http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/ en Copyright 2009 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:35:39 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The following contains a few of the emails I sent during the SMS seismic survey that I was a part in 2005. It was one of the most incredible journeys I have ever experienced. I would like to thank Dave Harwood, who invited for me to be part of this exceptional adventure as well as the rest of the SMS team, who made the experience a fun and enjoyable one as well. ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/the_southern_mcmrudo_sound_sei.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/the_southern_mcmrudo_sound_sei.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:35:39 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/tim_naish_and_i_at_scott_base.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/tim_naish_and_i_at_scott_base.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:14:44 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/sundog_during_the_morning_of_t.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/sundog_during_the_morning_of_t.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:12:09 -0500 It has been a wondrous adventure so far, with the most exciting part yet to begin; moving to the sea ice field camp. Since my arrival, I have been awe struck by the beauty and majesty that this continent contains. Here at McMurdo, we are situated on a hill that looks across McMurdo Sound to the Transantarctic Mountains that loom high above the horizon although they are nearly 100 km away. The air is free of most of the toxins that Man has spread across the globe permitting the mountains to extend their beauty across to the little Man-made oasis called McMurdo. When I first arrived here the beauty over whelmed me; flooding my heart with such magic and filling my soul with joy. The mundane stuff of picking up the luggage after the plane flight and checking in to my dorm room became secondary distractions as I longed to get out and get into this world of ancient ice and towering jagged peaks. Although I was not accustomed to the cold (Christchurch was around 70 F), on that first evening, I looked for a place where I could see this alone and internalize the magic of it all. I found a little nook behind the little church that over looks the sound and was sheltered from the wind. Although I was not used to the cold and was shivering, on that first evening, I stood there for over a half an hour looking out at the wondrous scene that laid before me and just kept repeating over and over, “I made it, I am here!!”. This has since become the place I go to every night before I go to sleep. The routine is that I stand there looking out, sighing from the spell that it casts over me, absorbing the feelings, sights, and sounds of this mysterious place. On Friday night, we went over the New Zealand station that is about 2 km away to hear a talk by Tim Naish. He is a very nice guy and we get along quite well. In fact, he flew over in the same plane when I left New Zealand and we spent a great time talking about stuff. I hope that in the future, we can work on something together. The station is much smaller than McMurdo, with perhaps a 100 people there. Their bar has a very nice atmosphere to it, with a spectacular view of where the ice shelf meets the sea ice. In this transition zone, the ice shelf presses into the sea ice, resulting in the ice to buckle and get pushed up into crumbled tall towers of ice. http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_21_2005.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_21_2005.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:11:10 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/morning_in_the_happy_camper_sc.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/morning_in_the_happy_camper_sc.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:06:51 -0500 View image ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/gathering_our_food_supplies_fo.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/gathering_our_food_supplies_fo.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:04:24 -0500 I have been a bit busy since I arrived in Antarctica 4 days ago. The first couple of days have been a bit disorienting between all of the traveling and getting adjusted to this quite different environment. Since arriving, I have been either in classes either learning about to deal and survive on the sea ice or helping Dave with logistics. There has been so much learning about living and surviving here. We had three days of classes on what to look out for on the sea ice (cracks in the ice!!) and how to survive out there if I get stranded. We actually spent one night camped out with a few tents and survival gear. Most of the time the conditions were relatively fine, but about half way into setting up camp, we got hit with a substantial wind storm and had to struggle to get everything done quickly and get everyone into the tents. In the end only one person got a mild case of hyperthermia and a bit of frost bite on their nose. But now I feel confident that I could survive getting trapped somewhere in a storm as each person is issued a survival bag that contains food, water, sleeping gear, and equipment for building a shelter. The logistics and preparations for an expedition has also been daunting. I spent a greater part of the day shadowing Dave as he went through working through the logistical aspects of the expedition. This included checking with the communications people and picking up the radios, etc., checking with the operation people who check on every person and group that leaves the station. I had a real adventure that I wish that you could have been a part of. There are three places to get a drink at McMurdo, two bars, one smoking the other nonsmoking and a coffee shop where they sell beer and wine. The bars do not have much in terms of ambience or class. They basically look like low class bars somewhere. However, the coffee bar is a completely different beast. It has “T” shape with domed (inverted “U: shaped) ceilings of wood. On Saturdays, they have an “open microphone” where anyone can perform. The performers were quite good, mainly a light folkies light rock that was not too loud. The other part of the café has sofas and chairs and definitely had a classy cool look to it. In fact, it could have been located somewhere in the west village, but was in Antarctica. However, it was the people here that made it so interesting. These are all people who have tender hearts inside them, although sometimes, as in many people, they may have a tough exterior. The dynamics though became quite clear quickly. As I mentioned before probably 80 to 90 percent of the people here are support staff and technicians, with only a small minority of people being actual scientists, in which the 90 percent are here to help or work for. It was here in the café that they could relax and be off duty and not care about us scientists and just letting loose. Some come down each year, but most were quite young and were planning to travel after this. They were all passionate and it was