Weather and Field Work

There has been a lot happening in the field and with weather so I will break this post into three chapters.

Chapter 1

We were able to have a little drama in the field a few days ago. On Saturday we went to the two local sites to install the power systems that will run the instruments and communications during the long polar night (4+ months of continual darkness). We installed 38 batteries at the two sites requiring two truckloads from McMurdo. While I was driving back and forth, Scott and a colleague from UNAVCO were working on installing the power system at the Willie Field location. Carol, from the AWS group, and George, a teacher visiting Antarctica, joined us during my second load in the truck. The five of us took a lunch break at the Willie Field Airfield where they have a galley with food. While at lunch, I was catching up with a friend from WAIS two years ago and he shared with me that the forecast was for the weather to deteriorate quickly and they were anticipating closing Willie Field Airfield in the next hour or so. We finished the Willie Field install and then went to Phoenix to install the second power system. We kept an eye on the conditions to the south because of the forecast for the weather to turn bad. There are certain landmarks to watch to see if a weather system is moving into the region. It was clear that something was moving in and we dramatically picked up our pace to finish the installation. Workers at Phoenix Airfield radioed us and suggested that we pack things up and leave the area. We continued working, mostly because we had just put up the solar panels and needed to anchor them before we left. The workers at Phoenix Airfield decided not to leave until we left and they were getting antsy to get out of there. At one point we looked to the south and it looked like the winds and blowing snow were moving in on us quickly. We finished anchoring the solar panels, decided to skip many of the finishing touches, and packed up everything in the truck to leave as quickly as possible. As we were about to leave, the Airfield Manager made the
decision to close Phoenix Airfield. In the end, by the time we left the conditions did not look as threatening. Our entire drive home was in sunshine and we never experienced the ugly weather conditions that we saw approaching us.
Scott and Nico installing the power system with solar panels at Willie Field site.

The view towards the south with White Island partially obstructed due to the strong winds and blowing snow to the south.

Chapter 2

The weather has been the story the past week as there has been a forecast of bad  weather, or actual bad weather, every day, which is the reason why we have not had a flight from Christchurch during the past week. On Tuesday, the forecast was for great weather in the morning and then worsening conditions in the afternoon. Because of that forecast the C-17 flight from Christchurch was cancelled, which also didn't make sense to me. Four of us (myself, Scott, Carol, and George) and two antenna riggers went to visit the two local sites with the hope that we'd install six towers ranging in height from 8 feet to 15 feet. I felt good about the weather for the morning and early afternoon. However, I was not sure if the conditions would turn ugly before we finished all six towers by late afternoon. In the end, it was a beautiful day on the ice shelf. The temperature was about 9F, at times there was no wind, and there was a bright and warm sun throughout the day. We nearly had a
perfect day with five of the six towers installed. The one that was not installed was because the tower sections could not fit together. Carol went out with the riggers this morning to finish that installation. We were out of town for about seven hours and had an amazing day in the field. We even took the time to enjoy lunch at one of the sites.

Installing the two towers for the precipitation project site at Phoenix Airfield.

Taking a break for lunch with the riggers at the Willie Field site.

Chapter 3

The weather forecast for today was similar to yesterday with okay conditions in the morning and getting worse by late morning. Many of the people in town have gotten skeptical of the weather forecasts because of recent hits and misses. I was pretty confident today would live up to the forecast and turn into a fairly significant storm. That is exactly what happened. By mid-morning, we could see the landmarks on the ice shelf to the south of McMurdo starting to disappear, a telltale sign that things are getting worse. By noon the winds had picked up and it had started snowing. Since then it has been a combination of winds, although not consistent, and snow.

The weather around the US Antarctic Program is rated by conditions with the following system:

Condition 3 - General Weather

Visibility greater than 1/4 mile, winds less than 48 knots, and wind chill warmer than -75F.

Condition 2 - Severe Weather

Visibility between a 1/4 mile and 100 feet, sustained winds between 48 knots and 55 knots, and wind chill between -75F and -100F.

Condition 1 - Extreme Weather

Visibility less than 100 feet, sustained winds greater than 55 knots, and wind chill colder than -100F

Only one of the three criteria have to be met and at this time of year that is going to be driven by the visibility. In Condition 2 weather there are restrictions on movement and working. In Condition 1 weather you are not allowed to leave your building. Condition 1 in McMurdo rarely happens in the winter months and is even more rare in the summer months. Earlier this evening we had Condition 2 in and around McMurdo and Condition 1 everywhere else. This storm will likely linger around the area for another 2-3 days. The worst was likely this evening and there will be breaks along the way. There will also likely be some cleanup after the storm that will cause some delays in logistics.