April weather was somewhat significant being the coldest April on record averaging -80.7F which was lower by 0.2F than the previous record set in 1998 (records began in 1957). On top of that, we set the second earliest mark in reaching -100F ever recorded dipping to -100.7F on April 13th. It’s only typical that as soon as April ended, we are on a streak of warm and unsettled weather. For instance, temperatures today are supposed to rise into the -30s Fahrenheit. It’s amazing to me that you can have a range of about -65 degrees without any daily help from the sun. If things keep up, which they look like they will for the near future, we are on pace for the warmest May ever! I wonder what is in store for the rest of the winter?

Taking in the sky from the Atmospheric Research Observatory

The station atmosphere was much quieter however. We only really had only one major event which was a glycol leak in the power plant. The power plant uses a 60/40 glycol to water ratio to cool the diesel generators. The waste heat from the generators transferred to the glycol mix is then run throughout the station to heat the building. My knowledge of how the whole system works is very limited but as I understand it, a thermostat broke open and created a geyser of glycol. It then landed on some of the exhaust manifolds causing it to vaporize and create a huge cloud in the power plant. This triggered the fire alarm. Luckily it wasn’t one of the loops that carry the bulk of the glycol or it could have been a much worse mess. Over the summer, we had so many false alarms that you kind of become desensitized to it always thinking it’s a false alarm. But when you hear the automated alarm system say that smoke was detected in the power plant, and that it’s not a drill, it really gets the adrenaline pumping. As you can imagine, the power plant is one of the locations on station where you could have things really go wrong.

Everyone on station is assigned to an emergency response team and mine is the fire team. Because we are on are own down here, it is our responsibility to deal with these situations. The fire team had some firefighting training back in Denver before we came down Antarctica and we also try to do some training on our own once a week to keep methods fresh. But we are by no means professionals. Needless to say, I was very relieved to find that the power plant was not engulfed in flames and nobody was injured in the incident. The heart rate definitely jumped initially with the thought that I might actually have to go in and drag someone out of a flaming building. We don’t have fire hoses so all we have are fire extinguishers to use on station (there are fixed water and CO2 suppression systems at various locations however). With all the luxuries that the station has, it’s easy to slip into a false sense of security. These types of incidents are reminders that we are still in a dangerous environment.

There are not any traces of the sun on the horizon any more. When the moon is out, it is like a floodlight on the South Pole. It’s amazing how bright it is. It sure makes walking to the observatory every day much easier. Now the moon has gone below the horizon and it’s extremely dark but the stars are incredible. Yesterday walking back from the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO), I was lucky enough to see an iridium flare coupled with a really nice aurora. An iridium flare is when the solar panels of a satellite are at just the right angle that it reflects the sun’s light at you. It does it for just a few seconds as it passes overhead. Unfortunately I did not have my camera ready for a photo.

Well that about does it for the update. Seven months down, six to go!

The Final Flight: February 14th, at 2:30am New Zealand time.

We have just barely over two weeks until the sun sets and temperatures are already starting to drop quickly. The day of station closing, temperatures were around -40F. Today it is the coldest since I’ve been here at -63F, and tomorrow it’s suppose to bottom out at almost -70F. It’s amazing how quickly it drops when that sun gets low. The cold temperatures also make everyday things difficult to deal with. We had an emergency response drill today that took place outside and I volunteer on the fire team. You have to be really conscious about your gear because the SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) hoses start to freeze and can crack easily. A fire fighter isn’t much good without a working SCBA. Frostbite is a big concern as well. The fire gear gloves and boots are not insulated for cold and do a very poor job of keeping your fingers and toes warm.

South Pole Station from ARO.