interesting that many times, it was not me but others who would start talking about the magic and beauty of Antarctica and open up and talk about how it touched their spirits. Then, of course, there were the single people and divorcees who were definitely on the prowl. However, the place is about two thirds men, so the women clearly have the upper hand in this place. Also, the since McMurdo is relatively small, everyone knows everyone else. In fact, as you walk around the town, it is impolite not to greet people in the street or in the dorm. I ended up closing the cafe with Dave, Rich, and some of the camera crew around midnight and after a quick goodbye, I did my traditional routine before I go back to the dorm of going to the edge of town and overlooking McMurdo Sound and looking across to the Transantarctic mountains. Although they are nearly 100 km away, because of the clarity of the atmosphere, they are distinct and clear and look so much closer. I always get a bit emotional being at this site as this is the first place I went to on the first day. Although I was not used to the cold and was shivering, on that first evening, I stood there for over a half an hour looking out at the wondrous scene that laid before me and just kept repeating over and over, “I made it, I am here, Dad are you checking this out, I am here!!”. Last night, as I stood out there a little past midnight, watching the last sunset that McMurdo sound will see until February, my spirit flooded in with the magic of the moment (of course my emotions had nothing to do with the wine I had at the café!). As I looked over the sound, I can see equipment (including ours) that is being staged for the various field camps on the sea ice close town, with the large cargo planes waiting out beyond near the ice runway, with green flags leading away from town indicating the location of the ice road that leads to the planes. Beyond them are the 5000+ meter peaks of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) in the distance. A 4000-meter dominant volcano lies to the south that is domed shaped as opposed to the ragged peaks of the TAM. Tomorrow, we will almost be definitely heading out to the field camp. We expect to spend at least a day setting up the camp and then another day or so, testing the instrumentation. We are hopeful that the weather will improve and we can get some significant science in. The weather at this time of year is quite variable and none of the science with Antarctic experience has ever been down here this early in the austral spring. http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_23_2005.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_23_2005.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:02:13 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/an_emperor_penguin_and_mt_ereb.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/an_emperor_penguin_and_mt_ereb.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:01:11 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/one_of_our_first_dinners.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/one_of_our_first_dinners.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:00:03 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/the_sms_field_camp.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/the_sms_field_camp.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:58:38 -0500 ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/setting_up_the_scott_tent.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/setting_up_the_scott_tent.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:57:39 -0500 We finally left for the field station on Tuesday morning. The excitement of the moment as well as the anxiety of the unknown was apparent for many of us. I could see it in their faces as well as within me. We were shuttled along with our gear down through town and then onto the staging area a couple of hundred meters onto the sea ice. There are a number of expeditions that also use the sea ice to load up their gear onto the assorted vehicles. Our caravan included a Piston Bully (a large box shaped truck on treads), a hagglund (similar to a Piston bully, but is attached to a box like passenger carriage), and four snowmobiles. The piston bully and hagglund pulled three trailers, and a laboratory on skis. It was an amazing exit from the station area with all of the vehicles powering up and then blazing off in a cloud of snow. It was about a two-hour trip to the site, in which support crews had already set up the dining tent and workroom tent. Fuel for all of our vehicles sat there waiting for us as well as service men setting up the phone and Internet service. We spent the rest of the day setting up camp; putting up the Scott tents for sleeping (two to a tent), The toilet (a seat over a box inside a Scott tent), the kitchen, and workroom. Well, it has been a few days and finally, we have Internet service this evening. I want to get this out to you tonight, so I will keep this short. Things are going exceptionally well here, both in terms of the project as well as with me. We are gathering seismic data at more than twice the rate that we anticipated. The weather has been perfect for collecting data, clear, sunny and most importantly no wind. However, the temperature has remained cold. It would be an understatement to say that it is colddddddd! Out temperature gauge stopped functioning at minus 10 degrees F. or about minus 25 C. Imagine trying to get into our sleeping bags in those temperatures. However, hey this is Antarctica and outside of the getting into and out of bed, the cold has not bothered me much at all. Also, the beauty of this place is so amazing, that even a little bit of discomfort is completely swept away by the magic of these moments. The site where the camp is surrounded my 3,800-meter high mountains to the west, active volcanoes to the east and a dormant volcano to the south. This place is an impressionist painters dream, a place where the sun circles around the entire horizon providing 360 degrees of sun angles. I have watched how the light and shadows change on the various mountains and volcanoes around us. Also as the beginning of the seismic line is 17 km from camp, we were able to see new mountain chains and frozen bays. http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_26_2005.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/october_26_2005.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:50:39 -0500 View image ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/view_of_mcmurdo_sound_from_the.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/view_of_mcmurdo_sound_from_the.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:48:46 -0500 View image ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/after_the_real_white_out_condi.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/after_the_real_white_out_condi.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:45:48 -0500 View image ]]> http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/clouds_before_the_storm.html http://blogs.qc.cuny.edu/blogs/ONH2005/2008/06/clouds_before_the_storm.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:42:34 -0500