Heatwave at -17 and some stuff about Sea Ice and Early Explorers

Current Temp Ambient:  -17   Windchill:   -29
Windspeed (knots):   Light and variable
Sunrise:                     0704
Sunset:                      2029  (8:29 PM) 


Yes, -81 was brutal.  Yes, my room was freezing (the thermostat doesn't read below 50, I think it was probably around 40 in my room).  I had to shove my big orange duffle bags with all of my ECW (extreme cold weather) gear in the window sill as the wind was so severe it blew snow through the tiny little gaps.  Yes, I slept in long johns, fleece pants, fleece top and sweatshirt, two pairs of socks with hand warmers in the middle layer, a hat, and 2 down comforters.  BUT I was warm with all those layers.  It rarely gets that cold, and today, my room is about 78.

The next day, however, was absolutely beautiful, so I took a nice walk out to Hut Point.

Hut Point is this little peninsula right outside of McMurdo.  It's less than a mile from my dorm room.  It's right next to the Ice Pier, which is where the fuel tanker and cargo vessel dock when they bring us stuff at the end of the season.  You may recall we didn't have an ice breaker lined up, but now we do.  The ice breaker cuts a channel through the sea ice all the way to the Ice Pier.

Last season all of the sea ice blew out, meaning there was open water all around McMurdo Sound.  While it was great for penguin viewing (and I hope it happens again this year), it is a nightmare for building the Ice Pier and the Ice Runway.  Building the Ice Pier consists of heavy equipment operators freezing water (from the ocean), making it flat, drilling a hole for more water, letting it freeze, flattening it, and at some point they thread fat metal cables through the layers for extra reinforcement.  That is a super simplistic explanation, but it's a pretty big deal.  While I was walking Sunday they were working with a layer of water, so there was steam everywhere, it was pretty darn cool.  In the picture below, you can see the Hut (I'll get to that in a second) with the Ice Pier and steam in the background, and them McMurdo off to the right.  The 4 identical brown buildings are some of the dorms, the one I live in is 2nd from the right.  At the top of the picture you can see the three wind turbines that I blogged about a couple of weeks back after my Comms outing.

The early Antarctic explorers Shackleton and Scott brought and stayed in these huts.  Scott's Discovery Hut in the picture was the first one that was brought and built in around 1901.  There are three huts total on Ross Island, all were pre-fabbed Australian huts and the thinking was if they were insulated for the Australian outback, they could also work here.  What they didn't consider was the wind blowing snow between the cracks that eventually turned to thick, solid ice in places.  Scott's party first used this hut as a base on their expedition to get to the South Pole (which didn't happen until about a decade later, and though he made it to the Pole, he never did make it back, long story, there are many books on the subject.)  Future expeditions had to use the huts to winter over when their ships became engulfed by pack ice.  I've been fortunate to get into all 3 huts (Scott's Discovery Hut here, Scott's Hut at Cape Evans, and finally Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds) in past seasons and it's sort of unreal.  They left a lot of their stuff when they took off, so it's like being in a museum with no glass.  There is food, clothing, seal meat and just stuff all over, it's very depressing.  I can't imagine wintering in those huts.  But they are historically pretty important to anyone interested in Antarctica.

The picture below shows Ob Hill (short for Observation Hill) on the left.  The early explorers would climb Ob Hill several times a day to look for rescue ships.  It's about 800 vertical feet to the top and a nice hike on a warm day.  I'll send pics once it's nice enough for me to hike.  All of the flat white is Sea Ice, and the white land mass in the back of the picture is White Island, another island a midst the frozen ocean.

Finally, I included a photo of some cracks in the sea ice.  You do NOT want to fall into a crack in the sea ice.  Seals tend to hang out around cracks, but they must have all been at dinner in the galley when I was out there.  Soon I'll be posting seal pics I'm sure.

-81 is no joke!

Current Temp Ambient:  -33   Windchill:  -65
Windspeed (knots):  18 gusts at 25
Sunrise:                   0627
Sunset:                   1908 (but who cares at -65!) 


So it's warmed up significantly from -81 as I write this at -65 (I'm inside, yes, but that cold is hard to shake even with hand warmers in my boots, long johns, a fleece and a jacket on - inside!)

Earlier today when it was -81 me and all my coworkers went outside and threw a cup of hot coffee into the air...check out what happens!  That's me in the starring role, apparently as the only woman in the tech shop, I'm also the "face" of McMurdo IT.

