctic Theme, Scariest, Funniest, and Best Group costumes. The winners get to go on a special outing by snowmobile to a gorgeous overlook of Erebus Volcano.





Here’s a schedule of the past week’s activities:

Monday, October 24th: Bowling and Volleyball leagues begin tonight! Check with your
captain to get the season schedule! Good Luck!

Tuesday, October 25th: NEW!! Silversmith class with Harry Fishel. You lucky students who are signed up on the rec. board start your 5 weeks of classes tonight from 7-9pm in bldg. 136. Bring your $10 supplies fee.

*Rescheduled Sunday (10/23) Science Lecture in the dining hall at 8:30pm.

Wednesday, October 26th: Morning Movie: "Children Underground" at the Coffee House

NEW!! * Survival Russian language class starts tonight at 7:00pm in 207 1st floor lounge! This is a basic course in Russian language with an emphasis on tactics for traveling the Trans Siberian Railroad.

*Birthday Bingo starts at 8:00pm in Gallagher’s! If you were born in October, you play for free! Bring your ID along.

*NEW!! *Intro Shito Ryu Karate class from 6-7:15pm in the big gym. All welcome!

*Antarctic Movie Night in the Coffee House starts at 7:30pm. Tonight’s movie is “The Crystal Ocean”, all you ever wanted to know about icebergs, glaciers, and pack ice.

Thursday, October 27th: The Ends of the Earth: A three credit course continues through Dec. 15th. Classes will be held every Monday and Thursday 7-8:00pm in the 208 1st floor lounge.

*Every Thursday Night is American Night at Scott Base! Shuttles start at 6:30pm from DJ! Check the rec. board for details.

*Thursday Night Movie: "Children Underground", 8pm at the Coffee House

Friday, October 28th: NEW!! * White Crane Women’s Self Defense Class from 7-8pm in the laundry room.

NEW!! * Shito Ryu Karate Class from 8-9pm in the laundry room.

Saturday, October 29th: Town Halloween Party at the big gym! The party starts at 8:00pm, with costume judging 9:00-9:45pm. Join the fun! See you there!

Sunday, October 30th: NEW! The first 10 people to get down to the gym at 10:30am to help clean up after the Halloween party, get their names on the first recreation trip of the season!

NEW!! * Shito Ryu Karate Open Training from noon-1pm in the big gym.

*Discovery Hut Tour - Sign up on the rec. board, and meet at the handwashing station at 1pm sharp.

*Cinema Sunday at the Coffee House: noon: "Cosi"
4pm: "Like Water for Chocolate"
8pm: "A Soldier’s Story"

If this isn’t enough, there are always hikes and walks around station to get great views of the sea ice, the ice runway, the Royal Society mountain range and the active volcano, Mt. Erebus. Many people ski or run the roads out to the ice runways and Michiel and I are certainly trying to make time to do that in preparation for the marathon and fun runs later in the season.

With band practice, staying in shape, eating and sleeping, we don’t have much time for the other activities (especially with my 12 hour shifts), but we do try to attend the science lectures (more on that next time!) though it's temptiing to want to do a little of everything!

The Antarctic Basics

For those who weren't around (at least in my life) for my first trip down to the ice, I'm sure you have lots of questions, so I'll try to cover all of the basics about life here.

Where:
Michiel and I are stationed at McMurdo, an American science and research station on the New Zealand side of the Antarctic continent. The station was created by the US Navy in the 50's in support of the International Geophysical year. The Navy no longer owns and runs the facility; it is managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and run by the sub-contractor, Raytheon. Michiel and I are employed by Raytheon, as are almost all of the people who are not doing actual science work.

McMurdo is located on Ross Island, which is surrounded by the Ross Ice Shelf and an active volcano (Mt. Erebus).

Town as viewed from Hut Point. Dorm buildings are in the foreground.


The Work:
70 percent of the workforce is involved with activities to support the science projects that are going on here. People are employed doing such things as housekeeping, dishwashing (my last job here), logistics (passenger and cargo movement), vehicle maintenance and operation, computers, project and program management, and many other things.

Michiel has already mentioned that he is working as a supply person in the plumbing warehouse. I am working in the Passenger Services area and spend a great deal of my day manipulating the out-dated Passenger Transport System database with the names, dates and hotel requests for passengers traveling back to Christchurch and onward to the South Pole or field camps. It’s actually fun work – I get to see where everyone is going and the department is full of fun people.

