tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43523772293994675002024-03-05T22:20:40.363+13:00ARISE in AntarcticaA record of what the ARISE TEAM (Andrill Research Immersion for Science Educators)is doing as part of their participation in ANDRILL (www.andrill.org)Ken Mankoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17351670153452133068noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-71369033152858986692010-04-08T22:00:00.003+12:002010-04-08T22:40:42.547+12:00...and two years later, one of my post ice projectsThis video was created as a result of my ARISE project proposal, to show the science of ANDRILL through artistic expression. I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyVdaOExbSrGhvqYLXgEIQaQhK6bZ7ylcBmZ1im3Ef2o_vOAuCsy8HgGkn8pqaA1OKFmH17CKxtqmVH9LO2nQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04245399995264068371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-44005394649750642302008-05-01T04:29:00.008+12:002009-01-01T05:15:41.610+13:00And we all roll merrily on...Leaving the ice wasn't and isn't the end of the ANDRILL project, or the SMS scientific effort. It is only the beginning of years of work based on this core and the other information collected in our intense 2-3 months on the ice. <div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMId83uVVD9ChXTNxhqK_QB7Z6eaqvJrjOMQnmr96WQQzScd3pZL1pkG6LjWjPCSNfyFcxd_bxzxVWzPA9HL4pEwKHM50gL4vijnGM9Gj-bUtc5Jm2osCbNaRHg9XnC4g3F9DTRMqegCDo/s200/IMG_4647.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285984564161902194" /></div><div>Much of the team is meeting again this week here in Tallahassee, Florida at the university to review what progress each of the discipline teams have made in analyzing their samples, visit the core again (like a long lost friend), select additional samples to be taken from the other side of the working 1/2 of the core, the one we didn't touch while on-ice, and to make plans for future collaborations, meetings, and drill hole proposals. The heat,</div><div> humidity, trees and insects make it a very different environment</div><div> than where we saw each other last.</div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7e2tA9yuVIvxQSLOxPnb1uwdQpRi5NbFeWuBqM2AS4ew_XReZfklr-jfVGKcexEcoOQHBDiFno4eC5vQs5Sf2T1dArVSsBpk5EHr3-UPsLaIewZyYml1c-3tvs6I3-XwLYy-BMg4wsA8/s200/IMG_4674.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285985731973194658" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The primary reason we are meeting here is that Florida State University houses the Antarctic Core Library. Every sediment core that has been drilled in Antarctica (remember there aren't that many) is stored here in a climate controlled room. We suited up in heavy coats and suits to go in to take a look. </div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlIp1upQjWAlhCvqfauVoUbSNhAlr_gQB8wDrn5JhHWeYW7JyW2bc51tuJ3AOI22NbclbvPvJ24VouOTQ3ynyZfdHcvVOdhZY9ItBB7WHWNjwhqJyrlJb_pUWSHUZDHAb5wsLfJ7vcDkv/s320/IMG_4685.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285985552823926946" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Looking at innocuous rows of shelves and boxes, it felt a little like I was peering into the government warehouse at the end of the first Indiana Jones movie - who knows what is in each box!? Only I do know. I know what the depth numbers mean, I recognize the acronyms of the projects and know where each one was taken from. I know exactly how much trouble, sweat, teamwork, and expertise each box represents. And I know what kind of </div><div>information we can learn from them. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Thanks ANDRILL!</span> Your big picture vision of a multi-national, interdisciplinary team has made an incredible difference to me, the other ARISE educators, and everyone we have had a chance to share the experience with!</div>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-19528263565968047792007-12-14T13:38:00.007+13:002008-12-31T13:15:33.156+13:00Curious George and the PenguinsI last left George back at the dorm with the instructions, "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone." Unusually enough for George, he has stayed out of trouble! Such a well behaved little monkey. <div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82zFLG-JZuT_tOOV4yDr7KN0LQgifwSnX72Io9GEU9z1eLlm5DB0Lpf6Xv0RFJjAOrwUSkq6xvEtan5qqeepn-5eJxDh-N-A8tk5weBBYGByYTkes7cG9DLQtshOft6p97-Qh8Z5ieQxj/s320/penguin&George.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285625161602434594" /><div><br /></div><div>As a reward, I arranged for him to visit the local Cape Royds Adelie penguin colony with a friend of mine, Jean Pennycook. She works with <a href="http://www.penguinscience.com/">Dr. David Ainley monitorin</a><a href="http://www.penguinscience.com/">g the long-term effects of changing climate on the penguin colony</a>. Her trip there was delayed until after I left the ice, so George will stay with her for awhile, then come back to New Zealand with some of ANDRILL's scientists who live in Christchurch where I can pick him up before heading back home to Alaska!</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxDueWcEdy6ACQ77bfopHChYB9VjjCmvAcs9Yj-g3aLqhB0H7NxCqd6QvyUzZphkFJ3mSAmFyVFmSY6BBNqL2MUVh_r4l5Z0-tTF0aF2QQP-YTg4GP2R2iH3-24o-E4KmQUjRaa_EwX1N/s320/12_04_07+069.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285730057315345970" /></div><div>When I got to see the photos from George's trip, I was amazed to see how friendly the Adelies were to George. I'm glad he decided to come back home with me rather than stay with the penguins. It is probably because he doesn't like to eat fish!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHs3GC9wv6kJ-Gn6D6iUw9DbpMId9-A0nNKulaO9zNh3J4Lzf_MF1HuUMP1HOO5aiLcd1YEes9QuBMWy0CnsR4MEntX8XxmcmCeb4CZZnpgp1cp9aJQ3xgtWwKWx_DRmVSZQXEczUZD75/s1600-h/12_04_07+068.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHs3GC9wv6kJ-Gn6D6iUw9DbpMId9-A0nNKulaO9zNh3J4Lzf_MF1HuUMP1HOO5aiLcd1YEes9QuBMWy0CnsR4MEntX8XxmcmCeb4CZZnpgp1cp9aJQ3xgtWwKWx_DRmVSZQXEczUZD75/s400/12_04_07+068.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285740463789024242" /></a><br /></div><div>It certainly looks like they had fun! Huge thanks to Jean, Louise, and Kari for introducing George around and taking his picture for me. Thanks to everyone who sent comments and requests for places for George to visit on this trip.</div></div>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-11198380518241584682007-12-12T11:42:00.000+13:002007-12-16T16:48:41.384+13:00So Hard to Say Goodbye!I think this is the most difficult blog I've had to write yet. Why, you ask? I have to tell you about leaving when I'm not sure I was quite ready to leave. While Louise and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reiner</span> were out with the penguin colony the rest of the ARISE team was packing and saying our farewells. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_tqSwLSnBngozZ9o1RN7PdF_2FOVAp_zV2wbk8mO7CobMrxi8NjZy2k8TkB8SoauC81r_9X8WEhTtV90JOF2X_1bb50fiTNZ7hnk2Q4ZYFk8Sy-2u6Mtr3Dor6_ENXyq3gT7RSbL8Oc/s1600-h/ob+hill+%26+pressure+ridges+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_tqSwLSnBngozZ9o1RN7PdF_2FOVAp_zV2wbk8mO7CobMrxi8NjZy2k8TkB8SoauC81r_9X8WEhTtV90JOF2X_1bb50fiTNZ7hnk2Q4ZYFk8Sy-2u6Mtr3Dor6_ENXyq3gT7RSbL8Oc/s200/ob+hill+%26+pressure+ridges+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142857708458389282" border="0" /></a>Robin and I managed to sneak in a hiking trip to the top of Observation Hill. It rises a little over 900 feet above <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">McMurdo</span> Station and is one of the few places in town that usually has a tremendous view of Mt. Erebus. Much to my dismay, the day we climbed "Ob Hill" was one of the days that the volcano was socked in with clouds. But it's still a great view from the top! Kate has been busy writing an Ob Hill Trail field guide for us all to use- too bad we didn't get to test it out that day, but I'm anxious to have a look at it.<br /><br />Most of the day on Monday was spent collecting all of our belongings, doing the last loads of laundry and packing all but the clothes on our backs and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ECW</span> gear into suitcases and orange duffel bags. The process for leaving Antarctica is the reverse of arrival. Everyone has to wear <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ECW</span> gear on the plane and are only allowed one small bag to carry on, everything else has to be checked in ahead of time and loaded on as cargo. