Journey to Antarctica, or Not

The transit to Antarctica is a complex series of events that generally take a fair amount of time and effort. It is a process, and a process that is frequently impaired by delays. My journey to Antarctica started with leaving from Denver Thursday afternoon. I flew commercial from Denver to Los Angeles, with a five hour layover, followed by a 12-1/2 hour flight from LAX to Auckland, New Zealand, a four-hour layover, and then a relatively short flight from Auckland to Christchurch. I arrived into Christchurch Saturday afternoon with a day lost due to crossing the International Dateline. The door-to-door transit time was about 29 hours. That is the effort just to get to Christchurch, and to prepare for the last leg to Antarctica. 

Most all of the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) travels through Christchurch. The key reason for this is because the largest USAP station, McMurdo Station, is located approximately directly south of Christchurch. The day after arriving into Christchurch, the morning starts with a shuttle ride to the USAP operations at the International Antarctic Center. Generally, we go through a series of videos and briefings, receive our flu shot for the year, are issued extreme cold weather (ECW) gear, and are then free to leave by late morning. For good and bad, they also included on Sunday a series of trainings, which we typically go through every year in McMurdo. These trainings included topics such as how to handle garbage, basics of driving trucks and vans in McMurdo, and fire safety. We will still have more trainings and briefings to go through but the extra effort on Sunday allows us to get many of them out of the way before even arriving at McMurdo Station. This means we also didn't get to leave for the day until mid-afternoon.

All of this leads to earlier today, Monday morning, and the big flight to Antarctica. Except, it didn't. A typical C-17 flight day involves being picked up at the hotel by a shuttle at 5:15 AM. There are different rules and guidelines that apply for the checked bags, including a "boomerang" bag, all of which can't exceed 85 pounds, your carry-on bag, and wearing your ECW gear. I was able to get done with the check-in before 6:30 AM and then it was over to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast. We were operating this morning on a one-hour delay, so that meant we didn't have to return to the Antarctic Passenger Terminal (APT) until 8:30. After that, the process involved going through a security screening, sort of similar to TSA, but more cumbersome because of being dressed in ECW gear. All of this is followed by a bus taking us from the APT to the C-17 on the tarmac waiting for the flight to Antarctica.

This is where all of the effort from the last three days came to a halt. I was on the first of three buses taking the 90 passengers to the plane. We pulled up next to the C-‌17 and waited for awhile on the bus before boarding the plane, which is normal. Then there was talk of a mechanical problem and then the bus was taking us back to the APT. We were still not sure if this would be a 20-30 minute delay or longer. Within about 15 minutes we received an announcement that the C-17 was "properly busted". As a part of the packing process, you pack a "boomerang" bag that you get if the flight doesn't go after your bags have been fully checked. (The term boomerang is in reference to flights that leave and are turned around, due to weather or mechanical difficulties, bringing you back to where you started.) We were all talking about what we packed and didn't pack in our boomerang bag when we were told they would be unloading all of the bags. That is a sure sign that this will not be a short delay.

I received official word late this afternoon that our next scheduled flight is for Thursday morning. A replacement part for the C-17 has to be shipped in from the US to Christchurch. Today is going to be a quiet day for me as I hope to get some work done, catch up on emails from the past week, and a chance to get some rest. My plans for tomorrow are to spend the day working at the University of Canterbury. A colleague at the university is interested in talking about some Antarctic meteorology work and has also offered to let me use an office for the day. I'll try to get in some recreation/tourist activities on Wednesday and then on Thursday we'll start this process all over again.

Lastly, I'll point out that this inconvenience and delay, which is commonplace in going to/from Antarctica, is very minor. A friend of mine from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) field camp from four years ago, has spent the last nine months at South Pole. Six of those winter-over months at the South Pole included the sun being below the horizon and in darkness. This friend left South Pole and got to McMurdo mid last week, and was supposed to go north to Christchurch on a flight last Friday. That flight was delayed due to a mechanical condition until today, and now there is this mechanical delay. My delay in Christchurch, with summer weather, is nothing in comparison to my friend's delay.