Michiel shoveling snow

The work week is exceptionally long. Michiel works Monday through Saturday from 7:30 to 5:30. I work 5 twelve-hour days per week and will shift to nights half way through the season. This means that we don’t have a lot of time together, but thankfully, we DO share a small dorm room.

Michiel in the Plumbing Warehouse


The Living Situation:
Everyone on station lives in a dorm. Some dorms have one bathroom between every two rooms and some have ladies’ and men’s rooms on each floor. We live in one of the latter types. Each dorm has a lounge (with TV, DVD, microwave and pool table (or other games)), a laundry room and an area to recycle.

Dorm rooms are very small but people do a lot to make them cozy with wall hangings, linens and bedspreads from home, coffee makers and decorations. They come equipped with two beds, two nightstands, two dressers, a small fridge, and lamps. We scored a television/VCR combo from Michiel's boss for our room. The offerings are meager but it is nice to be able to get the weather forecast (yeah, yeah....I know you're thinking "What does the forecast matter when it's always cold??!!! Actually, it matters a lot if you can see that it is a total white-out (Condition One) and you aren't allowed to leave your building to go to work.) or watch a movie.

One of the challenging things about the dorm situations is that there is a combination of day and night shift workers living in the same areas and even in the same rooms (as Michiel and I will experience later in the season). Day Sleepers have special signs on their doors to notify passers-by.

One of the things that makes decorating easier is a system called "skua", which is named after the scavenger bird that frequents this area. Usable things that you no longer want are placed in bins labelled "skua". Anyone can rummage through the bins or the central storage area. So far, we've skua'ed shoes, clothes, video tapes, wall hangings, a clock radio and other small items. The skua system makes it easier to come down here without packing hundreds of pounds of stuff.

Weather:
Of course, no discussion about life in Antarctica would be complete without a word about the weather. As it is now summer, the air (ambient) temperatures are fairly mild, ranging from -15 F to 20 F (-26 C to -7 C). However, the extreme winds make for awesome wind chills around -45 F (-43 C). These winds create white-out snow conditions that require us to curtail travel outdoors. When we have a “Condition 1”, all travel is restricted, including travel to your work place.

Aside from the cold and wind, the biggest physical discomfort is the dryness. We were lucky enough to "score" a humidifier from the medical clinic, which helps a great deal with nighttime dryness and I've noticed that there are a lot more containers of moisturizer around station, but it is a constant struggle to stay hydrated (we drink liters of water and juice each day) and moisturized.

Furthermore, the dryness seems to make it easier for people to catch colds and harder for cuts to heal. Colds and flu (commonly called "the crud") are a big problem and account for many lost work hours. There are loads of signs reminding people to wash their hands before eating and after using the bathrooms but at any given time, it still seems that at least a quarter of the station has the crud.

Arriving in Antarctica / In Antarctica aangekomen

We were picked up on the ice runway by an enormous vehicle called “Ivan the Terrabus” – this wouldn’t be the first and only strange and adapted vehicle we would see here on the ice. The managers from all of the departments greeted their employees in the lobby of the galley building and afterwards, we attended a presentation on the rules of the station. Once the presentation was complete, we were allowed to find our dorm rooms and pick up our bags.




The following days were filled with courses and trainings, including Mapcon (a ridiculously outdated supply/warehousing computer system) and vehicle training. They use outdated (notice the trend?) loaders and forklifts (including the military green versions of these vehicles, called “pickles”) which we have to be very careful with because parts cannot be easily or quickly ordered and obtained. I drive the pickles, loaders and Ford pick-up trucks (some of which have special tracks instead of tires). I never thought I’d operate this sort of heavy equipment!



I am a Materials Person for the plumbing department and work in building 136 (the plumbing warehouse). I actually belong to the Supply department. I do some administrative tasks (finding and delivering parts to people who request them and then recording the transaction in Mapcon) as well as manual labor (counting and moving goods such as chemicals and propane with loaders and forklifts and shoveling snow). Contrary to what I thought before I came down, I am not warm and cozy in the warehouse all day. I do have a chance to enjoy the weather and the view during the work day.


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We worden van de ijs landingsbaan gehaald door een enorm groot voertuig; Ivan the terra mover. We zullen nog veel grote, aangepaste en gekke voertuigen zien. In de hal van de galley (het eethuis) staan de managers van de afdelingen klaar om hun nieuwe personeelsleden te verwelkomen. Daarna krijgen we een presentatie over de regels en mogelijkheden van de basis en kunnen we naar onze kamers gaan.

