Life in McMurdo

Life at McMurdo Station has started to slow down a fair amount over the last few days. We have finished most, but not quite all, of the settling into working in the lab and the required training. We have also not returned to the field since the flight to Cape Hallett on Monday. We are currently listed as a backup flight to return to Cape Hallett and we have also submitted our first request for helicopter time. Overall, it is a good feeling to be getting into somewhat of a routine, as well as finding time to get some research work done, and find a little fun on the side. Wednesday night there was a "MinneSconsin" party for people who have or have had some form of a connection to Minnesota and/or Wisconsin. We celebrated with brats on the grill.

With things slowing down, I can provide a little more information what life in like in McMurdo. The best description that I have been provided for McMurdo is that it is more like a small mining town than an Antarctic base. There are currently about 800 people living in McMurdo. That is up by over a hundred since when we first arrived a week ago. The population will be around 1000 during the peak times from late November to late January. The estimates that I have heard in the past are that only about 20% of the population are scientists. The rest are military or contract workers doing jobs in support of the science and overall infrastructure. I'll try to share more tidbits of life in McMurdo in future posts. Feel free to email me questions.

Aerial photo of McMurdo Station from the Twin Otter during the flight to Cape Hallett earlier this week. Most of the activities and life in the town occurs below the road that is running roughly left to right across the photo.

We are now experiencing 24 hours of sunlight at McMurdo Station. This is somewhat new as we did have some brief sunsets over my first couple days in McMurdo. The last sunset was late the night of October 22nd at 12:47 AM. The sunrise on the 23rd was at 2:26 AM. Keep in mind that even though the sun was dipping below the horizon it was still continually light out in McMurdo during those initial couple days. The next sunset will not occur until February 21 at 1:15 AM, long after I am gone.

A series of photos of the sun setting late on October 22nd. One thing to notice is that the sun is traveling almost parallel to the horizon as it sets. This is due to being a such a high latitude (~78S). In the tropical regions the sun sets nearly perpendicular to the horizon. At the poles (90N, 90S) the sun travels basically parallel to the horizon when the sun is up for six months a year.

The sun is set and below the horizon late on October 22nd. The sun will not set again until February 21st.

First Day in the Field - Cape Hallett

We were able to get out in the field for the first time on Monday. When we arrived last Wednesday we were asked if we would be ready to go by Monday. Generally, the rule of thumb is one week before you are ready to go out into the field. We said we'd do what we could and we were ready by Saturday. On Saturday we were told that we were moved to the backup flight because Saturday's primary flight was not able to go due to weather problems. That happens a lot. That meant it was a little uncertain if we'd be going on Monday. We packed and prepared Sunday evening for going. At 6:45 AM on Monday we received a call that our flight was activated because the primary flight could not go again because of weather. We left McMurdo Station by 7:30 AM to take a shuttle (van) to Willie Field, a ski runway about 10 miles outside of McMurdo that is used for landing planes equipped with skis.

Loading the Twin Otter plane with equipment at Willie Field prior to the flight to Cape Hallett.

Our journey for this initial field visit was to Cape Hallett, which is located on the northern extent of the Transantarctic Mountains on the northern edge of Antarctica. Cape Hallett used to have a year-round staffed base from 1957 to 1964 and then a summer-only camp until 1973. It is now best known as an Adelie penguin colony and it has special protected status because of that. The combination of the long flight along the Transantarctic Mountains, as well as going to a penguin colony, results in it being a very special day in the field. The weather was not the best when we left Willie Field but it cleared as we went north and it provided spectacular views along the way, as well as at Cape Hallett.

To get to Cape Hallett we flew in a Twin Otter ski-equipped airplane. The Twin Otter is one of the workhorses in the Antarctic to provide transportation around Antarctica for field logistics and support. On the Twin Otter were the two pilots, myself, Dave (the AWS field work group member) and three people from Environmental. The people from Environmental were using our flight to Cape Hallett to evaluate the status of the penguin colony and to look at the remains from the old Cape Hallett camp. Our flight was in the air by 9:00 AM and by 10:15 AM we had to make a stop at Cape Royds to add more fuel to the plane. Fuel caches (locations with pre-stationed barrels of fuel) are placed in a number of key locations to provide support for long flights such as this. We added two barrels of fuel to the Twin Otter and we were on our way again to Cape Hallett. We made it to Cape Hallett by about 12:40 PM, or approximately a 3 1/2 hour flight.