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6isqygxvHMieL8etF3L8abYjacSaCn8rVot0GqQrb3Kou4aHE13k6w3daq_LGxgjHE7spHoF1Hkb-nWLkhMH-LegIQx40_i2hGUifHIsemNXSScyxFcMXNz8N_LRBjCHFj7t3W8Iwnk/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6isqygxvHMieL8etF3L8abYjacSaCn8rVot0GqQrb3Kou4aHE13k6w3daq_LGxgjHE7spHoF1Hkb-nWLkhMH-LegIQx40_i2hGUifHIsemNXSScyxFcMXNz8N_LRBjCHFj7t3W8Iwnk/s200/leaving+antarctica+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144272558509737442" border="0" /></a>The day before scheduled flights back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">McMurdo</span> everyone has to bring checked luggage to the transport office during "Bag Drag". All checked items must weigh less than 75 pounds and be left there overnight. Robin, Joanna, Bob, Ken, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Graziano</span> and I had to report for Bag Drag at 8pm that Monday evening. Fortunately I had mailed home four boxes of books and gift items I bought for family members so all of my remaining gear weighed in at 68 pounds. Everyone in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ECW</span> gear and carry-on items also had to be weighed. I had my big red pockets stuffed with fruit for the flight back, along with a couple of books. My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">carryon</span> bag contained my laptop, two cameras, a dozen rolls of film, my jeans, a couple pairs of shoes, sunglasses and a bottle of water. I stepped on the scale with all of that and laughed to see I weighed 205 lbs! But it felt great to leave most of the luggage behind knowing that someone else would have to drag it around and all I needed to worry about was getting to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ANDRILL</span> End of Season party.<br /><br />It was a very good party. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPn-82pR2_b-m8LUHJQGDn8NYgayzmKB4qdjJ7WQlZUYQw-gBf7AI-EZBsIeSmyt0qSbsj19UrpJIYJM5AVO-cFuMp2yt6qZDqPPqOFGXhqxKDSELPr3XNkdpK4gyphHWjbAzXXWDoxA/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPn-82pR2_b-m8LUHJQGDn8NYgayzmKB4qdjJ7WQlZUYQw-gBf7AI-EZBsIeSmyt0qSbsj19UrpJIYJM5AVO-cFuMp2yt6qZDqPPqOFGXhqxKDSELPr3XNkdpK4gyphHWjbAzXXWDoxA/s200/leaving+antarctica+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144275315878741522" border="0" /></a><br />By now, through all sorts of bonding experiences, we had formed so many friendships and everyone was together enjoying each others' company. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfxUAG1gYug08JVazAJBVTvSehN3ceQWjWI6voq1cX3-0slfVOrhcNy7n4ZJ92Zc4RQwLbkenHIGXvg-Kjrv2mBDdp2dDBDbpyseXOSPwKMea7SWcI_uRyFupc4-fsOKEmB5GUHgFNQ8/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+039.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfxUAG1gYug08JVazAJBVTvSehN3ceQWjWI6voq1cX3-0slfVOrhcNy7n4ZJ92Zc4RQwLbkenHIGXvg-Kjrv2mBDdp2dDBDbpyseXOSPwKMea7SWcI_uRyFupc4-fsOKEmB5GUHgFNQ8/s200/leaving+antarctica+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144274796187698690" border="0" /></a> Many of us danced the evening away. Robin and Joanna took a breather in the cooler air outside.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I finally had to stop dancing at midnight! As I left to go back to my dorm room, I tried not to think about saying goodbye, it was easier to say "see you later" in hopes that I would see everyone later.<br /><br />Fortunately, our flight was scheduled for early afternoon and we could have one last trip to the cafeteria and a real lunch instead of a snack box on the plane. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_gqUByRKcrGk1Nd9tvkZUJok3PLsPQsiSM6UlFS4nGdvKwcheWg3LqoIiLz2edMN8GVeT3EV4O5cW43MkSTXspTLtiG_VgQa67rOhGTWtvQEppiUqi-662-er8ll1B5g14u2T8ODUic/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+069.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_gqUByRKcrGk1Nd9tvkZUJok3PLsPQsiSM6UlFS4nGdvKwcheWg3LqoIiLz2edMN8GVeT3EV4O5cW43MkSTXspTLtiG_VgQa67rOhGTWtvQEppiUqi-662-er8ll1B5g14u2T8ODUic/s200/leaving+antarctica+069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144277690995656226" border="0" /></a><br />We then loaded ourselves onto Ivan the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Terrabus</span>- or the MART (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">McMurdo</span> Area Rapid Transit) and bounced along the sea ice "highway" out to the "airport". <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_E-c-kDIymZw8NqyHSCEQEp6OGucc2uh03AXGNJblTWfSyELfjfgsIpU13vaxQGpETExRJ7yNQakuD_EPY7_Ietti8e8uj6fPdVQ9jGTBwloj6e2dJF1CBNs0sPifNE-jsXqABLCPvs/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_E-c-kDIymZw8NqyHSCEQEp6OGucc2uh03AXGNJblTWfSyELfjfgsIpU13vaxQGpETExRJ7yNQakuD_EPY7_Ietti8e8uj6fPdVQ9jGTBwloj6e2dJF1CBNs0sPifNE-jsXqABLCPvs/s200/leaving+antarctica+080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144278665953232434" border="0" /></a><br />There actually is a very small passenger terminal at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">McMurdo</span> International Airport, but it was such a beautiful spring day we all enjoyed our last hour out on the sea ice with a clear view of Mt. Erebus (too bad I couldn't zap myself to the top of Ob Hill for a photo of the view!). Once all the cargo was loaded onto the C-17 we clamored aboard and found seats along the sides of the plane. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLaujlKLXQ5P8pOulBRMlmkHgCrFVLVmLaqDSC7R5PNRMxejIxgSNVke0i2ekB9tlhPT_24FslOSkK9JYD7bjdHjvqZY9lmtkrQc6Vf0p_dQ34EwE1kA3DuCoUkaX6zCeHt4SUAf7Cp4/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+095.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLaujlKLXQ5P8pOulBRMlmkHgCrFVLVmLaqDSC7R5PNRMxejIxgSNVke0i2ekB9tlhPT_24FslOSkK9JYD7bjdHjvqZY9lmtkrQc6Vf0p_dQ34EwE1kA3DuCoUkaX6zCeHt4SUAf7Cp4/s320/leaving+antarctica+095.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144279597961135682" border="0" /></a><br />This flight was much more spacious than the C-130 and we could get up and walk around. We even went up in the cockpit for a good view of the mountains and ice slipping away beneath us.<br /><br />I have to say, it was a very emotional trip back to "civilization". Antarctica has changed me. It's made me stronger, weaker, older, and younger. It has also made me wiser and claimed me as a permanent resident in my heart.<br /><br />After a very short five hour flight we landed in Christ Church and changed out of our ECW gear, no longer needed in the New Zealand summer evening. We took all of our borrowed gear back to the clothing distribution center and looked more like tourists as we checked back into the Windsor B&B. Once again the friendly voice on the PA system called us to breakfast at 7:30 in the morning with the distinctive "wakey, wakey". <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuknZaP3ExAhf2h2yQ45MWBqao0Dhigg2n8SCEwWaLcxqan0ziEVmyGVd5Z0j2pk9HeLv7lNf9rrRpdHCPDXRFLqYs-Y1wEBGDN3VDbNTWMD3PkjwhagIJN0xCaBBOUidtL73nZRqlgg/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuknZaP3ExAhf2h2yQ45MWBqao0Dhigg2n8SCEwWaLcxqan0ziEVmyGVd5Z0j2pk9HeLv7lNf9rrRpdHCPDXRFLqYs-Y1wEBGDN3VDbNTWMD3PkjwhagIJN0xCaBBOUidtL73nZRqlgg/s200/leaving+antarctica+111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144402820572857938" border="0" /></a> I had just enough time to skip around the corner to the art museum before Robin and I had to catch our flight. We were happily surprised that we could spend some of our wait time at the airport outside on the rooftop observation deck. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlZP5DICyFIU03x2x5-RyDmM8lxR3r91Wbe76xNHpl6liEd9Pg6sEAdOXaEtYUjoMkkD_vXlwBEpPIMZn_kQft8g1jva7jfEP7fVQ8DqZDuWK0pirhcgssO-PQWOzQerPeK9EvcFhgkk/s1600-h/leaving+antarctica+114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlZP5DICyFIU03x2x5-RyDmM8lxR3r91Wbe76xNHpl6liEd9Pg6sEAdOXaEtYUjoMkkD_vXlwBEpPIMZn_kQft8g1jva7jfEP7fVQ8DqZDuWK0pirhcgssO-PQWOzQerPeK9EvcFhgkk/s200/leaving+antarctica+114.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144408979555960418" border="0" /></a><br />After three plane flights and two December the 5ths I woke from a nap on the flight coming into Dallas to see the most spectacular sunset I can ever remember. Of course not seeing a sunset in two months might have made this one all the more spectacular.<br /><br />I'm back home now trying to figure out what day it is, and why it seems so dark at night. It still seems like it should be time to get ready for Thanksgiving. Even though I'm a little disoriented, I do know I'm really glad to be back together with my family and am looking forward to sharing my amazing adventure with the kids at school.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04245399995264068371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-85335203969522532932007-12-09T22:16:00.001+13:002009-01-01T05:18:58.071+13:00Slice it Thin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkeDn02mYUziMPhSu6YlD5_4jQVwOFHhZIIztnq_VQ3iZqkjRpVFjRY9aHSrHtGg8OtRlhVCN2xNPn2IH82UF2Mfdgi4yGQ6QReNk6l6hjZUkohPyvOKQGX8JEpi3cNMI-6V7Nh2KLBEg/s1600-h/256.40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkeDn02mYUziMPhSu6YlD5_4jQVwOFHhZIIztnq_VQ3iZqkjRpVFjRY9aHSrHtGg8OtRlhVCN2xNPn2IH82UF2Mfdgi4yGQ6QReNk6l6hjZUkohPyvOKQGX8JEpi3cNMI-6V7Nh2KLBEg/s320/256.40.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285797265040744386" /></a>The purpose of making thin sections is to create a thin, polished slice of rock 30 microns thick attached to a microscope slide that can be examined under a polarizing microscope to identify the mineral composition of the rock. <div><br /><div>The process starts by attaching the rock sample to a glass microscope slide. Below the rock is being attached against the frosted glass side of microscope slides with epoxy on the pressure jig that provides even pressure and a consistent thickness of epoxy. If samples are very porous or crumbly, they are first saturated with epoxy, sometimes using vacuum impregnation. There can't be any air bubbles or unevenness between the rock and the slide surface. It takes a couple of hours for the epoxy to cure on the hotplate where the jig rests.