As for the science here at ARO (Atmospheric Research Observatory), not too much has changed. I’m still coming out here every day to check to make sure everything us running as it should be and taking air samples in flasks every week. One thing that is starting to change is our ability to do Dobson observations. The Dobson Spectrophotometer is an instrument that uses sunlight to measure total column ozone in the atmosphere. When the sun is this low on the horizon, there is a lot of stray refracted light that affects the measurements and can give us bad results. You may ask, “How do you take measurements in the winter?” Well this is done by using the reflected sunlight off of the moon. So we are able to take sporadic observations to coincide with our balloon flights through the winter. The solar radiation instruments on the roof will be coming down soon after sunset as well, which will be a small project for us. Here is a brief description of the solar radiation measurements we have at ARO and why we are measuring it.

Incoming solar radiation is the backbone of what drives our climate. Changes in the amount of radiation reaching the earth from the sun can be the difference between being in an ice age or not. It is important for us to know how much radiation is a) reaching the surface, b) what type of radiation it is (wavelength), and c) how much is bouncing back off the surface. This is what’s called the “Radiation Budget” in its most basic form. The “Radiation Budget” involves many other processes but the pictures and descriptions below show how we break down the “Radiation Budget” into its basic components at ARO.

The Solar Tracking NIP (Normal Incidence Pyroheliometer)

The NIP tracks the sun in all 360 degrees. It measures direct incoming solar radiation of specific wavelengths.

Diffuse Pyranometer

The diffuse pyranometer blocks out the incoming direct solar radiation and measures any radiation that is getting reflected and refracted from substances in the atmosphere (or any radiation taking an indirect path to the surface).

Pyranometers

These pyranometers detect all incoming solar radiation both direct and indirect. The two outer ones have filters on them to divide it up into shortwave (UV) and longwave (infrared) radiation.

Albedo Instruments

The “Albedo Rack” is basically exactly the same as the pyranometers except that they are turned upside down. They then measure the amount of solar radiation that is reflected off of the earth’s surface. Roughness and color play a role in Albedo meaning that a smooth surface is going to reflect more than a rough surface, and a white surface is going to reflect more than a black surface.. Therefore, it is important not to disturb the snow under these instruments because we want the natural state of the surface. In addition to reflected radiation, it monitors infrared radiation emitted by the earth.

A more complex version of the “Radiation Budget” or “Energy Balance” pulled from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.

As you can see, in the above figure, there is a lot that really goes into the “Radiation Budget” and it is a very complex system. When the solar energy comes into the atmosphere, it can take a variety of paths. It can get interrupted by clouds, gases, aerosols and other substances. Two of these processes in the system we observe at ARO as well such as Aerosols, and Greenhouse Gases which I will talk about in a later post.

Hopefully this explains a little bit what’s behind the solar radiation observations that we take at ARO. The South Pole and Mauna Loa have the longest continuous running solar radiation observations of this kind. It’s extremely important that we understand what happens to solar radiation as it passes through the atmosphere and hits the earth’s surface if we want to gain a good understanding of how earth’s climate works. It is even more important as we try to predict future climates.

The galley staff once again put out a great spread for Christmas dinner in which beef Wellington and lobster tails were the main course. Dessert included raspberry rhubarb pie and cheesecake which were both delicious. The celebration lasted late into the night with music and dancing in the galley.

For those that didn’t have too much fun the night before was the Race Around the World. I have to admit, I was feeling it a bit the next day but I was able to hop out of bed and make the 10am starting time. The race doesn’t necessarily need to be run. Some people walked, some skied, and some rode snowmobiles. In fact some rode a giant chariot, a hot tub, a stationary exercise bike (being pulled by a snowmobile), and a smoke breathing dragon! Some of the folks really out did themselves with the construction of these things. I found it pretty hilarious.

The giant chariot made by the IceCube folks.

Stationary exercise bike being towed by snowmobile.

Smoke breathing dragon and hot tub.

I ended up jogging the race and completed the two and a half mile track around the world. It was a ton of fun and I’m glad I pressed through and finished it. I haven’t been doing any jogging lately so being at a physiological altitude of 10,500 ft, and running on a uneven packed snow surface, let’s just say I was happy that I was able to finish. I’ve ran in some cold weather back in Wisconsin but this was another level. I think race time temperature was -18F which was probably 30 degrees colder than any day I ran back home. My lungs were definitely a little on fire after the race.