De volgende dagen worden gevuld met allerlei cursussen waaronder Mapcon (een oeroud computer programma waarin zo'n beetje alles wordt bijgehouden; van onderdelen en voorraden tot personeelsleden en vertrektijden van de vliegtuigen) en voertuig taining. Ze werken hier met " oeroude" vorkheftrucks, loaders en pickles (militaire vorkheftrucks) waar we heel voorzichtig mee moeten zijn omdat er vaak geen nieuwe onderdelen besteld kunnen worden. Naast de Ford pick-up trucks zijn dit de voertuigen die ik bestuur. Nooit gedacht dat ik ooit zware voertuigen zou bedienen.

Ik ben een Material Person voor de loodgieters en werk in gebouw 136 (plumbing warehouse) en ben onderdeel van de Supply afdeling. Mijn werk bestaat enerzijds uit administratieve taken (het opzoeken en uitreiken van onderdelen aan mensen die daar om vragen en vervolgens administreren in het (oeroude)systeem) en anderzijds uit manuele arbeid als het tellen en verplaatsen van goederen. Het verplaatsen van zware spullen (zoals vaten met water of chemicalien) doen we met behulp van de zware voertuigen. In tegenstelling tot wat ik dacht voordat ik hier kwam ben ik dus niet de hele dag warm en knus binnen aan het werk, maar heb de kans om van het weer te genieten.

The Trip South / De Reis naar het zuiden

After a long trip from Anchorage to Seattle, Seattle to LA (where I had a drink with Sheri's cousin, Liz), from LA to Auckland, New Zealand and, finally on to Christchurch - I was, finally, close to my final destination. In LA, I had already seen luggage with the RPSC (Raytheon Polar Services) bag tags and in Christchurch there were even more. The veterans (or “returnees”) didn’t use the blue tags for the 2005 – 6 season, but tags with other colors to clearly show that they weren’t FINGEES (F%^$@ing new guys – a military term).

In Christchurch, everyone received their per diem for food and lodging and then we had to try on our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather gear) – lots of work and a little strange considering how relatively warm it was outside.

After the following full day of safety training and orientation, we were ready to leave. We gathered very early the next day at the Antarctic Passenger Terminal and put on our ECW and checked in. We received a sack lunch and boarded the military C-17. There were about 150 people and lots of cargo on the aircraft.



After 5 hours of flying, we landed softly on the Ross Sea ice. Unbelievable to think that the ice can hold such a heavy airplane….but indeed there is a little “town” with movable buildings, a fire station and a galley out on the ice. Later in the summer, this ice will start to melt and a Russian ice breaker will make a channel to allow the resupply ship to dock at the station.

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Na een lange reis van Anchorage naar Seattle en van Seattle naar Los Angeles (waar ik een drankje dronk met Sheri's nicht Liz) en vervolgens van LA naar Auckland (Nieuw Zeeland) en door naar Christchurch; eindlijk dichtbij de eindbestemming. Al in LA had ik verschillende tassen gezien met de RPSC (Raytheon Polar Services) naamkaartjes en in Christchurch waren het er vele tientallen. De veteranen gebruikten niet hun blauwe (van 2005-2006) label, maar de anderskleurige om duidelijk te laten zien dat zij geen nieuwkomers zijn. (nieuwkomers heten hier FINGEES (= F*&^%$ new guy/girl)

In Christchurch kreeg iedereen zijn onkosten vergoeding (voor overnachting en voedsel etc.) en daarna moest iedereen zijn ECW (emergency cold weather) kleren aanpassen. Erg veel werk en een beetje raar als het buiten lekker warm is.

Na een volgende dag van veiligheids cursus (daar zullen we veel meer over horen) en orientatie/inleiding zijn we klaar om te vertrekken. 's ochtends heel vroeg moeten we ons verzamelen bij de terminal waar we onze ECW moeten aantrekken. Het vliegtuig is een c17 militair vliegtuig en op mijn vlucht gingen zo'n 150 mensen mee en heel veel vracht.

Na 5 uur vliegen maken we een zachte landing op het ijs van de "Ross Sea". Ongelooflijk om te bedenken dat het ijs zo'n zwaar vliegtuig houdt.