PRI's The World audio and article

Hello, again! It turns out that I was not quite done with posts for the Antarctic Precipitation Project (APS) 2081 field season. The APS project was featured in a PRI (Public Radio International) audio piece that is being broadcast on the radio. Instead of randomly coming across the audio interview/documentary, you can listen to it online at:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-01-29/unexpected-challenge-antarctica-measuring-snowfall
(The audio is accessed by the "Play" button above the top photo.)
There is also a written article and several photos to go with the audio story. As of this moment, the story is the top headline on the PRI website and with PRI's "The World". I am not included in the audio documentary but my colleague Scott is interviewed. During our first weekend of the field season, we took Caitlin Saks, the NOVA/PRI documentarian, with us into the field. Caitlin did the audio documentary and the written article, both of which are very well done. They have also posted a nice video from the afternoon at the Willie Field site on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtO-woBgo0A/

Caitlin interviewing Scott at the Willie Field APS instrument tower.         

Scott was working on the precipitating gauge, located at the center of the wind shield, and Caitlin brought the microphone and recorder inside the shield to record some questions with the wind creating the noise with the shield.         

By the time we left the Willie Field APS site, the winds had picked up to around 20 mph and there was light blowing snow at the surface. 

Photo Albums

I am writing a quick final, final post to share the links to this year's photo albums. You can view a collection of the best 60 photos at:
http://foehn.colorado.edu/seefeldt/antarctica-2018/
If you are really interested in seeing more of this year's adventures in Antarctica you can view the album of 4-star and 5-star photos with 165 photos at:
http://foehn.colorado.edu/seefeldt/antarctica-2018-4_5/

As a reminder, all of the emailed posts are archived and can be viewed from the blog at: https://megaontheice.blogspot.com/
Feel free to share this blog address if you know of anybody interested in Antarctica.

Email me if you have any questions. I'll be sending out the next email as a preview to the 2019 field season in late October. The plan is to remove the instruments of the Antarctic Precipitation System in the upcoming field season.

Closing the Season

Overall, the field season proved to be busier than I expected. I still can't fully figure out why, other than that is how things typically go in Antarctica. The close of the season was busier than I anticipated, although it was far from some of my past experiences. A year ago we had a Twin Otter flight to finish the final installation the afternoon before we left in the morning. Three years ago I missed my northbound flight as I was stuck at the WAIS field camp. I ended up going on a flight two days after my scheduled flight with about 36 hours in McMurdo to close the season.

The end of our field season was roughly finished a week before I departed McMurdo (on Friday, Dec. 7). We also did some work in the field the Monday before I left to help raise the power systems for the Antarctic Precipitation System (APS) sites. The power system consists of a bank of 12V batteries, similar to car batteries, solar panels, and electronics to control the charging and load distribution. At the Willie Field site, between the APS system and the two GPS receivers, there are 44 batteries at 70 pounds each buried in the snow. With the significant accumulation from the past year we dug down to retrieve the batteries and then moved them to just beneath the surface.

Admittedly, with the slower than normal end to the field season, I tried to take advantage of having some time in McMurdo. I have consistently said that I am a horrible "tourist" in McMurdo. There are a number of activities that are available to people in McMurdo to be able to connect more closely with the Antarctic experience. Some examples include tours of the historical huts from the Antarctic Exploration age to a range of trails that can be used for hiking. On my last Sunday I was able to participate in one of these "tourist activities" as I went on a Pressure Ridges tour. It was a beautiful afternoon in getting an up close experience with the ice formations and seals.

I had hiking plans for both of my last two full days in McMurdo and I did not get in a hike on either day. It didn't help that I was ending the field season with a cold and I decided to limit my activities so I could get healthy as quickly as possible. The last full day in McMurdo was also filled with me walking all over town. I try to visit and say good bye to as many people as possible. I do this for two reasons. The first is as an appreciation of the support that they provided and the second is because I find most everybody really fun and I like to say good-bye until I see them next year. It didn't help that over my last week in McMurdo I went through a phase of losing things. On that last day I lost one of my gloves. Eventually it showed up as I ended up walking by it in the afternoon. I also lost the key to the pooled truck for people in the lab to use. After a half hour of searching I discovered in beneath the loading dock where it apparently fell out of my pocket when I was on the dock.