Hilary Smith the recreation coordinator at the start of the race.

My frosty face at the end of the race.

The winning runners were Curtis Moore who posted a blazing 17:17:43 for the men, and Emily Thiem at 20:48:33. Good on them!

The later part of the week brought us 2010. New Year’s Eve fell on Thursday night and unfortunately the station didn’t have off work on the actual New Year’s Day so the big party was on Saturday night. Three bands had been working hard practicing together for their New Year’s bash performance. The gym was all decorated and there was even a little “patio” made up that was quite cozy. I was very impressed with the bands. They really did a great job and it looked like they had a lot of fun performing. First up was a bluegrass band, then the Violent “Flemmes” doing Violent Femmes covers, and lastly was just a good ol’ rock band. People really know how to create some fun environments down here that’s for sure.

First up: Bluegrass!

There were probably five other people playing not in the picture.

The “Patio” and party decorations.

Eli, the lead singer of the Violent “Flemmes.”

Ethan has sort of an Elvis voice.

And finally, of interesting note, there was a BBC film crew over the last few days. They are busy creating their next series “Frozen Planet”. It is going to be similar to the Planet Earth series but with a focus on the Polar regions. Apparently the last episode is going to be about “People at the Poles”. I’ve heard that the South Pole only gets a four or five minute segment in the episode but I’m excited for it to come out. Especially since they filmed me launching and ozonesonde and collecting some air samples! I’m pretty sure they will use some of the footage. They seemed pretty happy with it.

That should about catch you up with what has gone on over the last couple weeks. Things look to be pretty busy for the month of January. I do get to go to Christchurch for a week of R&R on Jan 18th which I’m looking forward to. With that coming up, it will be winter before I know it!

Photos Courtesy of Reinhart Piuk

Well, many of us here at camp are use to very active lifestyles back at home and therefore planned ahead for some fun recreational activities that would help us to stay healthy. I personally enjoying running so I brought some warm, waterproof running shoes and some nice warm running clothing! Many of us also have cross-country skis that we can use out on the runway that is groomed for the C-130 airplanes. The primary challenges to exercise here are a) finding time b) braving the bitter winds and c) getting motivated to go outside and freeze! Once you have finally prepared yourself, the running and skiing are excellent!

This last week was our first week working 24 hours a day. Our crew and the drillers are all split into three different shifts. I am on shift 2 and am responsible for helping to receive and document the ice cores from 3:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. After work I typically do not get to sleep until about 3:00 a.m. The primary reason for my late bedtime is because I have discovered that the weather tends to be the best in the middle of the night and I have turned the middle of the night into my exercise time. It is a good thing the sun doesn’t set around here! Most people aren’t silly enough to be out skiing or running in the middle of the night, but I do have a few skiing buddies who are willing to recreate with me. With the camp well marked with flags for safety and to guide the airplanes, you can go over 3 miles out of camp in every direction! Within a mile, the landscape becomes even more overwhelming as the camp disappears into the horizon and there is nothing but white and an incredible silence. The silence is really amazing. Imagine no sounds around you. We have no ambient sound from the everyday things we are used to at home. There are no noises from cars, insects, sirens, blowing leaves, honking horns etc. It is truly a unique experience!

Enjoy this photo of what you can look like after a good run here at WAIS Divide.

Peter Neff, my running buddy, always manages to look like Santa Claus by the end of our runs! All of the moisture from his breath freezes and accumulates on his beard!

We sleep in tents called Arctic Ovens. These tents are made in Alaska and could be considered Antarctic Ovens…especially in the morning! The tents are incredible at heating up with just the one’s body heat and the sun. In the morning, I have had temperatures as high as 65°F! That is roasting considering outside it is around 5°F (on a warm day)!

Our WAIS Divide Tent City. The tents are outside of “town” so that the noise of the generators and movement around camp doesn’t keep people awake.