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jyRAPg48vsxnkOc7VC_YLBnbmG1L72lVtID4jkvkltQn03vZO62mHykwkaeAHZd9voZqNmKH5sIUvWRkVs6wRUAh8sHLI7yjWq10UkQb3hkLEHkxvai8lwfXDqLifxHqZP-VDFhwL3FR/s320/PB260207.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285794051343728098" /><div><br /></div><div>The next step is to cut the rock samples down as soon as possible after the epoxy sets, especially large samples as they cool more unevenly and could generate enough force to crack the glass slides. The excess sample is trimmed neatly off with a vacuum swing arm on a rock cutting saw (below). The glass slides provide a good seal on the vacuum plate, the arm allows the new cut to be parallel to the surface of the slide so the finished product will be exactly the same thickness all over.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQPZ8w7g3-elYNOeIyC3_FliamvJag6vX7gloBOnzcw_xHEWEHKZmpmC0ERCeK0ec39v7w3W4BUeM3yb-LqBukeWhc60RT8DJho7idUR8on7f1KoaBEKTE1I1_0b0x0uAXiVERZSwFyUP/s320/PB260258.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285796266238028690" /><div><br /></div><div>Next the slides with thicker-than-final rocks firmly attached are placed on the lapping machine to be slowly polished down to the final exactly-30-micron thickness. A vacuum system again holds the smooth glass slide against the weighted chuck, holding the rock sample down to the grinding surface. The grinding plate has to be absolutely flat or the finished slides will be uneven so Steve constantly monitors the process, moving slides and arms around. In the picture below you can see one vacuum chuck loaded up with slides, ready to go on the lapping disc seen behind. Various sizes of abrasive grit slurrys are used to provide the grinding action, getting finer and finer as the process comes to a close. Using a fine grade grit at the end is important for optical quality work. The final few microns are polished away by hand.</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLe1LRCWUFcji0FlmQTtkneG89_KmwUy7Xxsgul4qcy5NOL6JqlIdDlLpUlC02qBhjXvBAvHmKESsvNMBNzvoPZfKXDoMXeWShs7uzMPXg9tZOiDi-xn5Bi1bxu92zmfcphGg-GccMStG/s320/PB260228.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285797910183575410" /></div><div>Steve Petrushak is an artist and miracle worker. Samples so crumbly that we could barely (or couldn't)</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ9ZnQgMJbUBFi_j9yGJSpEE-PluuMmggB5imjB7jJwFxIYmybYRzv0b8umSFNqhQfdPT_bAOz5pHOZ1ezIpOo5OEpg8PimKIQsdlMD23Hplsj9oiqurFTH1RkgJ6LTcxlgRi8FM7BxKO/s200/PB260195.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285799349918231218" /><div> get them out of the core in one piece, he manages to create perfect thin section slides. The ANDRILL team is lucky to have him! He examines each finished slide to make sure it is ready to be used to identify the core's mineral components at that sampled depth. He has requests for 600 thin section slides this season, which works out to about 50 every two days. He is currently managing around 15 every day so will be continuing work after some of the team has left the ice. To work in this field he says is useful to have some background in mineralogy, optical geology, and crystallography, as well as a good mechanical feel. </div><br />The finished product!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-pZ59cX9rGa7aRjB1Gv4INsio1VcMLZ7syMBVhE3sNWhdiI8eoNgYvjJuPdKHjrfmlebLAO3dNht8o1iNptQeWfhWSY4XqUmbEuM9a-hKq_D7H6BuStYw5jPb3on-LUpF7T3Ae-IB91/s1600-h/PB260188.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7-pZ59cX9rGa7aRjB1Gv4INsio1VcMLZ7syMBVhE3sNWhdiI8eoNgYvjJuPdKHjrfmlebLAO3dNht8o1iNptQeWfhWSY4XqUmbEuM9a-hKq_D7H6BuStYw5jPb3on-LUpF7T3Ae-IB91/s320/PB260188.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285796890817593458" /></a><br /></div>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-58490748295822671672007-12-09T13:07:00.000+13:002007-12-10T16:09:17.694+13:00Penguins and Seals and Whales, Oh My!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tNFm6cdjI/AAAAAAAAAIk/2oGt3FFJ7o0/s1600-h/Kneeling+with+penguins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tNFm6cdjI/AAAAAAAAAIk/2oGt3FFJ7o0/s320/Kneeling+with+penguins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141788158313920050" border="0" /></a>For ten years I visited classrooms talking about Antarctica and teaching children and teachers about the wildlife in Antarctica. Some students began calling me the “Penguin Lady,” so when I was selected as a TEA (Teacher Experiencing Antarctica) in 2002, one of the main things I wanted to see was a…polar bear! (Just kidding…I hope ALL of you know they are <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">only </span>found in the Arctic!) Of course, I really wanted to see a <span style="font-weight: bold;">penguin</span>. As luck would have it, the huge iceberg that had broken off the year before was pushed up against the coast and penguins were not in abundance that year. The only one that was sighted came walking by our field camp the day I was getting a cast put on my broken wrist, so I missed him! (THAT’s a story for another day!) My team took hundreds of pictures of the little adelie penguin they named, Charlie, and through them, I felt I had seen him, too…but in reality…ah well. Life is cruel sometimes.<br /><br />So imagine my excitement when Jean Pennycook, a TEA friend of mine and the education outreach director for David Ainley’s www.penguinscience.com, invited me to come out to visit the rookery at Cape Royds! It would give us a chance to talk about how we are each approaching education outreach for our science teams. I brought Steve Petrushak, an ANDRILL scientist, and Rainer Lehmann, the German ARISE teacher. We packed up our sleep kits and “P” bottles (and yes, that’s what they are for!) for camping overnight, and headed out in a pisten bully with Rob Robbins and his dive team. (see the last few pictures.) It was a two-hour drive across the sea ice. The divers dropped us at the Cape Royds camp and then set up their camp on the sea ice where they melted a hole and did three dives to retrieve a current meter. It took them 12 hours to melt the hole, and then several hours to do the dives, so we had from 6 pm until about noon to explore with Jean.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size:78%;">Jean and me--a very cold day! </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tMr26cdiI/AAAAAAAAAIc/hEgodt-WlTI/s1600-h/Jean+and+me.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tMr26cdiI/AAAAAAAAAIc/hEgodt-WlTI/s320/Jean+and+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141787715932288546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"> Jean welcoming us to the Ainley camp. You can see the Jamesway and one of the Scott tents.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1s4h26cdfI/AAAAAAAAAIE/AaXCoHcRQ-k/s1600-h/Camp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1s4h26cdfI/AAAAAAAAAIE/AaXCoHcRQ-k/s320/Camp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141765553901041138" border="0" /></a><br />Jean and David welcomed us with a wonderful spaghetti dinner—we had brought a fresh loaf of bread from the galley—and then we walked to the penguin rookery. Their camp is over several large hills and quite a distance from the penguins. I asked why so far, but when we got there I understood the reason! The birds are raucous as they call to their mates, and the young males without mates are constantly making displays and loudly shouting their virility to the world hoping a female will notice them. And the smell is reminiscent of a barnyard!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tMSW6cdhI/AAAAAAAAAIU/wGPoIr3vG90/s1600-h/Display.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tMSW6cdhI/AAAAAAAAAIU/wGPoIr3vG90/s320/Display.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141787277845624338" border="0" /></a><br />The penguin rookery is an “ASMA” area—Antarctic Specially Managed Area”- so we were not allowed to walk through it, but we were able to stand on a hill overlooking the area and take lots of pictures. I was amazed that as we stood with the 2000 mating pairs of penguins to our left, and the sea ice to our right, that it was only about 200 meters to OPEN ocean! I asked about that, because when we flew in, there were hundreds of miles of frozen ocean before we reached the continent. How could this water be open? David explained that it is a polyna. “Polyna” is a Russian word meaning unfrozen water surrounded by ice. There is some mystery to how these form in the Southern Ocean, but this one was probably blown free of ice by the strong winds experienced here recently, and as a result of the huge iceberg finally breaking up and moving north. At any rate, the penguins are enjoying a much shorter walk to their dinner “tables” and "showers"!