Ice Stories
Exploratorium Home

Archive for November, 2009


Bay of Sails

BAY OF SAILS, ANTARCTICA– One of the main goals of SCINI is to explore new areas. Our first target this year is Bay of Sails. I selected this general location because it is an “iceberg graveyard." {Read More »}



Bad Weather Day

BEACON VALLEY, ANTARCTICA-- The early morning started out with blustery winds and soon snow from the polar plateau started blowing in; it was by far the worst weather we have experienced during this field season... {Read More »}



Getting Thrown into the Fire (Freezer)

SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA-- Marc and Cully left on schedule leaving my partner and me to take over. Wouldn’t you know it, the very next day my partner has to leave the ice for a health-related issue and I’m left to run the station on my own having only been there a little over a week!... {Read More »}



Welcome to Beacon Valley

BEACON VALLEY, ANTARCTICA-- On November 3rd the field team arrived into Beacon Valley where we will spend the next six weeks working, sleeping, and enjoying life in sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures... {Read More »}



9,000 Miles Down and 2,000 to Go

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND-- After long hours on the plane, crossing the international dateline, and lots of security checkpoints, I have finally traveled the first leg of my long journey!... {Read More »}



Meet Kamille, Benthic Ecologist

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- Kamille Hammerstrom drove Antarctic teams to the airport four times before she finally got to go herself. When she got here... {Read More »}



Meet Dustin, Our Software Engineer

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- Dustin Carroll, Software Engineer, tells us about his Antarctic experience and his work with the SCINI project... {Read More »}



The Duffel Shuffle

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA— We had our first day of snow here in Flagstaff, AZ and it was -5 °C, so I got a small reminder of what it is like to be cold! Not feeling my fingers was a gentle reminder that I better be well prepared for the temperatures at WAIS (West Antarctica Ice Sheet)... {Read More »}



Interview with the Outgoing South Pole Winter-over

SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA-- Well, after numerous weather delays, I arrived at the South Pole on October 27th. The previous winter-overs running the Atmospheric Research Observatory, LTJG Marc Weekley and engineer Patrick Cullis, were there to greet me at the ski-way... {Read More »}



Field Camp

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- We've just returned from 2 weeks at Bay of Sails, where we were deploying SCINI to look at iceberg scours on the seafloor and the destruction, and recovery, of benthic communities there. All our high-tech science and engineering was supported out of the most primitive of camps... {Read More »}