The Arctic Ovens in Tent City.

Many of the people at camp sleep in a tent, but there are some communal heated sleeping areas. The tents are really one’s only private space so almost all of the members of the camp community have opted for a space in “tent city”. I have decorated my tent with photos of my family and friends and right now, I have a few holiday decorations up. I also have some rope strung around my tent for drying my socks and hats.

Even though the tents can get warm when you are in them, going to bed usually starts in a cold tent, which means you get into a COLD sleeping bag. One trick for getting the cold out of your sleeping bag is bringing a hot water bottle to bed. A hot water bottle is really helpful and can keep you warm throughout the night. I brought my sleeping bag from home in addition to the cold weather sleeping bag that was provided to us so I am staying plenty warm and comfortable. I sleep with the clothes I plan to wear the next day so I can get into warm clothes when I wake up. I am growing to love my little yellow tent and find that no matter what the temperature is I am always ready to go to sleep when I finally make it to my tent!

An ice core.

We work in shifts for the packaging because it is easy to get tired and cold in our working environment. Part of ensuring the ice cores do not get damaged, and that they maintain their utility for different chemical and physical analyses, is making sure that the ice cores get no warmer than -20°C. So, the building where the cores are stored and packaged is cooled to -25 °C! It is hard to believe but often the air temperature outside is around 10°C warmer than where we work!

The drilling and ice core handling facility at the start of the 2008/2009 field season.

As we learn the packing process (I will go into more detail in another blog), we are also learning all of the nuances of staying warm for extended periods of time at -25°C. My technique, that I learned from the veteran ice core handlers, is to keep the core of your body really warm and that way your fingers and toes get enough warm blood to not get too cold. On top I wear 2 wool tops, a wool sweater and two down jackets. On the bottom, I wear two pairs of wool longer underwear and insulated bib overalls. Thick socks and boot liners with my sturdy blue boots keep my toes warm. Surprisingly, with all of the layers keeping the core of my body warm, I can get by with some light gloves on my hands!

Heidi covered in frost after work in a -25ºC environment.

Another trick, and one that I like the best, is eating LOTS of food. Both the galley where we eat and the warming hut where we can take breaks are stocked with cookies, crackers, and candy bars! It is not uncommon to eat 3 candy bars a day! I rarely eat candy at home so it is quite a nice treat to eat so much candy and know that my body is using all of the calories just to stay warm!

I am off to work now but I hope to get more posted soon! There is so much to share! Stay tuned for how to sleep in a tent in Antarctica, the ins and outs of a hot shower at WAIS Divide and much, much more about ice cores and they story they can tell! I will do my best to get photos posted too but internet is a real luxury here and we only have 5 hours of satellite internet a day! Sending photos is against the rules but I will try to figure something out!

A little about Tommy: Tommy Cox is a core handler/science technician with the WAIS Divide Ice Core Project. Back home, he is a student teacher at Heritage High School. He teaches/assists in five periods of chemistry and one period of forensic science. Tommy is always saying that the he has the best students. For all of you at Heritage High, Mr. Cox says, “Go T-Wolves!!!”

Packing for a three-month trip sounds easier than it is. I have been packing and unpacking in preparation for my adventures in Antarctica and I think I am finally ready to go! Here is a video of the packing experience (packing is now known in my household as the Duffel Shuffle). It’s a good thing my bags are packed because I leave on Monday, November 9th. Enjoy!

The delay has caused to me think about my time in Antarctica and how much things have changed in the 5 weeks I’ve been here. The weather, which was brutally cold when we first arrived has moderated substantially. During the first couple of weeks of our time in Antarctica we needed to bundle up and cover all exposed bits of skin to face temperatures in the -40s F and wind chills as cold as -90 F.

Waiting on the sea ice to drive from McMurdo to Pegasus. This photo was taken on September 2nd when the temperature was near -30 F with strong winds creating bitter wind chill temperatures and blowing snow. On the next day the temperature dropped to -49 F, which set the all-time record low temperature for McMurdo in September.