This link shows my friend Dave doing the same thing, his video captures the coffee a little better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLFTCZGEls&feature=youtu.be

Don't worry mom, I have everything I need to stay nice and cozy!

Nacreous cloud video a la Spencer Moorman

Current Temp Ambient:  -18   Windchill:   -38
Windspeed (knots):   09
Sunrise:                   0635
Sunset:                    1901

Just a quick blog entry today to show you the video my coworker Spencer took, this is over about 30 minutes, beautiful!

Glitter and Sun Dog

Current Temp Ambient:   -22     Windchill:  -22
Windspeed (knots):   CALM!
Sunrise:                     0642
Sunset:                      1845


Note that we had our first day of 12 hours of sunlight.  I need to make sure to check out the night sky before I lose my chance for the year!


This (crappy quality, granted, but still cool) video shows this crazy thing that happens on occasion when there is a wee bit of moisture in the air.  When it's still enough, it freezes and there is basically what looks like glitter everywhere!  That, or the vampires from Twilight are here!  Either way, beautiful!  At the end of the video is a Sun Dog (the only sort of dog we see). It looks like a complete circle rainbow around the sun.

Gorgeous day!

Underwater in Antarctica

Current Temp Ambient:    -24    Windchill:   -53
Windspeed (knots):   17
Sunrise:   0650
Sunset:    1847

Yesterday I got to go dive tending instead of working.  Dive tending is basically going out with the scuba divers and helping them and all of their gear in and out of the water.

The ocean here is super salinated because as the top layer freezes, the salt gets pushed out of the ice and into the water, so there is more salt then in any other ocean.  Because salt causes water to freeze at a lower temperature than normal, so the water temperature her is about 29 degrees F.  Yikes!

Yesterday's mission was to clean up some old science experiments and equipment that's been left down there, unfortunately, for decades.

Here are some pics of the sea ice, a Pisten Bully (a small tracked vehicle used to get around on sea ice) the divers getting ready, the hole they jumped into (I have jumped into holes like that on several occasions, but with no dive suit, no nothing!  I don't really feel the need to repeat that polar plunge, but I sure am glad I did it!), and also the dive hut from the outside.

Yesterday was a LOT nicer than today, so I got really, really lucky!

Comms

Current Temp Ambient:  -20   Windchill:   -44
Wind speed (knots):   11
Sunrise:                      0728
Sunset:                       1813

Brrrr!  -44 is really freaking cold, if you were wondering.

This may be incredibly boring to some of you, but here is the rundown of my actual job and how our IT department works.  If you read to the end you'll hear about my cool tour of it all yesterday!

We are comprised of the basically 3 departments:

The computer side of things is made up of :
- network operations (they deal with the internet as well as local area network, computer accounts, email, etc...)
- the help desk (my job for 3 seasons), first line of defense for anyone needing computer help of any kind
- pc techs (which is what I am now, we help out the folks that the help desk can't help, mostly trouble shooting hardware issues, installing software, fixing broken machines, stuff like that for the non-science staff down here)
- scientists pc techs (they do what we do but for the scientists)
- the trainer (which i did for 2 seasons) teaching folks how to use the databases and all the software we use down here to find supplies, check in cargo, do email, etc...
- AREV administrator (which I did for a season) AREV is a suite of databases developed in 1907 that we use to track cargo, supplies, and personnel
*if you are confused about the number of seasons, in the winter i was the help desk, the trainer, and the AREV administrator

Then we have Telco, they deal with the phones

Finally there is the Comms (communications) shop who manages all of the radios (HF, VHF and other Fs I don't really understand), antennas and communications to and from field camps.  They have antenna riggers who climb up 100 foot towers all over the place to setup antennas that communicate all over the rest of the places they set up towers.  Comms also manages Black Island, which an island is about 30 miles (as the crow flies) from Ross Island where McMurdo is located.  Black island is where our satellite dishes are, so all communications off continent go via Black Island.  No Black Island, no phone, no internet, no TV.  Speaking of TV, TV and radio are part of IT but I'm not sure if it 's Comms or it's own department of 1.  We get a few Armed Forces stations (BBC America and a few others), an Australian channel, and then we broadcast our own channels with movies.  Anyone can be a DJ and it's super fun.  I've done it all of my past seasons but not quite interested in a radio show of my own yet, we shall see.

So yesterday Joe, who runs McMurdo IT, took a group of us all around town and the outlying areas to show us how it all works.  It' was fascinating.  Joe was a PC tech way back when, then he worked in the network, and he knows his shit, let me tell you!  He knows everything about all of it and he's a great teacher, boss,  leader, and person to boot.