The northbound flight was on a wheeled C-130 military aircraft operated by the New Zealand Air Force. There were over 50 people squeezed onboard the C-130 and we were placed in our seats shoulder-to-shoulder and knee-to-knee. The second hour of that 7-1/2 hour flight was about as rough of an experience as I've had flying to, from, and around Antarctica. Fortunately, I found a spot to stuff my backpack and that was a game changer as it provided me some more room. We got back to Christchurch by 5:00 PM. From there it was going through customs and immigration, dropping the issued cold weather gear at the Clothing Distribution Center, and then transport to the hotel. Fortunately, all of that was done fast enough that I was able to have a great meal that evening.

In my Thanksgiving post, I commented that the Wall Street Journal had an article on the Thanksgiving activities. If you have not looked at that article, it can be found at:
Wall Street Journal

On a somber note, many of you may have recently heard that there was a tragedy this past week that resulted in two deaths in McMurdo. I was notified by a friend on Wednesday that something significant had happened. The only details that I have learned is from the release by the National Science Foundation:  https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=297454
In reading the article, it sounds like the event did not occur in McMurdo but at one of the nearby sites used for radio transmissions. I didn't know any of the fire technicians this year so I don't think I knew them. I am sure in the coming days and weeks I'll start hearing more of the details.

I am now in Auckland, New Zealand and waiting to board my trans-Pacific flight back to the United States. I will be posting an album of photos sometime in the next few weeks. I will send out one more quick post with the link to the web album. Thank you for following along with me on my adventures and field season in Antarctica. Writing the email/blog posts, and often hearing replies from many of you, always makes me feel a little more connected. The third field season of three for the APS project is scheduled for November and I will be once again writing email/blog posts about the latest stories from Antarctica.

Field Work

I am back in Christchurch. I left on a C-130 flight operated by the New Zealand Air Force this morning. Clearly, I have fallen behind my posts. I am going to play a little catch up with a couple posts sharing events from the past week and then a final post to close out the season. A few weeks ago I wrote a post on our field work at Tall Tower and labeled it "Part 1". A friend reminded me that I never followed up with that post and overall I have not written much about the field work from this field season. In this post I'll go through two trips in a 10 day period of the field season.

As an opener, it is fitting for me to provide a quick summary and purpose of the work in Antarctica. I am here as part of a project funded by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation with a focus on measuring precipitation in Antarctica. This is the second of three fields seasons and this year the concentration is on the maintenance and repairs of the Antarctic Precipitation Systems (APSs). While something as simple as measuring precipitation (snowfall) seems basic it is actually very difficult to do in Antarctica. This is even more true when it is attempted to be done remotely and with the requirements to be run on batteries during the long polar night. The instrument at the focus of the measurements is a weighing bucket precipitation gauge. The gauge collects the snow and has a sensitive scale that weighs the collected snow providing a liquid water equivalent measurement. The gauge by itself can have a difficult time collecting the snow if it is unshielded and there is any level of wind. We have installed a wind shield around the precipitation gauge that is designed to slow the horizontal motion of the precipitating snow so that it is able to be collected in the bucket. In addition to this instrument configuration, we also have instruments to measure particles in the air, wind speed, temperature, measurement of the height of the snow surface, an instrument for particle size and velocity, and a webcam. All of this data is collected by a datalogger and we are able to communicate to the datalogger through an internet connection to McMurdo and then radio communications from McMurdo to the APS sites. This comms configuration allows us to monitor and analyze the observations year-round from Colorado.

Friday, November 23, 2018

This trip was our return trip to Tall Tower. Because of the great weather during our first visit, the amount of work that needed to be completed was somewhat limited. We had removed the datalogger and the instrument to measure particle size and speed and they were re-configured in the lab in McMurdo. We re-installed the two pieces of equipment and verified that things were running correctly. Some other small repairs were done to the instruments and precipitation wind shield. Lastly, at the end of a field visit, I take a series of photos, to capture the status and condition of the instruments, and a series of measurements of the height of the instruments to the surface. This final survey was completed and we were ready to fly onto the next APS site.