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1s73m6cdgI/AAAAAAAAAIM/wt3Bp4-vdys/s1600-h/Cape+Royds+Rookeery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1s73m6cdgI/AAAAAAAAAIM/wt3Bp4-vdys/s320/Cape+Royds+Rookeery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141769226098079234" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After several years of a declining population at this Adelie penguin rookery, it has shown an increase this year, and we were thrilled to hear that. Many of the birds are wing-tagged or have microchips for tracking. There are four penguin colonies being studied by Ainley’s group. They are from Cape Royds, the smallest with about 4000 birds, to Cape Bird, Beaufort Island and Cape Crozier, the largest with 130,000 birds. The success of the birds may have something to do with the nearness of the open water, so foraging is much easier. I asked about leopard seals and whether they were a problem predator for this colony. Since this is a small colony, it would not support a leopard seal’s need for massive quantities of penguin meat. I was told it would be like a marathon runner trying to eat enough calories by picking strawberries along the way.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tNXm6cdkI/AAAAAAAAAIs/6X6YsNKnLTU/s1600-h/Me+with+penguins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tNXm6cdkI/AAAAAAAAAIs/6X6YsNKnLTU/s320/Me+with+penguins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141788467551565378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tN3m6cdlI/AAAAAAAAAI0/p1HTw6evqeI/s1600-h/Getting+close.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tN3m6cdlI/AAAAAAAAAI0/p1HTw6evqeI/s320/Getting+close.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141789017307379282" border="0" /></a><br />From our vantage point on the hill, we were able to watch the penguins in constant motion marching out to the sea and then marching back again. The males and females take turns sitting on the egg while the other goes to eat and groom. They can’t leave the egg alone for a minute because it will freeze, or worse, the skuas will dive in and grab it. Skuas are large, brown sea gull-like scavengers. They will grab an egg from a penguin, or steal a baby if a parent isn’t diligently watching. I saw a little adult penguin run after a large skua when it landed in the rookery. He won, too. I think the skua decided that it wasn’t worth the aggravation. The skua flew off to a different spot where I’m sure he hoped the penguins weren’t keeping such close watch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tOtW6cdmI/AAAAAAAAAI8/o1KIZlb2Vog/s1600-h/skua.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tOtW6cdmI/AAAAAAAAAI8/o1KIZlb2Vog/s320/skua.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141789940725347938" border="0" /></a><br />We weren’t allowed in the ASMA area, but we were able to walk to the sea ice edge, and if a penguin decided to come up to us…well, it was okay. And they did! It was just amazing. They are so curious when they see the big red people that they come running over to check you out. If we were very quiet, or sat on the ice, they would come within just a few feet and let us take lots of pictures. A whale swam by, and unfortunately our quick glimpse didn’t allow us to identify the species for sure, but we think it was a minke. Minkes are the least threatened of the whale species in the Southern Ocean. We also had quite a show with a momma seal and her pup. The pup was insisting that she play with him, and like a good mom, she did!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tPHm6cdnI/AAAAAAAAAJE/glqt53atUCg/s1600-h/Mom+and+pup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tPHm6cdnI/AAAAAAAAAJE/glqt53atUCg/s320/Mom+and+pup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141790391696914034" border="0" /></a><br />A storm blew up quickly, and we decided we had better hike back to the hut before it got much worse. We weren’t ready to go in, but it would not be fun to be caught on the sea ice or in the high hills between the ocean and camp in whiteout conditions. I slept in Jean’s tent, and the guys bunked in a small shed. But, the next morning dawned with a brilliant blue sky and bright, beautiful light, and we knew we were in store for some better pictures than even the night before.<br /><br />Again we hiked down to the sea ice and gingerly picked our way through the cracks. It is very slick and is beginning to change, so lots of caution was required. But the effort was well worth it. We saw emperors as well as adelies! And the adelies were very active swimming and jumping through the water and leaping up onto the ice and sliding like a fumbled football before stopping.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tPe26cdoI/AAAAAAAAAJM/Xs0aXdCZHq8/s1600-h/Emp+and+Adel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tPe26cdoI/AAAAAAAAAJM/Xs0aXdCZHq8/s320/Emp+and+Adel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141790791128872578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I hope you enjoy these pictures. I will let them tell part of the story. It was an experience I will never forget, and I wish I could find the words to adequately describe the pictures I carry in my head!<br /><br /> <span style="font-size:78%;">Rainer. Louise, and Steve on the way back, stopped at Barn Glacier.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQXG6cdpI/AAAAAAAAAJU/M9yXrBDw_i4/s1600-h/boys+and+me.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQXG6cdpI/AAAAAAAAAJU/M9yXrBDw_i4/s320/boys+and+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141791757496514194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Pisten Bully pulling the divers' "tomato" hut. Thanks Amy, Rob and Addy for the ride! Thanks Steve and Rainer for sharing photos!</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQsG6cdqI/AAAAAAAAAJc/UiiY_Dvx6HQ/s1600-h/Rob.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQsG6cdqI/AAAAAAAAAJc/UiiY_Dvx6HQ/s320/Rob.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141792118273767074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQ-G6cdrI/AAAAAAAAAJk/FDED60aJsUo/s1600-h/Pisten+bully.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R1tQ-G6cdrI/AAAAAAAAAJk/FDED60aJsUo/s320/Pisten+bully.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141792427511412402" border="0" /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-26879708030660523262007-12-08T13:38:00.003+13:002008-12-31T05:26:02.775+13:00Eye to the MicroscopeOn the next microscope over, Dr. Kari Bassett spends much of her time examining and describing thin section slides like the one shown twice in different lights below (tune in tomorrow for all the details on how these thin slices of rock are made). <img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRyW6NGeX1IPZ_0375Hoc3KeiAM5QdJaTVj1oBvxSe7hmK1LwzTy0xlNL15NYiEiNv3k4w2NiPk5ERcVOCqdgCdWeohshbrrFM5hRERERNslCr_bNklwlDff_RmMlwjP1BJ8usVDZ9vqi/s400/648.45.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139550375084734226" />Even though we look at them both under a microscope with different lights to learn about them, one major difference between the thin section slides and the smear slides I am working with is that the thin section is a slice of rock of known thickness - 30 microns. Knowing the thickness of the slice allows scientists to use light accurately identify the minerals that make up the rock. A "rock" is anything made of multiple minerals. <br /><br /><div>On the first look at a slide, the aim is to categorize the compositional type of the rock the slice was taken from (e.g. mostly terriginous) and get some grain size data.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmhTro8eBccv9s9kf989KXln97hBxHpt2n5nzY07UJ2Wl-QynPNPr5Pr413Y5KahYcPDtz449_PDWmUp54fKj8qmqfLgSo5UUNQCfsKEj8fERExFg7FeIuQbF3C_ObbRFjl585KbIkveU/s400/723.05.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139547548996253442" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When Kari looked at the slide above (plane polarized light on the left, cross polarized light on the right) some of the things she noticed were the two large chunks of material included in this rock. In plain polar the one on the left is transparent and yellow, in cross polar it is black and opaque (can't see through it) - this means it is composed of glass. How on earth does glass get into rock? Volcanoes! This whole area is tectonically and volcanically active. We even have an active volcano, Erebus, on the island we are living on. The bubbles in the glass indicate that the eruption occurred in cold conditions, the frothy lava didn't off-gas entirely before solidifying. Since it is only a small piece of volcanic glass, it has travelled to the place where it was incorporated into the sea floor. The chunk on the right side of the slide, opaque and black in both types of light, was changed by the weathering process into pyrite or magnetite. Overall this is an iron rich sample.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Even if you don't have one of the vital handbooks for checking on what you are seeing under the microscope, like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Colour Atlas of Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section </span>or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Microscopic Identification of Minerals</span>, take a look at the paired images of a thin section slide below and describe features you notice.