Arrived in McMurdo

We have made it successfully to McMurdo Station. The C-17 flight yesterday went without any problems. In the end, the five day delay was within expectations for traveling to Antarctica, especially at the end of the winter. On top of that, every delay was provided with ample notice making the five extra days a relaxing time in Christchurch. The five day delay does not impact our science objectives. Our scheduled northbound flight, the first flight of main body, is in five weeks and there will be more than enough time to complete our work.

The objectives of this trip to Antarctica are to take observations of the atmosphere through the use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). You can think of the UAVs as drones or remote control airplanes. We will be flying three Small Unmanned Meteorological Observer (SUMO) UAVs. The SUMO is a foam radio controlled plane fitted with an autopilot and meteorological sensors. The plane has a wingspan of 2.5 feet, weighs just over 1 pound, and is battery operated. The SUMO will take observations of temperature, moisture, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction of the lowest 3000 feet of the atmosphere, which is referred to as the boundary layer. We will be observing how the conditions of the boundary layer change over the course of several hours as well as how the boundary layer differs depending on the time of day and the incoming energy from the sun. A similar observation campaign was done in January 2014 to observe the summer atmosphere. For this field season, we will be measuring at the end of the winter and during the transition to summer. The observations of the characteristics and behavior of the boundary layer will provide an improved understanding of the polar boundary layer, which is extremely unique and critical for the local energy exchanges with the surface. The results will also be compared with numerical weather models, which are key to forecasting the weather for Antarctic operations, and used to verify or improve the performance of these weather models. Additionally, the results will be useful in evaluating climate models for the Antarctic to ensure correct handling of the atmosphere in future climate projections.

The SUMO UAV on the snow surface during the 2014 field campaign.

This is my fifth trip to Antarctica. I am making the trip with my friend and colleague, John Cassano, who is the lead on this field project. My first two trips to Antarctica were with John when we were graduate students at the University of Wisconsin. All of my previous trips have been during the main body with three in December/January, at the peak of the Antarctic summer, and last year's trip from late October to early December. Therefore, this "WinFly" trip will be a very unique opportunity for me and will have many new experiences. I am most forward looking to the extreme cold temperatures, seeing darkness in Antarctica, viewing aurora australis (southern lights), seeing nacreous clouds, and some of the unique snow and ice features still present from the winter. While it is unlikely that I'll see much for penguins on this trip, the pictures should be just as special.

This is a picture of me and John at the Antarctic Passenger Terminal while waiting for our first flight to Antarctica while graduate students at the University of Wisconsin.

The then and now pairing is complete with a picture of the two of us prior to this year's flight. Unfortunately, the person I asked to take a picture found the point and shoot camera a little too difficult to operate and the picture is not in focus.

Our C-17 landing was at about 7:00 PM and it allowed for me to see darkness in Antarctica for the first time as I walked off of the plane. The 21 passengers on the flight were picked up with two vans and we drove the ~30 minutes to McMurdo from Pegasus Runway. Throughout the drive I couldn’t get over how odd it was to see everything in the dark. Walking around McMurdo last night was strange as it is unlike any other time I have seen it before. I’ll cover more of the changing length of day and sunlight in a later post. The temperature was -12F when we arrived at Pegasus Runway. The temperatures are a little warmer in McMurdo and it was -6F when we arrived. Today there has a been a storm to the east that has generated some moderate winds and blowing snow in town. The forecast for tonight is for colder conditions with a forecast low of -24F.

Onboard the C-17 going from Christchurch to McMurdo Station.

For those that have been in McMurdo for months, a key part of the WinFly flights is bringing in "freshies" for the meals. The insulated pallet on the left is filled with eggs.

Anything and everything is done to fill the time on the 5 1/2 hour flight. Naps, reading, watching movies on an ipad/laptop, and working on a laptop are some of the common ways to pass the time.

As the C-17 made the final approach to the Pegasus Runway everybody bundled up in their extreme cold weather (ECW) gear in preparation for the Antarctic conditions. 

Getting off the C-17 at Pegasus Runway with the night landing.

The picture right after getting off of the plane in Antarctica has always been one of my favorite. With this WinFly trip is was extra special with the Antarctic darkness.

The C-17 keeps the engines running and only stays on the ground long enough for the passengers to get off the plane, remove the cargo, place any northbound cargo on the plane, and load any northbound passengers. The process is done as quickly as possible.

Being greeted by some of the camp personnel at Pegasus Runway. The contract workers at the camp have a tight community and for many of the veterans this was a reunion time of old friends/coworkers.

Immediately after getting of the plane, we are transported from Pegasus Runway to McMurdo Station where there is an in briefing going over many of the rules an procedures for life in McMurdo.

Today has been very quiet with it being Sunday and the one off day of the week for the contract workers at McMurdo. Tomorrow things will pick up as the day starts with our science in-briefing followed by two or three additional trainings to complete all of our basic trainings and orientations. From there we will start to work on getting the SUMOs ready to fly in the field.