The next site to visit is the Lorne APS site. This site is approximately 50 miles to the southeast of McMurdo Station. Typically, the transportation to get to this site is by helicopter. However, we had sufficient time in our day that it was an easy stop on the return flight from Tall Tower. I should add that the conditions at both Tall Tower and Lorne were not as nice as they were on the initial visit to Tall Tower. The winds were around 18-20 knots and the temperature was about 16F. Those are far from horrible conditions but not the beautiful conditions that we've had so many other times during this field season. At Lorne we did similar maintenance and repairs to the site as we had done previously at Lorne and Phoenix APS sites.

One unique part of the visit to Lorne was the removal of a power system (solar panels, batteries, cases) for an instrument that had been installed at Lorne seven years ago. As I described previously, the sites on the Ross Ice Shelf generally have snow accumulation of approximately 1-2 feet per year. That means that over the past seven years the power system for this instrument has been progressively getting buried. We we were at the site a year ago and there was only about 12" above the surface. It was agreed that we would remove this power system on this field visit and return it back to McMurdo. Most all of that work was done by the two field engineers with UNAVCO and the two Twin Otter pilots. They spent about three hours digging a hole down about seven feet to remove the large power system.

Frequently, whenever it is available, we are asked by various support and logistics coordinators for us to bring people from town with us into the field. Officially the trips are referred to as "morale trips" to boost the experience and morale of workers that do not get to leave McMurdo. More frequently they are referred to as "boondogglers" as they get to experience and see a part of Antarctica that they are supporting in their work in town, but they rarely get to see directly. On this trip we had two boondogglers. They were told that they would need to be able to shovel snow. The two boondogglers started to help with the digging out of the power system at Lorne and then Scott and I each used one of them to help us with the work we were doing on the APS instruments. This day in the field will likely be one of the highlights of their season in Antarctica and fun photos are often a part of the trip.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

When we left the Lorne APS site on the previous visit we had hoped that we had completed all of the necessary work on the APS system, but we were not entirely certain. After getting back to the lab in McMurdo it was realized that a few of the instruments were not working as expected. Fortunately, a return trip to Lorne was also needed to install a GPS receiver, which is being provided by UNAVCO. We once again traveled by Twin Otter as there was Twin Otter availability and the helicopters were still busy catching up from the late start to the season. We also took two more boondogglers with us. When we got to the APS site we were hoping that a quick fix was going to solve the problem with the  three instruments. The expected quick fix was not the problem. Within about 15 minutes we were able to identify a wiring issue and that fixed two of the instruments. The third instrument was more difficult. We ended up spending over an hour troubleshooting the instrument, which measures particle size and speed, to diagnose the problem. Such an in-depth level of analysis is best avoided when doing work in the field, especially on this day with 20 mph winds. In the end, it was determined that the instrument was not communicating with the datalogger and it was pulled to be further investigated in the lab. We would later determine that instrument could not be fixed during this field season and will be returned to Colorado.

We were able to get back to McMurdo in time for a late lunch. That also meant there was more time to get some work done during the day. Earlier in the season we had completed all of the work at the Phoenix APS site except for the re-installation of the webcam and tightening of guy cables. These are two fairly easy tasks to complete so we took a fat-tire truck, required for driving on the snow roads, and drove the 45 minutes to Phoenix Airfield, the location of the Phoenix APS. For local trips we do not have to go through the boondoggler system. I knew of a dining assistant (DA) who had the day off so she came along with us for the quick visit. The work at Phoenix APS took the expected 15 minutes and then on the return back to McMurdo we also stopped at the Willie Field APS site for some quick tests. Overall, it was a busy day of running around and seeing three of the four APS sites.

The Story of a DFIR

The last 10 days have been far busier than I anticipated. The weather for this field season, since I arrived, has been spectacular with mostly sunny to sunny days on nearly every day and warm temperatures. The result of that has been a continuous run of field work. We did two flights on the Friday before the Thanksgiving Saturday celebration. That Sunday evening we went into the field to one of the local sites for two hours, and returned that next morning for a long day at the site. On Wednesday we had a flight to Lorne APS in the morning and in the afternoon we took a quick drive to the Phoenix APS. Then on Friday we had a long afternoon with a crew of five at the Willie Field APS. The good news is that we are very close to being done with the field work. The bad news is that it has been a week since I have written a post.

The Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) shield is the World Meteorological Organization standard for providing a shield around a precipitation gauge measuring snow. As a part of this project, we included a DFIR shield so that we could compare the measurements made with our Antarctic-focused wind shield and precipitation gauge design. The thinking is that we'd be able to develop a function that indicates the multiplier, in relation to wind speed, to be applied to our shield and gauge design to that of the DFIR.

The construction of the DFIR at the Willie Field APS site in November 2017 with the assistance of two carps.

The DFIR is a large and cumbersome shield to assemble. This is why we had no intentions of installing a DFIR at all four sites. Instead, we constructed the DFIR setup at the local Willie Field APS site so that it would be near to town to support the construction and maintenance of the DFIR. Part of the DFIR was constructed in Colorado before being shipped to Antarctica. Other parts and the assembly of the DFIR was done a year ago in McMurdo at the Carpentry shop. We also had two "carps" in the field with us for an entire day installing the DFIR. The finished DFIR has an appearance similar to that of a snow fence. The top of a DFIR "picket" was 78" above the surface and the outer shield has a diameter of 40 feet. The finished product looked great.

The finished DFIR at the Willie Field APS site in November 2017. The top of the shield is 78 inches above the surface and the diameter of the outer ring is 40 feet. 

During this past February we were seeing in the observations exactly what we had hoped to see. The plot below shows the three different precipitation gauges (we also installed one with the Antarctic double-shield at the same height as the DFIR) at the Willie Field APS site. The plot below shows the three different rates of accumulation depending on the wind shield and height configuration for the precipitation gauge.

A plot of precipitation accumulation at the Willie Field APS for early February 2018. The three different lines show the different rates of accumulation dependent on the different precipitation shield design and height above the surface.

However, as the austral spring turned to winter, something odd happened in the observations. The accumulation in the DFIR precipitation gauge (solid blue line) increased much more dramatically than the others. By mid-March, the DFIR gauge leveled off at values greater than 110 mm (liquid water equivalent), meanwhile the other two precipitation gauges were in the 60s. From afar in Colorado, this seemed really odd. The observations did not match what we were expecting. In fact, there was even some question if the instrument was failing. Adding to the drama, in mid-August the precipitation gauge, with the Antarctic double-shield at the lower height, had a similar characteristic to that of the DFIR in March.

The odd behavior of the DFIR shielded precipitation gauge (solid blue line) in March 2018.

The mystery was solved with some photos provided to us a few days before we arrived in McMurdo. It was also confirmed in our first field visit to the Willie Field APS site. We found the DFIR wind shield, installed at a height of 78 inches, to be nearly completely buried. I expected the Willie Field site to have an annual accumulation of 1-2 feet and now it was over 3 feet at the instrument tower and over six feet at the DFIR. In the end, we created our own snow drift and it resulted in a dome of snow centered around the DFIR and extending to our other instrument locations.

The buried DFIR shield and precipitation gauge at the Willie Field APS site in November 2018.

This also presented a big question as to what do we do now. Initially, there were naive thoughts that we would dig it out. The more we thought about it, and showed the photos around town, that idea quickly disappeared. In fact, the photos for the DFIR getting buried have been a big hit around town, including many senior support personnel. Thoughts were put into an operation that could remove a move a much larger quantity of snow. Along the way, we also agreed that we did not want to install the DFIR again for another year. The chances of it burying again, as well as all of the effort to install it again, were not appealing. Instead we came up with a modified experimental design for the site.

After discussions among various support work centers around town, the implementer for our project was able to put a plan together. We were going to get a bigger shovel to assist us. The plan was for a bulldozer to work during the night shift, Sunday evening after Thanksgiving, to clear the snow away from the outer ring and to push the snow away from the DFIR. The work that we had to do Sunday evening was to finish digging out the instrument cable and to provide instructions to the bulldozer operator.

The bulldozer clearing away the snow from the outer ring of the DFIR shield.

The finished work by the bulldozer removing the snow from the outer ring of the DFIR.