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmhkBhplvpSklX-4yLiumik9ymh3V6Rlw2iJd8WzBfa5ID1MQcknqGOOZMIwAd56Osly3-zwizS7ukiI5emcYN8BB-mNgYE-ZVgpynrSndSVyrKOOwX_bxH02kydpwke9sei4PdR1Z3-l/s1600-h/173.52c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmhkBhplvpSklX-4yLiumik9ymh3V6Rlw2iJd8WzBfa5ID1MQcknqGOOZMIwAd56Osly3-zwizS7ukiI5emcYN8BB-mNgYE-ZVgpynrSndSVyrKOOwX_bxH02kydpwke9sei4PdR1Z3-l/s320/173.52c.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285611610743313490" /></a>Of the many things you might notice, look at the two grains that are brownish tan in the plain polar light on the left. These demonstrate why mineral identification of grains needs both plain polar and cross polar examination. When you look at the same two grains under cross polar, one is still brown and transparent, the other has turned black! That one is glass, the other pyroxene (also a volcanic mineral). Like the pyroxene in this slide, some minerals look the same under either light, others change a lot. Either way, it tells us about what type of mineral it is.<div><br /></div><div>What types of things can you think of that you need different sources of information about to be sure you are accurate? What might be a good analogy for thin section mineral identification? <br /><div><br /></div><div>For more on thin section identification, check out this <a href="http://geology.isu.edu/geostac/Field_Exercise/Cassia_mtns/thinsect.html">online guide.</a></div></div>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-29380058419362037192007-12-07T18:48:00.000+13:002008-12-31T12:43:44.271+13:00Boxing Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpQZRUsWMoQO2wSd0QzD3oTGblBScUWvB5cVSlD8Ibm7yA0S52hDTFoRfBnrh3XS54qdJmGNoo9Z4QGXa59yrhWvQpv1ZICPai-rMvD_CErsr69hHg29f6lTmgW8QH7pbZrvsbwReDyhr/s1600-h/IMG_1171.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpQZRUsWMoQO2wSd0QzD3oTGblBScUWvB5cVSlD8Ibm7yA0S52hDTFoRfBnrh3XS54qdJmGNoo9Z4QGXa59yrhWvQpv1ZICPai-rMvD_CErsr69hHg29f6lTmgW8QH7pbZrvsbwReDyhr/s200/IMG_1171.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285663213983792610" /></a>Like me, you may never have wondered where all the boxes for the core come from. They are just part of the scenery! No one nips out to the corner store to buy them. Today we had to build them ourselves :) <div><br /></div><div>A major part of planning for any science team heading to Antarctica to do research is figuring out to the last item what will be needed to conduct their science work for their whole visit. There are some things that are common to all science teams that NSF brings in and maintains at Crary</div><div> lab: glassware etc. and even some larger pieces of equipment. For teams that require specialized </div><div>machines, computers, tools or supplies, they figure out what and how much they will need, then pack it up and ship it to the folks at Raytheon, well in advance of deployment. </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnOKKsjpSOzPgksnxwWJARFaDpv2ZE_Zdl_9jgXo0LxGOKZGYAEBRSsmqZKEpCeEU2OPNLZW0G004YwiGci8Quc6qRzMd2sWenAscj8YEcpSJgT6Xe2VxxDT7hi7k-OgpsgtTDmlIp_7n/s320/IMG_1170.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285725348038642370" /><div>Don't miscount - you might end up in the embarrassing position of having brought down too much or too</div><div> little. Too much and you wasted precious cargo space. Too little and you might not be able to finish your science work. Logistics pros from Raytheon schedule the cargo in and</div><div> out of all USAP sites, planning so that the available space is used to get things there just in</div><div> advance of when they are needed, as there isn't too much storage but the science isn't being held back either.</div><div><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfbOvkEWvRmu3kHMvOKwt03LVIgSCXUyRtRAtUyl8pyzPb-jQU8tuIjXAZjDtUydhyphenhyphenUb_1WHUPRbhf6cF2U47z5SuUStM-b1x95Ux4zobKwSvKoVOj3IrkfJQRkwQ5XJYS3__bn6KoiT9/s200/IMG_1177.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285727913327125842" /><div>Box party in the lab! Everyone comes and </div><div>pitches in to turn huge piles of flat waxed cardboard into core boxes. Today we made boxes for HQ (3 sections of core per box) and NQ (4 sections of core per box) diameter core. These boxes are a little over 1m long. This stuff is tough. Thick waxed board has to be painstakingly bent at the dotted fold lines to make the right shape. There is a lid, base and insert for each box. Making boxes takes time but there is lots of teamwork and music, so we have fun. After, we have to scrape all the extra wax off the tables and floor - not as much fun. </div><div>This is our second box party, hopefully we won't need another before we are done. How many boxes do we need?</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWX3ze0WLZ7POZoWtV1m86tYr9npoFvCjIbB_9nY9LHM4HOmvIer50IX0AxnJwmv4XxmkSXu4a32CCUWe-7IaTToJoX1hlXlFk-TfamilRn2yJfBUxl9KaLqxkrF42y6EdlueQW0TbFgX/s200/IMG_1175.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285729731779695522" /><div><br /></div><div>Just think about this example: for 1000m (or 1km) of core, if a third is drilled in each of the 3 sizes it would make 333m of PQ, 333m of HQ, and 334m of NQ. How many boxes would we need? </div><div>(hint: each PQ box holds 2m of core, each HQ box holds 3m of core, and each NQ box holds 4m of core.)</div></div>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-79403877765099444132007-12-07T16:59:00.001+13:002008-12-31T06:45:03.305+13:00Over the Sea Ice to Mario Zucchelli (Terra Nova) Station<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wPDUhS-0OfegqQ3GwsDIzXHpYfem-9c97I7Qp64L4Yrqw-Y6NnEr1o8NB6vPqkqeXJO64rqbcXd0UTRvFyqUPRjqpfX8dtOVGaxdcSt4XH-QX_s-HaCsmlBLAJ3BR3iq3ZVqojJh5vu/s1600-h/Kate+Plane+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141392024649214306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wPDUhS-0OfegqQ3GwsDIzXHpYfem-9c97I7Qp64L4Yrqw-Y6NnEr1o8NB6vPqkqeXJO64rqbcXd0UTRvFyqUPRjqpfX8dtOVGaxdcSt4XH-QX_s-HaCsmlBLAJ3BR3iq3ZVqojJh5vu/s200/Kate+Plane+small.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a long-overdue missive about my trip to Mario Zucchelli Station. Before we even left the US, we were told by Louise (the ANDRILL Eucation and Outreach Co-ordinator) that one of the most important qualities we would need to draw on would be flexibility. We practiced this as we hurried up and then waited while our plane was delayed in Christchurch due to bad weather in McMurdo. But I saw another side of this when Louise rushed into the Micropaleontology Lab and said ‘if you want to go to Mario Zuchelli Station for an overnight stay, be ready with all your ECW gear and anything you need for overnight in 20 minutes - the plane is leaving in 40 minutes!’ Mario Zucchelli Station is the <a href="http://www.cifr.it/cifr2/mi-antartide1.htm">Italian Station</a> formerly known as Terra Nova Station. Mario Zucchelli Station is named for the Italian Scientist and Visionary <a href="http://www.concordiastation.org/DOMEC/HTML/zucchelli.html">Mario Zucchelli </a>who oversaw and led the Italian Antarctic Program and the development of the Station.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QspsQIUCsuQRmwXLWiNJyp7faf9br8jkS3jDbcoIZzyAsALOWA3ujNR2q3ZtdclUgymsbeO5-clXw9loFxEe1RTb0_3jeOC3RIQvwVr2YKf5SyvA7PonDrXMqevzuJKFCTB-qpNFJ8z/s1600-h/Western+Ross+Sea+Map.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141363737994602818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19QspsQIUCsuQRmwXLWiNJyp7faf9br8jkS3jDbcoIZzyAsALOWA3ujNR2q3ZtdclUgymsbeO5-clXw9loFxEe1RTb0_3jeOC3RIQvwVr2YKf5SyvA7PonDrXMqevzuJKFCTB-qpNFJ8z/s320/Western+Ross+Sea+Map.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFwa6HSX8Ztk_p-xNHJDQdyxSiJM0yIBIUkrKGF6vmQH11ERoehgT0V5TDXt_RUvKmCojUc8VLP2xweOv5OzYftgAMIiI1lgnkkbMMFYe2Q8WyMuO76b_yw8vsWimeOaF1UfeVc9RfiQ0/s1600-h/LGPSiteMap.jpg"></a><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span><br /><div><div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span></span> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Map of the Ross Sea Region showing loaction<br />of Terra NovaBay - the site of Mario Zucchelli Station<br /></span></div><br /><div>I made it back to the dorm, then back to the lab (running all the way - it is hard to run in full ECW gear). I was quite excited. We got weighed in, and got a shuttle out to the runway. We flew in a heavily modified Twin Otter. The company contracted to fly the Twin Otters in Antarctica is <a href="http://www.borekair.com/">Ken Borek Air </a>- a Canadian company - most of the pilots have arctic experience and fly in the Arctic when they are not flying in Antarctica.<br /><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcJ2G4zHDSxOnXI-XC1yVB74-q143jmHiTFaWOqsNT0Z1YIL7AhwyBmotVdvhBuEWgZGlwIWgpTzo8_tNzwLgXSTGgaJ3tE83g0b_cIaVz9RnKdpbI4V5ae32FcZhwnMsDEShlNo_fbt_/s1600-h/Twin+Otter+at+MZ.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141128996557039490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcJ2G4zHDSxOnXI-XC1yVB74-q143jmHiTFaWOqsNT0Z1YIL7AhwyBmotVdvhBuEWgZGlwIWgpTzo8_tNzwLgXSTGgaJ3tE83g0b_cIaVz9RnKdpbI4V5ae32FcZhwnMsDEShlNo_fbt_/s320/Twin+Otter+at+MZ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />The Twin Otter being loaded on the ice at Mario Zucchelli Station<br /></span><br />The flight was a microcosm of the International flavor of Antarctica: passengers on the flight included a French Geophysicist/Station Manager (his name was Jean-Francois) en route to the joint Italian/French Station (Concordia Station) at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_C">Dome C</a>, and three members of the Italian Station, as well as the Pilot and co-pilot, and another Polish-Canadian pilot that was getting a ride back to Mario Zucchelli, plus myself, Joanna, and Graziano (the teacher from Italy). After the initial rush we waited for an hour while some bags were transferred from the C-17 that had just arrived from Christchurch.