Below is a picture of some of the antennas at T-site (T for transmitter) where a lot of our comms do the sending and receiving, a picture of Black Island, and finally of the three wind mills that generate like 20% of our power and most of Scott Base (the Kiwi base up the road from us) from just those three windmills!

Sorry if I just bored anyone to tears...but I like learning how different shit works.  It's one of the best benefits of being here.

Nacreous clouds

Current Temp Ambient:   -8   Windchill:   about the same (weather didn't post it for some reason)
Windspeed (knots):   calm, hurray!
Sunrise:    0735
Sunset:     1806

These are Nacreous clouds, a beautiful phenomenon seen only in extremely frigid, and typically polar environments.  These rare clouds exist in the Stratosphere (middle level of the atmosphere), as opposed to the Troposphere (lower level of the atmosphere) where normal clouds hang out (ha, get it, hang...).  They are something like 70k or 80k feet above the planet and the colors are amazing.  Nacreous clouds get light from the sun that has already set or has not yet risen and they are chemically different somehow, but I'm too lazy to look that up right now.  Here is a link to the wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_stratospheric_cloud.

I saw them on my way home last night, and on my way in to work this morning.  These pics are not blurry, that's just how the clouds look.

This place is sometimes like being on another planet...

Out on the town

Current Temp Ambient:   1   Windchill:  1
Windspeed (knots):   Calm
Sunrise:                     0743
Sunset:                      1759

What a difference a day makes!  Today is absolutely beautiful, I was able to walk all over town without Big Red and was very comfortable.  Don't get me wrong, it's still Antarctica, but with no wind and the sun getting higher and higher, it's quite delightful at 1.

One of my favorite things about McMurdo is how much I learn about logistics in general, not just related to being down here.  For example, today I had to go to water plant to fix a computer.  It's down by the waste water treatment plant, which was built while I was down here a decade ago.  It's amazing to learn how that stuff works, and how little it stinks!  WWTP is the acronym for waste water treatment plant, but of course people down here make up new names, like Wee Wee Tee Pee, Well Worn Toilet Paper, etc... and a host of others I'll spare you.

I'm not saying I could work at either plant, I'm just saying I never gave much thought to things like how towns get power, fresh water, treat non-fresh water, etc..

Short but stinky blog today, I know, but this is a day in the life...

zisman out

Current Temp Ambient: 10 Windchill: -4
Windspeed (knots): 9
Sunrise: 0758
Sunset:  1745


Little by little it's getting lighter for longer.

The on-going storm that impeded lots of important prep work has finally passed.  The heavy equipment operators are trying to get the road to the runway maintained, but it's been Condition 1 out there, so they haven't been able to get out there to work.  Without that road, people can't get to the runway to set up the buildings at Pegasus airfield (that I flew into), or start building the Ice Runway (that I'll fly out from), or fill the fuel tanks, or get power setup, etc...  So we are all glad this storm has passed, finally, and now everyone will be working extra hard to catch up.

This only affects me in that two of my closest friends down here will be those working to catch up.  One is an equipment operator, and the other supervises fuels operations.  So now I'll have to be patient and wait for them to get done catching up so we can catch up with each other and have some fun.

Saturday night was a super fun dance party, we danced non-stop for hours.  One of my favorite things about McMurdo is the dance parties.

Tonight is boot-camp night.  Free working out is another great thing about the Ice.

OK, back to work, it's Monday here, time to get some computers fixed!

Apologies for the boring post.

zisman out

Staring at snow

Current Temp:  3, -22 Windchill
Wind Speed:    30 knots gusting to 42
Sunrise:            0814
Sunset:             1730

Spent about an hour watching a snow drift form outside through the window last night.

Less than 2 weeks in and I already find staring at white nothingness entertaining.  Is that something to be concerned about?

Current temp:  0 ambient,  -22 windchill
Wind:              30 knots gusting at 42
Sunrise:           irrelevant cuz can't see shit anyway but 0822
Sunset:            1723




Quick update.  It's been a cold one today!  We are in the midst of a big storm, it's condition 1 everywhere but McMurdo.  We have three weather conditions we go by:


Condition 3 = Normal day, hike, bike, do whatever you want


Condition 2 = Restricted travel by foot and vehicle, no recreational activities allowed


Condition 1 = Stay where you are, it's sucks outside (OK, that's not official, but it is true).