We returned the next morning and were greeted by an excavator to finish the work with us. The bulldozer and done a great job in clearing the snow away from the outer fence. We had to dig down at the joints for each outer section and unscrew each section and then carry each section to the truck. After doing that for all 16 outer sections, the excavator started doing the major work. The excavator progressively removed the snow that had accumulated between the outer and the inner DFIR shields. Once that was done, we had to remove the sections from the inner DFIR shield. Then the excavator had to remove the snow leading to another shield and finally the instrument. Fortunately, the excavator operator was amazing in his operation of the excavator and he was able to gently carve away at the snow with the giant bucket. It was a master piece of work. Eventually we reached the precipitation gauge at the center and removed all of the remaining hardware and the installation tower. The entire day with the excavator took six and a half hours, and that included our lunch break. It was amazing to have the assistance and support of the bulldozer and the much, much bigger shovel of the excavator. I don't know how else it would have gotten done.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving weekend at McMurdo Station is a pretty big deal. One of the reasons why it is such a big deal is because it is a rare two day weekend with most all other weekends a single day (Sunday). That means it gives people a chance to unwind and relax a little more. The station and operations also shut down more than a typical weekend. The focus of the two-day weekend is the Saturday, when Thanksgiving is celebrated. There are a variety of activities throughout the day, the bars are a little livelier, and some workcenters are also frequently hosting smaller parties. From Friday evening until Sunday afternoon it can be a flurry of activities, or a chance to relax and rest, which oftentimes does not happen.

The start of the Turkey Trot 5K. I am in the fourth from the left, in all black, and bib number 1143.

One of the big events for Thanksgiving is the Turkey Trot 5K race. There are actually two 5K races. The Turducken is run Friday evening for those that are working during the actual Turkey Trot. There are also some people who run both. The Turkey Trot has become a big event for those that run, and those that prefer to walk the 5K. For this year's Turkey Trot there were 150 entrants with a current station population of 895 people, or about a sixth of the station. Typically, a large number of the participants dress up in all sorts of costumes for the Turkey Trot. There are collections of costumes throughout the station that have been around for years and emerge for big events such as Halloween and the Turkey Trot. The actual race is sort of brutal. Roughly the first half of the race is run uphill on a crushed rock road and the second half is the return run downhill. The temperature was reasonable this year at 23F but there was a biting wind that cut through most running gear and costumes. There are a few good and serious runners but most of the participants are more in it for the experience, fun, and a great way to kickoff Thanksgiving in McMurdo.

The finish line of the Turkey Trot in front of the Chapel of the Snows. It is easy to see some of the costumes worn by some of the runners.

These two turkey costumes were new creations for this years Turkey Trot. The two guys made them the night before and stood at the finish line cheering on the runners, including the bullhorn, as the runners finished. The number of 150 participants in the Turkey Trot does not include all of those who volunteered and cheered on during the event to make it a little more special for everybody.

The galley (dining hall) serves multiple Thanksgiving dinners throughout the day. Contrary to most meals, when some people grab their food and leave, the Thanksgiving meal is eaten together as friends. For many of the long time contract workers, their friends and coworkers are closer to them than their actual families. The dining staff has their own meal as a precursor at 12:30 and then they serve meals at 3:00, 5:00, and 7:00. There is another meal closer to midnight for those that are working the night shift. The Thanksgiving meal covers all of the common dishes that you'd see at any Thanksgiving dinner. There are mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, green bean casserole, turkey, gravy, salad, pecan pie, apple pie, and so on. The dining staff do a tremendous job of providing a great meal to the station population. Thanksgiving is also a very unique day in that most everybody cleans up and oftentimes are wearing clothes that are much nicer than you see on just about any other day during the main body season. Sometimes, it can even be difficult to recognize people because you are not used to seeing them look so good and dressed up, at least dressed up for McMurdo.

My Thanksgiving dinner for this year. Except for the wine glass, the dinnerware and utensils are typical of any other meal in the galley. The food is much better than a typical meal in the galley.

It is traditional during each meal sitting for the dining staff to be announced and for them to do a walk through so everybody can thank the dining staff for working and providing such a great meal on Thanksgiving.

My table with coworkers and friends for this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

The Wall Street Journal is in McMurdo for two weeks to cover various aspects of the life and science that occurs here. I've heard word that the WSJ will be having an article on Monday covering the Turkey Trot and Thanksgiving in McMurdo. Be sure to check it out if you have access to the WSJ.