<br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvo9dMlNcbKNdvlkNAzlXzA3_YIWDBqR_MKW1B41io_1Dkh0IqXvqtrBLS-FgM3Ymn09Vc9YM5_VfcRxapqOGbJMWaihLP7BixcdqMSoXMabOk6T1JGNaE58CRCX7RbAcYfWtRr-5isyea/s1600-h/Graziano+Kate+Joanna.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141129494773245842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvo9dMlNcbKNdvlkNAzlXzA3_YIWDBqR_MKW1B41io_1Dkh0IqXvqtrBLS-FgM3Ymn09Vc9YM5_VfcRxapqOGbJMWaihLP7BixcdqMSoXMabOk6T1JGNaE58CRCX7RbAcYfWtRr-5isyea/s320/Graziano+Kate+Joanna.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Graziano, Myself and Joanna - all excited about our trip!<br /></span><br />Mario Zuchelli Station (formerly called Terra Nova Station) is the Italian station at the southern extent of Northern Victoria Land. We flew over the Ross Sea with views of the Transantarctic Mountains to the west (left) in the distance. But the view that captivated or mesmerized me was the view straight down. I had not realized both how complex and how distinctive the different types of <a href="http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/sotc/sea_ice.html">sea ice </a>are, and what a complex pattern they make - it was like looking at pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. At first much of the sea-ice was covered by relatively recent snow that was draped over the ice – one could make out subtle patterns in the ice below, such as the pattern left by the channel that was broken by the icebreaker when the ship came in last February/March. As we flow north we started to get a sense of the area representing a jigsaw of ice plates that been broken up, refrozen, then broken up again.<br /><br /><span style="color:#333399;"><strong>The Incredible World of Sea Ice<br /></strong></span>Here are some of the distinctive forms and features that I could see (go to the <a href="http://www.nsidc.org/cryosphere/">NSIDC</a> or <a href="http://www.aari.nw.ru/gdsidb/XML/sea_ice_nomenclature.html">World Meteorological Organization</a> or <a href="http://www.dbcp.noaa.gov/seashelp/HtmlIceGlossary.htm">NOAA</a> for descriptions and definitions of the different types of sea ice).<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141135748245628882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYeEqinX39UVCdVCF1ge0DGf2cQcusB8KxJjqa9LHTQjrlydQyAY0D8_Dky2hnF1ANNFr_MzwpCXXU2-Qa6LC-VIgM9LvURQP7EZeCDX-6xyriIALu1Hr-PcDpIxmeDmxw0wHiMAw6FSL/s320/Broken+up+ice+with+nilas+small.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141311296443918338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGXmPA9TzLZylxKRYtn27KU1jOgw2m3eRQKOkar3Jb3iftDkUiV18L-G34WghvTLW5ihM-wcFBCE4_8gJHi3Dp94YYUuLRcikbH45fpvw99Jrz7A-VGUJhP872Zcbf20dv14KZloHWfYL/s320/crack+nilas+bumps+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141311579911759890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjjzZppjuqXHwhRZwX0XyRHIrgKAfjlRlLUjMAKPdsco3Xr3Ptp3xXT15qK9kOvfplSB9DfPVM6E1CorC6g-Z6JnScb6kIiH6a4ONoT8-SpChutXWvdbEDI3IEYPOZtJFqoV8iEy46Cqy/s320/Brkn+up+ridged+ice+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141311970753783842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhIPqyxRZ0aexaSMEJiYhvUwGBGLCFcca7rmR7Ddj9ynMJ-Q6Vpj7Z8RAzzkeyOmp1Yxe_nOE4NK3fB1AgwFmZbxGqY6X-NhRV8ibfn1bfHWANPnmeslgPg-mHikgLnwaUANAGnipMSJR/s320/cracks+1+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141312696603256882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVa5xJPjSh2KWvknxVOiFkNG0xqyzWpaGBYTiwdcufiLDNPvBBlzE2S6pkZ1PZasRainTwAtoHTIeV1n4ryhnGG6C2LnafgqvvdJnVRMB3iYCoQpyJ8HKJBxopxxjEMT-qDaSQmHnPwx1/s320/cracks+2+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141313087445280834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JJ9oIIH0lTiM2D-Q-DTjSFYhuZX7o7PE53g0A9hkjdzZg97Su-xo0jv-Twt2IbK5_Va2naNrM0q6DQedNvhZDQzsdKgAFR_fz8lgv9j3wbADuRXH_aEKaZd0gEQgmk8nzy9nI3gPrlrg/s320/Deformed+ice+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141315372367882338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScLQptjqqNA5Q2y8wUdbxC5frh1Jwr-njmSWYFi_hdWnGT6DgKWY_Q7a99f3YXewn2j5PBOZiyxF1NhFbvwfhTviF37oXDY15SNpsB1zO6F1vGBs0bWpliYlOR4z0NBKHT9SpB2E0lYng/s320/larger+old+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141316484764412018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusjvPRYQ6AVzgPon8H933LNhG7NgQWvzOpkbT-pICQsn5rsFm7kCAC9ckrbpizZ7HKShTs6Vu-PtFAk0tR8RbVAKCW0rdehCkOxjlJPNuJSFV-OfZQkdkIlwwS9UAT5XD4lAD_KLMnOic/s320/Nilas+fingers+small.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141323764733978786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEPbyinQeD8xyyX56Ox38jGO6-O1rM7E9QJyR-FmQTQ4vMDUcVOGGI-n8vqzrpECiY_1VKKm7k3kNQEUMD7x2QG3AG_vvvAq-Tu8jRPXOTlRLk_ebGMlgDZ6FaQZf0CH1vk_HZcikckf8/s320/Nilas+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141324353144498354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw57l6fGpEEnFD61el-ntOaruAEOxsrnj51oFsV48SS1S_nbK9m7aV4b_qaKIjr1wOfpARpbPDpJcp7fLgJYFN0ThkL7IFD4ipEdx3ooTt9DScp85hmeqHC6kvc-aJBJcLNesVJq_nFpBy/s320/Pancake+and+Nilas+small.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141340463566825746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWdrRSVD6RmQGtUNYOK4pnFG9OVEC6_-Q0gsEOtgNmGQm_4Sim_BpEmlAeibz20FPtsgJw87XCja5rWRStkDhk7R3CS1HGHsJvNOyYJKz4xuTgU4H6PMoqdBrlEsl9VMc0qaq8bj1l09q/s320/cropped+simple+table.jpg" border="0" />Sea ice forms by the freezing of sea water. Some sea ice only lasts one season – other sea ice lasts for two or more years, and is called multi-year sea ice. One of the more dramatic seasonal variations in Antarctica is the difference in the extent of winter sea ice compared to the extent of summer sea ice; the changing extent of winter and summer sea-ice extent is being monitored closely by climate change scientists.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141132041688852386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnE9I3KhU1Bpc0hCd9Q9piU4okI0zx990dp3Qo_-6C_At8jq06DUrKOUsg_-8iVG7SiM_nK8gnfWqyd9_2aKSofNO2oiUq6q2dDx8xylaWnsRIy0M1wB_B14ugdJ5DSWVyA1ikR9VmfYd/s320/Sea+Ice+Tile+cropped+small.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-size:78%;">Ceramic Tile (my 'Trivet #1') showing winter and summer extent of sea ice around Antarctica - based on data and maps from NOAA)<br /></span><br />We flew over the <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16838">Drygalski Ice Tongue </a>– which was the centre of an iceberg-related drama in 2005. The Drygalski Ice Tongue is the floating portion of the Davis Glacier. It is 20 km wide, 50-200 m thick, and at least 4000 years old (based on radiocarbon dates from penguin guano). The area of open water (polynya) on its northern margin provides access to good fishing for the penguin colonies in the vicinity.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXej9eD95j8TAMDbCPWdHMm2ARU3yY7jdoTuavJTbnIlRMpX39YCiOv4pQ3k3SJwjCX63WVV-bj_mnksD88rbYoTopKSCXrQmKUnkLSRnTCQhGrf9pElWSzRovA_sdVwD9PcJT5aXxayd/s1600-h/edge+of+dry+3+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141332711150856450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXej9eD95j8TAMDbCPWdHMm2ARU3yY7jdoTuavJTbnIlRMpX39YCiOv4pQ3k3SJwjCX63WVV-bj_mnksD88rbYoTopKSCXrQmKUnkLSRnTCQhGrf9pElWSzRovA_sdVwD9PcJT5aXxayd/s320/edge+of+dry+3+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></p><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">View of edge of Drygalski Ice Tongue and adjacent sea ice (mostly Nilas Ice)<br /></span><br />The Drygalski Ice Tongue is moving at a rate of between 50 and 900 meters per year. The iceberg-related drama that I mentioned is the <a href="http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMEGLW797E_index_0.html">collision</a> of portions of the <a href="http://www.atsr.rl.ac.uk/images/sample/ross/index.shtml">large iceberg (B-15)</a> that broke off from the front of the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 with the Drygalski Ice Tongue in April 2005. The chunk of Ice broken off the Ice Tongue measured about 7.5 miles across.<br /><br />There are several areas of open water in the Ross Sea; these are called polynyas. The map below shows the approximate location of two of the larger polynyas we flew over.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hrH_VnKlLAAQ_lptrWqs2ucOcrqhTypHqY1AmlQnmx8D_Eo4lG8qicQZWyfeio3qgr-SbWdg5DMEcGR4AdVDLHq0vq3SLGWCegZ-98LI9tyNAgHmNhBJ3ktlJ9dUqu4kXhpOEnL1CMzs/s1600-h/RossSeaAndIceShelf+small.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141342477906487602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hrH_VnKlLAAQ_lptrWqs2ucOcrqhTypHqY1AmlQnmx8D_Eo4lG8qicQZWyfeio3qgr-SbWdg5DMEcGR4AdVDLHq0vq3SLGWCegZ-98LI9tyNAgHmNhBJ3ktlJ9dUqu4kXhpOEnL1CMzs/s320/RossSeaAndIceShelf+small.