Transferring the fuel at the Cape Reynolds fuel cache.

The work we did at Cape Hallett was to change the transmission equipment at the AWS site. The change was to send the data through a satellite telephone modem. Basically, you can think of it as the AWS site sends a text message with the weather observations every 10 minutes. The Twin Otter had to land a fair distance away from the weather station so we had to carry the equipment, tool bags, and extra bags with cold weather clothing from the plane to the weather station. From there we changed the equipment and connected the power. We then called a colleague in McMurdo to verify the transmission. The transmission was sent and we were done with our work. We spent probably about an hour and a half working on the weather station prior to beginning the walk back to the plane. We had some extra time before we were going to leave so we took advantage of that time by taking a large number of pictures.

Working on the AWS at Cape Hallett. The tower section for this site is slight abnormal for the typical University of Wisconsin AWS. Otherwise, the AWS is fairly typical. The sights at Cape Hallett are a little extra special.

Once we got back to the plane it was the same process in reverse, including the refueling stop at Cape Royds. We got back to Willie Field by about 7:15 PM and into McMurdo by 8:00 PM. That made it a very long day but also an extremely rewarding day. I have been fortunate to go out into the field probably around 20-25 times over my now four visits to Antarctica. The combination of mountains, sights from the plane, and penguins makes Cape Hallett easily one of the best field visits. The others will still be special and a great experience but they don't have all of the elements of Cape Hallett. Unfortunately, when we got back to the lab we learned that there were some problems with the transmissions from the weather stations. We spent most of today troubleshooting those problems. There is a possibility that we will have to return to Cape Hallett for another visit. As much as it will be nice to do that journey again, it is never a good thing to have to return to the same site in the same year.

Getting Settled

Sorry for the extra delay in getting an update sent. Things have been busy in the 2+ days since we arrived at McMurdo Station. The first few days can be rather intense as you have training after training mixed in with meetings to start coordinating and planning for the field activities. For example, yesterday (Thursday in McMurdo) the day started with a science in-brief where the National Science Foundation (NSF) personnel introduced themselves and we had quick introductions with the coordinators of the major science support staff. Around mid-morning, we had an orientation and tour of the Crary lab, where we will be working while in McMurdo. Later in the morning we went up to the cargo line to retrieve some of the equipment and supplies that are stored year-round. In the afternoon we had a 3 1/2 hour Antarctic Field Safety and Training course. This morning started off with "core" training including brief (10-15 minute) presentations on health/safety, fire, light vehicle driving, and waste management. Later in the morning we met with the fixed-wing coordinator to go over our plans for the Twin Otter flights into the field. In the afternoon we had a meeting going over the radio and satellite phone communication protocols. Amongst all of these meetings we are also trying to get the lab setup and make some progress in being ready to go out into the field in a few days. In reality, it has been a very good and productive couple days because the quicker you are able to get through all of the training and meetings, the faster you can get into the field and more into a work mode.

The housing in McMurdo is dormitory style. I'd classify the dorms as somewhere between college dorms and summer camp housing. The rooms and hallways are setup like a college dorm, but they are somewhat rough and cold because of the harsh conditions and frequently wearing bulky and heavy clothing as a part of everyday life. Thus far I have basically only been in my room to sleep. It is time to do laundry but I have been putting that off so far. I also had my first major casualty of the trip. I squatted down in the cold to pick up a box of hardware and the back of my jeans ripped leaving about a 12" tear. That can be rather significant on the first full day when you've only brought two pairs of jeans and two pairs of pants for two months. Fortunately, I randomly showed the tear to two IT people, when I was getting some computer help support. One of the IT people does mending as a side job. Somehow, she'll patch them so that they are wearable again in a few days.

We had a beautiful late October (spring) day on Thursday. Today the weather changed fairly dramatically with temperatures in the negative single digits fahrenheit. More than the cold temperatures, the wind really picked up today as well. These are easily the coldest temperatures that I have thus far experienced in Antarctica, although a big reason for that is because I have always been here at the peak of the summer.

My ripped jeans on the first full day out of two months in Antarctica.

