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Archive for August, 2009


To Antarctica

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- I’ve spent the last 4 days in transit from the US to Antarctica. I left home midday on Saturday (22 August), flying from Denver to San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand... {Read More »}



Bad Weather and the JR

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- One of our readers there posted a great question in response to my posts regarding the incoming Typhoon Vamco approaching us from the South. I consulted the Captain and... {Read More »}



In the Trenches

NEEM CAMP, GREENLAND-- Over at the deep drilling site, work continues day and night. There are two shifts of drillers and core handlers who work around the clock... {Read More »}



Sunset and Beacon Catch

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- It’s amazing how after two months on a boat with the same people day in and day out how your nerves start to get a little rattled. Not that we aren’t getting along, it’s just the lack of something new... {Read More »}



Driver’s Ed in the Bering Sea

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- Wrapping up the second to last site might otherwise be an uneventful, if somewhat relaxing occasion. But today was a bit different.... {Read More »}



Hello from NEEM!

NEEM CAMP, GREENLAND-- After yesterday's Herc flight from Kangerlussuaq on the coast to the NEEM drilling camp on the Greenland ice sheet in which we circled camp several times but were not able to land due to thick ground fog (and diminishing fuel!), today we were able to land at camp. Finally... {Read More »}



High Flying Fun

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- It was remarkable how many people showed up for the kite contest today. Before long the heli-deck was packed.... {Read More »}



Luck – and Snow – in the Air

LARAMIE, WYOMING-- After several days of poor weather made flying impossible, we finally had a morning with fair visibility and light winds, allowing us to fly for polar bear captures... {Read More »}



Sampling

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- Cores come in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when we are at a drilling site. They are processed round the clock by the technicians, and then the scientists begin... {Read More »}



Cutting the Cores

ABOARD THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, ON THE BERING SEA-- Every core that arrives on the JR has to be split into two halves at some point in the process. Much of the information contained in the layers of mud and rock is... {Read More »}