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p><br /><div><br />The polynya near the Drygalski Ice Tongue is the result of strong catabatic winds that produce waves and prevent sea ice from forming. Within some of the polynyas that we flew over I could see incredible diatom blooms that look brownish grey in color; the distribution of the diatoms is a consequence in part of wind and wave action; diatoms are algae that make their microscopic shells out of silica - we have a team of diatomists working with Andrill that are using ancient diatoms to help us determine the age of the sediments in the core.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141140395400243186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiET35EHvjDj76cKIInr_51mnp-8xlwn2pOGTi8W9cyT20pH-3buDJElRAvpYGxXJo5hAreZ37IGCyODtZuTCWJzZKxiGBw6o6_ypHgGHRUv6oIs1phuviIsd587j1AuPJN_pogKHfwPRwd/s320/Terra+Nova+Polynya.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Aerial view of the Terra Nova Polynya with diatom blooms (brownish areas in the water). This picture is taken looking westward towards the Transantarctic Mountains.<br /></span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141313461107435602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCg-EPQyo_RJCcjKEWGnV1LFd6AomlYlS_aTRaf48X7I3vYHQGQ-yKTds_GngNLkoV0Oj_CahNfxTLL1tQrpIxn1AetHkbUwQbuKWr3toLf7gh1U0ylpSNj8oCuNJV4FRQPZOTm-hmyQc/s320/Diatom+bloom+at+edge+of+nilas+and+pcake+small.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Diatom Bloom at the edge of the Ice. Sometimes the thinner and younger Dark Nilas seems to incorporate diatoms from these blooms - it takes on a murky brownish color. There must be enough sunlight here to allow the diatoms to photosynthesize.<br /></span><br />At Mario Zuchelli they had been very concerned as to whether the fragments of B-15 would collide with the Campbell Glacier Tongue, which is just north of the station, and essentially protects the water in Gerlache Inlet (the northern part of Terra Nova Bay) from early melt out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4HDUjy1cGUnj7X0Pv84cVWNTMbDS4bS6DAvkcaWmPsCTkX4Bm5hxAUd-Ztuf8xx-cC90AenalMS6IcBlFd4fhTUqe1p1C5dBlgWISI7JAAvRSH5240UEuuSvX9WpKHxT2GuaJ3Wqv_B1/s1600-h/Terra+Nova+Bay+Map+300px.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141329700378781938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4HDUjy1cGUnj7X0Pv84cVWNTMbDS4bS6DAvkcaWmPsCTkX4Bm5hxAUd-Ztuf8xx-cC90AenalMS6IcBlFd4fhTUqe1p1C5dBlgWISI7JAAvRSH5240UEuuSvX9WpKHxT2GuaJ3Wqv_B1/s320/Terra+Nova+Bay+Map+300px.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Map of Terra Nova Bay Region of the Western Ross Sea<br /></span><br />This is important because at Mario Zucchelli they depend in part on a sea-ice runway as long as possible. It turned out that the Campbell Ice Tongue was unaffected by B-15, but Giuseppe and Roberto did describe the calving of a large portion of the Campbell Ice Tongue “we looked out the window at breakfast one morning and suddenly realized that the front of the ice stream had broken off and a large iceberg was floating away.” They are still waiting to see exactly how this will affect development and melting of the sea ice in Gerlache Inlet.<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141341155056560418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MumxnnBz03AufLC2uem6FdUAiOCKzgmjnjlHDE6hSdQ3t7ZVHSFRpMGfOejMParOuxTwMPoQIy7oOYfK5QGya84aWf39P1GPG0htl6YiXfvuij3nFYFN3siMU336U3dh3FIXeGhKYZvt/s320/Campbell+Ice+Tongue.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">View to the North. The Campbell Glacier Tongue is the white 'line' almost on the horizon. Cape Washington (location of an Emperor Penguin Colony) is the land in the background.<br /></span><br />What amused me about my arrival at Mario Zuchelli was that even here in Antarctica, there was something about the color and light that made it seem Mediterranean (the wonderful pasta and good coffee also helped). It is situated on honey-colored granitic rocks in a small cove.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPij3Qhxa2LTcCoo5h85dQDnPFvkCrX7KotO7DNoHusCHaiysq4GLUvBhxUVOmx9EEee8ZZWxeu5CZhwsWSPcNdhWRPo4_1yShbo5iGpdRZoJ-IAjXT1InLRefBXI_tlVRUYhq0atvLXUK/s1600-h/Mario+Zuchelli+Mediterranean.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141327505650493650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPij3Qhxa2LTcCoo5h85dQDnPFvkCrX7KotO7DNoHusCHaiysq4GLUvBhxUVOmx9EEee8ZZWxeu5CZhwsWSPcNdhWRPo4_1yShbo5iGpdRZoJ-IAjXT1InLRefBXI_tlVRUYhq0atvLXUK/s320/Mario+Zuchelli+Mediterranean.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><br /><p align="left"><br /><br /><br /><br />Mario Zucchelli Station with Mt. Browning & the Deep Freeze Range in the Background. You can see the sea ice runway (...on the sea ice ...)<br /><br />The sun was low on the horizon, and the rocks had a warm glow to them, emphasizing their beautiful weathered shapes, illuminating the mostly blue and red station. It seemed like a picturesque fishing village in comparison to the enormous station at McMurdo.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrN0P_D-beIdx-GSnsTlVMhzDAkQKMStaQfGgpxMn49QEsHEjmOueMsSOz_JkPBGBEOL5Nhyphenhyphen1s1BxclWKQOlhyvcCAxSxXgAr-ul8CW6Q-OL8Crt2N6k8jegYnoTP27_69z0BGXH71fzq/s1600-h/Mario+Zuchelli+Core+Stones+etc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141328295924476130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrN0P_D-beIdx-GSnsTlVMhzDAkQKMStaQfGgpxMn49QEsHEjmOueMsSOz_JkPBGBEOL5Nhyphenhyphen1s1BxclWKQOlhyvcCAxSxXgAr-ul8CW6Q-OL8Crt2N6k8jegYnoTP27_69z0BGXH71fzq/s320/Mario+Zuchelli+Core+Stones+etc.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p align="left"></p><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Weathered granite at Mario Zucchelli Station</span></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div>p.s. Oh, and by the way, in case you did not realize it, my ceramics project (see blog <a href="http://arise-in-antarctica.blogspot.com/2007/11/dont-high-fire-andrill-penguins.html">'Don't High-Fire Andrill Penguins'</a>) finally produced something useable - Trivet #1, showing the winter and summer sea ice extent made it through the glazing and firing process - I used it earlier in place of a map from a technical publication! </div><br /><div></div></div></div>Dr. Kate Pound, Geology Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16278203232345606681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-22491432401893032242007-12-05T09:29:00.000+13:002007-12-09T08:44:25.823+13:00Coon Rapids, Talahi, Friends School, SCSU and NHCC BannersThe drilling has finished now, the drill rig and drill camp is being disassembled, and brought back in, and most of the teachers and scientists associated with ANDRILL have 'left the ice'. The sea ice runway has been closed, and the C-17s are now flying from Pegasus Runway, the 'white ice' runway on the ice shelf. I could see all the runway-related buildings being moved across the ice from the Lab window last weekend. I have stayed a bit longer because I am working to finish off a geologic trail guide to Observation Hill.<br /><br />As reports are being organized and equipment packed for shipment off the ice, I am finally taking care of a few things that I need to do. The McMurdo sign is probably one of the easiest places to get to in ‘town’, but every time I had all the school banners together in one place, it was way too windy. Besides, it was easy to procrastinate, because it seemed like I had plenty of time. Finally, when it was a nice day last week (December 1st? – all the days seem to meld into one here, and I never remember what day it is), with the assistance of Bob and Louise, I took all my school and university banners for a photographic session. I also went for a walk with Robin and wore the North Hennepin Community College sweatshirt - It was COLD when I took my Big Red off for that picture!<br /><br /><span style="color:#333399;"><strong>Talahi Community School<br /></strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">I could hold this banner by myself!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfEZJ2dIAYHYbwWJa1oW0OI63nJYw59HiIokv7BDj8PFpp23v9W0CUz9WxiHKRYEa4sJ79WMhbtiZX2l4Na_Zezj4ZCW9AT66338OaOB3Pkj4U7ypumK6y91hkf3Mtd5CIvRz0jBu8vTI/s1600-h/Talahi+Banner+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141680199774906738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfEZJ2dIAYHYbwWJa1oW0OI63nJYw59HiIokv7BDj8PFpp23v9W0CUz9WxiHKRYEa4sJ79WMhbtiZX2l4Na_Zezj4ZCW9AT66338OaOB3Pkj4U7ypumK6y91hkf3Mtd5CIvRz0jBu8vTI/s400/Talahi+Banner+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#333399;">Coon Rapids Middle School</span></strong><br />It took two of us to hold this Banner up! You were all here - or your signatures were!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrl7f9F_Y1pA51Q1l-cIkAeGw9qeYJDAm5Er3E_jtAooZkWW86u__tf4nlMBVPjrjTkpxDHqaD7BJKXtxoUPyowtWH2EzMPDZ5Seo7V-W5pUWGzMgK9pgS3MxVgmmCt09lTVCI5AUQ0co/s1600-h/CRMS+Banner+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141680551962225026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrl7f9F_Y1pA51Q1l-cIkAeGw9qeYJDAm5Er3E_jtAooZkWW86u__tf4nlMBVPjrjTkpxDHqaD7BJKXtxoUPyowtWH2EzMPDZ5Seo7V-W5pUWGzMgK9pgS3MxVgmmCt09lTVCI5AUQ0co/s400/CRMS+Banner+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#333399;"><br />Friends School of Minnesota</span></strong><br />It is a small world. When we were taking the pictures we discovered that Bob's father had taught summer school at the secondary school I went to in England.