The Flight South

I am now at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The flight south went extremely well without any problems along the way. That is more of an anomaly as you typically expect at least something small to go wrong. I woke up at 4:45 AM to be ready in time for the shuttle to the airport leaving at 5:15 AM. Once arriving at the Clothing Distribution Center we changed into our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear as it is required to be worn on the flight south. At that point it was an organizing project deciding how to distribute my gear and clothes between a carry-on bag, a "boomerang" bag, and a checked bag. There are weight limitations on the "boomerang" bag and checked bag. They started checking us in at 6:00 AM followed by an hour to grab a quick breakfast at the cafeteria in the International Antarctic Center, which opened early for us. At 7:10 AM there was a flight briefing including some videos providing more training for life in Antarctica. Around 8:00 AM we were sent through security, similar to what you'd go through with TSA, and then a bus ride to board the plane. There was a small delay with the bus ride but it was small and it didn't impact the departure. There are different planes that fly to McMurdo from Christchurch depending on the time of the year. We flew down on a C-17, which is a large military cargo plane. The configuration inside of the cargo plane is dependent on the flight. For this flight we had 76 passengers because of a weather delayed flight earlier in the week. To accommodate the larger number of passengers they place what are like pallets of airline seats in the middle of the plane. The passengers then sit in those seats in addition to the canvas type seating along the sides of the plane. Beyond the passenger seating, there were a few pallets of cargo as well as a helicopter aboard the C-17. Overall, it is a reasonable arrangement. It is loud enough on the plane that you can't really have a conversation with the person next to you but it is not too bad. Right at 9:00 AM the plane started moving hitting the departure time exactly.

One of the advantages of flying in the C-17 is that it has the, or one of the, fastest flight times to McMurdo Station at 5 hours. Flying in a C-130 cargo plane can be as long as 8 hours. We landed at Pegasus Runway, which is a glacier-ice runway about 13 km from McMurdo Station. The glacier-ice runway is solid enough that it allows for wheeled landings. Other than Pegasus Runway, all fixed-wing fights for the USAP use skis for landing on the snow. For me, getting off the plane that initial time after landing is always one of the highlights of the trip. You get off the plane and are greeted by crisp cold air and an expansive landscape of snow, ice, and mountains. It is a "welcome to Antarctica" greeting. The temperature was around 5F when we got off of the plane. We were able to take a few minutes to take some pictures and then we loaded onto a large passenger vehicle for the trek from Pegasus to McMurdo. That trip took about an hour. In the end, we were in McMurdo Station a little before 4:00 PM with about the most uneventful trip imaginable.

I've said enough for now for today. I'll get into more of the details in introducing life in McMurdo tomorrow as well as an overview of all of the training sessions that are required. The general rule of thumb is that it will take us a week before we are ready to go out into the field.

My checked bag, boomerang bag, and carry-on bag as I wait to check-in for the flight south. I am wearing the required ECW clothing.

Going through security screening before boarding the bus to be taken to the C-17.

My seat onboard the C-17 for the flight to Antarctica. There were 76 passengers on the flight. Yes, that is a helicopter catching a ride with us.

Looking towards the front on the C-17. The flight deck is at the top of the stairs.

First few minutes in Antarctica with a picture from Pegasus Runway outside of McMurdo Station with the C-17 in the background.

Extreme Cold Weather Clothing

I am now back in Christchurch after having spent my three-day weekend around parts of the South Island of New Zealand. I spent a day in Kaikoura on the northeast coast and a day and a half in and near Abel Tasman National Park on the northern coast. It felt great to be able to get away, enjoy scenic New Zealand, and unwind between the craziness of leaving Colorado and before heading down to Antarctica.

This morning we had a quick briefing at the Antarctic Passenger Terminal and we were issued out Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) clothing for the trip. ECW clothing is issued to everybody going to Antarctica through the US Antarctic Program in order to minimize cost over the years and with different projects. For the first time, this year they required all people to bring their own long underwear and socks. The clothes that are issued include fleece jacket and pants for the insulating layer, a heavy parka and bibs for the outer layer, and bunny boots for the feet. An assortment of gloves, hats, neck gaiter, goggles, etc. are also provided, as well as a lighter jacket for when the conditions do not demand the heavy parka. After completing the issuing of the clothing we were released for the remainder of the day.

My flight to Antarctica is scheduled for tomorrow morning. For those that followed along my last trip to Antarctica, you might recall that it is far from a guarantee as weather plays a critical role. For my last trip we had an initial 24 hour delay, a boomerang flight, and five more successive 24 hour delays. A boomerang flight is a flight that leaves New Zealand, travels approximately halfway to McMurdo, and then determines the weather has gone bad and returns back to where we started in New Zealand. In the end, I finally arrived in McMurdo a week after originally scheduled. I have looked at the forecast and the weather conditions look good for the flight tomorrow. Our check-in time for the flight tomorrow morning is at 6:00 AM. If all goes well, the flight should be leaving by mid-morning.