So basically, if it was our day off, it would be Con 1 in town, but they want you all to get your tax dollars worth, so we are all stuck working.


Earlier today my coworker (who is 6'11") was nice enough to drive me to a different building to drop off a really heavy back up power supply, and then the weather got really bad.  On our way back to our work center, he sort of accidentally went off the road (but in his defense, you can hardly see your hand in front of you when it gets this bad), and it took us and a couple of other guys and a van to get us out.  After about 20 minutes outside in full ECW gear i was still pretty warm except my hands.  I just had my every day gloves on, hands in my pockets.  But overall I still haven't warmed up!


Just goes to show you, proper gear makes all the difference.  


If you are checking out the webcam, yes there is snow on the lens but it makes no difference, we can't see McMurdo either!


Stay warm...

Week 2 begins

Current temp:  9F ambient, -8F wind chill
Wind speed:   11 knots
Sunrise:  0911
Sunset:  1638  (hey, if I have to learn military time all over again, you will suffer with me)

After a long 1 day and 1 hour weekend (the extra hour due to the all hands meeting that went as expected), week 2 officially begins.  -24 was just too darn cold for hiking so I rode the exercise bike in my dorm lounge looking out at the view I would have had while hiking, that sort of counts?

Here are a few pics of why I'm here, this place is just beautiful.  The mountains were hiding behind clouds my first few days, but now we have these views constantly during the day.  In order, you see Mt. Discovery, then Mt. Discovery with the Royal Societies, then Black Island, and finally just the Royal Societies.  All the white in front of the mountain range is sea ice (frozen ocean).

Enjoy the pics and the nice weather!

zisman out

Week 1 comes to an end

Since everyone always wants to know these things, I'll start my blog posts with:

Current Temp:  9 F
Wind speed:     15 knots
Sunrise:            0911
Sunset:             1638

So finally it's Saturday, our Friday, and it's a short day because we have an all-hands meeting, which means we will stand around and listen to the station manager or the area directorate (I don't know what the difference is honestly, redundancy maybe?) tell us what our supervisors have already told us.  This is what I predict we'll hear:

1.  Ice breaker is a go but still no official word on whether or not we will have a full season (you can ask why but nobody can answer that)
2.  The building that used to house the bowling alley, ceramics studio, weight lifting gym and climbing wall had to be demolished a few years back, but plans are rolling to get the aforementioned recreational items back up and running, which is FANTASTIC!
3.  We are not supposed to do illegal things even though there is no police force or any laws up in here.
4.  We are supposed to be safe at all times, and now that I don't just sit on my ass in an office all day, I understand why all this talk about safety!  There are heaps of huge machines driving around town plowing snow, which we have had a ton of lately, lifting things (like tons of snow), dozing (yes, snow), etc...
5.  I'm making a list of things that are better down here, my "McProvements" list, and it's actually pretty long, surprisingly.  If you care, the list is as follows:
     a.  New staircase replacing a slippery hill up to the building where we get our mail from was built from wood from the bowling alley building (way to repurpose!)
     b.  MUCH faster internet and computers in general, and a much friendly IT department that actually wants people's computers to work properly even if they are used by 70 year old plumbers who hate computers
     d.  A groovy map of town that folds up into a business card sized case (this is coming in VERY handy for me as I'm constantly trying to find buildings I've never even heard of before)
     e.  We have new beds!  They used to be those jail-house type striped mattresses, but now I have like 18 inches of pillow top, and the comforters are fantastic!  Had I known, I would not have sent myself $200 worth of 780 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. OK, that's a lie, but still, the beds are AWESOME!
     f.  We have a wind-farm now that provides us with about 20% of our power, and growing.  I never understood why we didn't have it before, but I'm glad we have it now

The rest of the list probably won't make any sense to anyone who hasn't been here before, but it's growing.  I know we have a lot of new hiking trails, one of which I will check out tomorrow, so stay posted for some pics.

Speaking of pics, the new blog pic is from a place called Fortress Rock, it's town with Mt. Discovery on the left, the super rounded mountain, and then the Royal Society range on the right, in the background.  I can't remember the names of the islands in front of Mt. Discovery, ice people, feel free to jump in!

Also, here is the link to the webcam again  http://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/mcmWebCam.cfm
If you go left from the big blue building in the middle, my work center is in the lower of the twin green buildings right next to each other.  If you want, shoot me an email and I'll go outside and wave if the timing is right!

That's it for now, peace and zisman out