Now our high temperatures are around 0 F and it is warm enough that for short walks around the base we can go outside in light fleece jackets without wearing a hat or gloves. It is amazing how quickly the human body adjusts to this harsh environment, since before we arrived in Antarctica I’m certain we all would have thought that a temperature near 0 F was bitterly cold and required bundling up in many layers of clothes.

When we arrived in late August the sun was up for just over 5 hours per day, and was barely peeking above the horizon, with pitch black nights. Today, the sun was up for nearly 15 hours, with the night sky not getting completely dark as the sun skims just below the southern horizon at midnight.

McMurdo at night.

One thing I had been hoping to see on this trip was the Southern Lights. On the night of our first successful Aerosonde flight to Terra Nova Bay I was fortunate enough to step out of the lab for a little while to get some fresh air and noticed the Southern Lights shimmering overhead.

Southern Lights over Black Island and Mt. Discovery. A faint glow from the sun is seen over the southern horizon in this picture taken near midnight.

On my previous trips to Antarctica I’ve never experienced sunrise or sunset, as it had been light 24 hours per day for months on end. I’ve enjoyed watching the sunrise and sunset every day while here for this WinFly trip.

Sunrise over Ross Island.

The cold Antarctic atmosphere is capable of creating some stunning, and sometimes disorienting, optical phenomena. One interesting optical effect we’ve seen quite a bit of is called a fata morgana. A fata morgana only occurs when there is a sharp increase in temperature with height through a thin layer of the atmosphere. When temperature increases with height in the atmosphere it is referred to as an inversion, since this is normally the opposite of what normally occurs in the lower part of the atmosphere. When a very strong inversion exists light reflected from objects on the horizon gets bent, causing objects near the ground to appear to be elevated. In the case of small rocks near the ground, these rocks appear to be large cliffs.

Fata morgana from Pegasus runway. In this photo you can notice distortion near the horizon, at the base of the mountains and also about halfway up the side of the mountains. These areas that appear to be cliffs are actually optical illusions called fata morgana.

The distortion of light as it passes through the atmosphere is not confined to just near the surface. One day while watching the moon pass behind Mt. Discovery I noticed that the moon was not circular in shape, but instead had an irregular outline. The wavy appearance of the moon’s outline was due to differential distortion of the light reflected from the moon as it passed through the atmosphere.

Moon over Mt. Discovery. Note the distortion in the circular shape of the moon. This is most evident on the top left side of the moon in this image.

An atmospheric phenomenon that is unique to the polar regions in winter is polar stratospheric clouds. Almost all clouds that we see in the atmosphere form in the lowest layer of the atmosphere, known as the troposphere, which extends to a height of about 6 miles in the Antarctic. Polar stratospheric clouds form at heights of 9 miles or more, in the layer of the atmosphere known as the stratosphere. Normally no clouds form in the stratosphere due to the dry conditions in this layer of the atmosphere, but at very cold temperatures, what little water does exist can condense to form clouds. Polar stratospheric clouds form at temperatures less than -78 C (-108 F) and are often made up of both frozen water and nitric acid. These clouds are more commonly referred to as nacreous clouds, with the root of the word nacre meaning mother of pearl. The name comes from the stunning mother of pearl coloration of these clouds.

Nacreous clouds from Pegasus ice runway.

Because these clouds are so high in the atmosphere they remain lit by the sun long after the surface and lower clouds have fallen into shadow as the sun sets. This is similar to how the top of a tall building remains lit by the setting sun after the base of the building has already passed into shadow.

Nacreous clouds over Hut Point and McMurdo Sound. The building visible on the horizon is the hut built for Robert Falcon Scott’s first Antarctic expedition at the start of the 20th century.

While I’ve enjoyed this trip to Antarctica more than any of my previous trips, and am very happy with the data we’ve collected I’m hoping that my next blog post will be from New Zealand or back home in Colorado.