Trying on my parka and other extreme cold weather (ECW) gear in Christchurch, New Zealand. The ECW gear is issued to USAP participants the day before the scheduled flight.

The Long Journey

I have completed my trans-Pacific journey leading me to Antarctica. Most of my work will be based out of McMurdo Station, which is the largest U.S. base in Antarctica. McMurdo Station is located at the northwest corner of the Ross Ice Shelf, at approximately 78S. The best major city that is close to McMurdo Station is Christchurch, New Zealand. To get to Antarctica, most people in the U.S. Antarctic Program travel through Christchurch and I arrived into Christchurch late this afternoon. The flights from Denver to Christchurch were with commercial airlines (American / Qantas / Emirates). The flight from Christchurch to McMurdo will be a military cargo plane. To no surprise, it takes awhile to get to Antarctica.

My journey began on Wednesday afternoon as I left Denver at 5:00 PM. I had a 2 1/2 hour flight from Denver to Los Angelas (LAX) where I had a 3 1/2 hour layover. From LAX I departed on a 15 hour flight to Sydney, Australia. I had a 3 hour layover in Sydney leading to the last leg, a 3 hour flight to Christchurch. In the end, it took me a little over 27 hours to get to Christchurch from Denver. The good news is that as soon as I got into Christchurch I rented a car for a 3-day weekend around the South Island of New Zealand. My time will be spent vacationing and relaxing as I unwind from the craziness of the last few weeks in preparing to leave for two months. I will be returning to Christchurch Monday evening when I will resume my journey towards Antarctica.

I had an unexpected bonus on my flight to LAX. As I was doing some work near the gate in Denver, I heard my friend Justin talking on the phone. I turned around and it was Justin and his wife Krista. It turns out we were on the same flight from Denver to LAX. On top of that, their flight to Nepal (through Hong Kong) was departing at the gate next to my flight to Sydney. We were able to have dinner together at LAX and spend the layover together as their flight left about two hours after mine. It is helpful to have a friendly sendoff when going away for two months. The fact that it was an unexpected sendoff with friends at LAX was even better.

I hope you have a great weekend. My next update will not be until after I return to Christchurch after my long weekend touring around New Zealand.

Hanging out with my friends Krista and Justin at LAX before my flight to Sydney and their flight to Hong Kong (en route to Nepal).

Introduction - 2015

In late October I will be traveling to Antarctica. This will be my fourth trip to Antarctica, although the last trip was 11 years ago, so it has been awhile. The trip is a part of my research involving Antarctic meteorology at the University of Coloado - Boulder. The trip will be made with the University of Wisconsin. Years ago I received my masters from the University of Wisconsin and while I was in grad school I had my first experience with Antarctic field work. The work on this trip will be similar to past trips in that I will be installing and repairing automatic weather stations (AWS). There is a network of approximately 60 University of Wisconsin AWS sites across the continent. The weather stations measure temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction and communicate the observations primarily by satellite. I will be visiting 5 to 15 AWS sites depending on the weather and success of the season. I will have a first on this trip in that I will be spending a part of the field season at a remote camp in West Antarctica. I will be using this blog to share many of my experiences while I am in Antarctica. Depending on time, I will also add posts to better explain what life is like in Antarctica. I have created an email list (signup below) for those that would like to have the updates sent to their email inbox. Much of what I say in the email will be similar to that in this blog, although the blog will have pictures to go along with the stories. Feel free to share this blog address and the email list to family and friends. I have also included a check-box for teachers who sign up to the email list. If I have the time, I'll provide some posts and answers questions for teachers and students. Lastly, I have included a map of Antarctica with the locations of the University of Wisconsin AWS sites and a number of pictures from my last trip as a preview to this year's trip.

Map of the locations of the University of Wisconsin AWS sites. Approximately half my trip will be spent repairing AWS sites on the Ross Ice Shelf (e.g. Vito, Margaret, Elaine) and the other half will be spent in West Antarctica (e.g. Siple Dome, Byrd, Erin). I will be staying at McMurdo Station (near Willie Field AWS) for much of my trip.

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