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha970nJ7VsoqqflSn0brpDjL0a5A5_hYyKgUwVS2WFzYw-wCNMyyvC_hBfvS3IgNbi9YX2ElvSqJF1oqZqXpyiIEHGPgDi3DxgIYHzeqmriHOpM6Nl5LAgqokCEgMgwSPyY09zs73pj3jT/s1600-h/FSM+Banner+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141681157552613778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha970nJ7VsoqqflSn0brpDjL0a5A5_hYyKgUwVS2WFzYw-wCNMyyvC_hBfvS3IgNbi9YX2ElvSqJF1oqZqXpyiIEHGPgDi3DxgIYHzeqmriHOpM6Nl5LAgqokCEgMgwSPyY09zs73pj3jT/s400/FSM+Banner+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><span style="color:#333399;"><strong>Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department, St. Cloud State University<br /></strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">They don't use the husky dogs for sledwork here any more, but the huskies are represented!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivw8l4WnhRz0z3gfAc4FMgLrv5lZQhCEY0aERjwTas9oHKremANFSs4kackIrKyVUENHzZlHpaVcwiuaNC08keKkee_B6NoRQ6xAU91ewoviUucaj3X1Z93XSSZcOIAVO5nirNprjm-sc3/s1600-h/SCSU+EAS+Banner+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141684181209590178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivw8l4WnhRz0z3gfAc4FMgLrv5lZQhCEY0aERjwTas9oHKremANFSs4kackIrKyVUENHzZlHpaVcwiuaNC08keKkee_B6NoRQ6xAU91ewoviUucaj3X1Z93XSSZcOIAVO5nirNprjm-sc3/s400/SCSU+EAS+Banner+small.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong><span style="color:#333399;">North Hennepin Community College, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota</span></strong><br />It was cold taking these pictures! I put my Big Red back on straight away<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDRXVdt_WNCtFTcKuv2NAOXWSiBtYiJ-CU8i8EaiRKeY5izn8d-AmE2EhmRR9a9lECZ_opGnYYzJ5_2lqToO0g9P6foBIjP3oLv5YmcD_kByLjRZGj7TJrIW5zhHtQJEHoIBZhPS99OFH/s1600-h/NHCC+KP+pic+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141685783232391602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDRXVdt_WNCtFTcKuv2NAOXWSiBtYiJ-CU8i8EaiRKeY5izn8d-AmE2EhmRR9a9lECZ_opGnYYzJ5_2lqToO0g9P6foBIjP3oLv5YmcD_kByLjRZGj7TJrIW5zhHtQJEHoIBZhPS99OFH/s400/NHCC+KP+pic+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUIXY9O7fM-TpkOuTDIDtvjlnWJDRRf5HEBp2-GXLgoVKEMJVf_Sj-rMAwI99qPcgzFBsGFtOZTRRuvE_RIE4Kt8zl9deZ75xpQgE6ppUhNEU1FnJ5QutPOC3mLSgubMWFu92zR0tK-ru/s1600-h/BYRD+NHCC+KP+pic+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141686053815331266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUIXY9O7fM-TpkOuTDIDtvjlnWJDRRf5HEBp2-GXLgoVKEMJVf_Sj-rMAwI99qPcgzFBsGFtOZTRRuvE_RIE4Kt8zl9deZ75xpQgE6ppUhNEU1FnJ5QutPOC3mLSgubMWFu92zR0tK-ru/s400/BYRD+NHCC+KP+pic+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Dr. Kate Pound, Geology Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16278203232345606681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-87763671386012104772007-12-03T17:51:00.000+13:002007-12-11T02:13:31.355+13:00Last Dispatch from AntarcticaNine weeks have passed on this remarkable journey. Tonight at 8:00 pm I have “Bag Drag” which is when I need to report to the check-in location and deliver all of my bags for transport out of Antarctica, get my passport checked, and get weighed. My check-in bags are weighed, my carry-on is weighed, and, yes, I too am weighed – with all of my Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear on. (It’s very depressing to step on the scale with ECW and full backpack to have your weight announced and recorded!)<br /><br />Today was my third and final attempt to go on a helicopter field trip to the Dry Valleys. I have been so very excited to do this trip, led by Peter Webb, an Antarctic Old-Timer and a man who has been pivotal in Antarctic geology. Unfortunately, as I write, we are on hold due to snowy weather, and it is not looking very promising.<br /><br />Because I expected to be out in the field today, my bags are completely packed. I rather relish this state of unexpected calm as I wait to hear on the status of helicopters. There is much to reflect on and I have had precious little time to be alone with my thoughts. In my office here in the Crary Lab, fingers are pounding away on keyboards as people are posting last-minute blogs, or uploading photographs to shared drives. I find myself glued to the window, looking at the snow and remembering the horizons that surround McMurdo. I can’t see them now, but last night at midnight I took a walk to look across McMurdo Sound at the volcanic peaks protruding through ice. The ice was brightly reflecting the intense midnight sun. This truly is a magical place. And a threatening place. From the heart of Mt. Erebus where a lava lake is bubbling and gasping, to the South Pole where the temperature has not risen above -27 degrees F since I have been here. From the highest peak, the Vinson Massif towering at 16,067 feet, to the expansive and ephemeral frozen sea on which we daringly land airplanes.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAmuFGUbVGuvPmYK6r8C9hSBvLTwzrIcNkhlX6Q1OfPo9PtqF64RCuKS25Y26RC5Qgsz1VOJpeywuleja4mcTdKHjhVoJCXTUEbK1sqx9F4M85lgYlGH0VpalaKsI-fTCweqsO1XAbg/s1600-r/Gleason_SunsetDawn_+2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84dQ6p-O0KjVCz__3zqOz7JiLfblXQI8BBL4Ahx0zfM6PT_3B8z-9DG-55o9M8rHRbtgQn3Nx3knLjtgdWiOP_5uJ1-vJqzvhl8ZvypJbdjbcr0uKYOQ5jOSP7xZYXZMjLElH1-VORw/s200/Gleason_SunsetDawn_+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139839466854255554" /></a> From pressure ridges that reveal the colliding powers of the tides, sea ice, and incoming glaciers, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOK5C-wSCvntk1y72FAKmZ1bYuRCUIEF6PAgG0cdZMVsJDxwPEYnrmS4GdhRVIEZpc5Cre2wN5Sr2Kk3mXnWHHpWpH0J1G5WMSj-LwZ1mk3RAf32cs0wlhp0p28qQ8A5ohyOSOKb32w/s1600-r/Blue+Ice.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5eGeTWC4xQPhC_xEMjNcR7M5p3f8-N16-qF3rd8W5VxAxRf4SuaL2FbGjG60MXNF8CC4pebGsH84nq-pDGY1wmbBJLCcpfP7WEM8XbntrnvUQhKgFwqY7Ztr_AlQRyTPoqH1rqkLJw/s200/Blue+Ice.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139836748139957170" /></a>to the maternal watchings of the Weddell Seals over their newborn pups. From the historical journey into Scott’s hut where I touched the very table where meals and conversations were shared, to the launching of a weather balloon to go 80,000 feet into the atmosphere, with a message to my school and my family written on the side – and rushing into the lab to see how it is transmitting data back. And from the excitement of seeing the first ANDRILL cores arrive in the lab full of layers of recent volcanic rocks,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5N3cwrF1o8_sEvhvHkWyrji5RmvbFnJS5rCczwOdaGNWEAqEKvIR1xNyvT4QsV4Up6i_6DMKBZLrZmIfuWO49c06eFkM_LBUp7x7QMIui80NX6X8_kIEtFA1WSNSGCPwPUidwW2XmA/s1600-r/core2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhku-o1qIOWdd1l0TuILRCppibagS51Ml7u8KuZLKEeLYzOxI3biqtDpL-Jg1iiBOqj7H9lpwhG4EaIyH2gnK-pknCsm9ut9z9usYAe3n-C6rsHWnP4EQde-9j8XeMzc2sL1b0rUvHpeQ/s200/core2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139841996589992914" /></a><br /> to the joy of hearing my students’ excited voices when I called from Antarctica to share my experiences. These are images I will not soon forget.<br /><br />If my photographs were somehow lost tomorrow, I would be greatly saddened – mostly because I would not be able to share them with all of you. But having seen these sights, and experienced these images, they will forever be a part of me, captured in my mind’s eye. One changes after experiencing the elements and sights here. I think you are never quite the same person when you go home, than when you arrive.<br /><br />It has been quite a ride. I am constantly reminded of how very small and insignificant I am in the greater scheme of things. People will come and go, but Antarctica’s natural processes will carry on with little regard for our presence. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprQH3JfasVQCP2FNRAVqHYvshOK6o0KJGIMyb4h49S_EOZbDUprowZKJb_j7TM0dWD6GI2wSOBM5T1qWcfEIGPCRS6CKKZLC4GapLkNhykIISDot4QEjQgdPzHBih6YYLDxT1wGoBJQ/s1600-r/Granite+Cliffs.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglGF-VLpo4Har7ELf-2c5PPj39UOPXMpBk04XYlyrqPn6JpJzi0KUzKGe4HsGIwtfQVv8CXB-XRiSfO3UbnkJ1lVwi6kMGOKcW22zKICBRkukHpxKGUqcyGfNWPJPMYstmjeZo8Ertw/s200/Granite+Cliffs.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139849031746423778" /></a>Nature rules on this continent – and we are merely passing visitors. But those of us who have the privilege of being here are lucky, indeed. We are lucky not just to experience what Antarctica has to offer us, but also to be probing into the natural history and finding out about the secrets hidden within the ice and rocks, and, for some, the atmosphere and animals. It is a position of great responsibility to investigate these mysteries to share them with the world. I feel honored to be sharing this responsibility with the ANDRILL team.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkoLZ5_1IdvuRoH20MVAu7BRafA6o4QS6kr_5lpxveREm3btIhucuslitFtX9_iSdgljf-Rs9VIOKjssz8fLURpkvzM9qksG9rV8ExEWD_CiUi6hRQWcg483yRCILm77av9eKwp3kQg/s1600-r/ANDRILL.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq81cHUbuTQuzxlGV5LzQebJlpXHHn4MENGG2I_ue3vdUHJchNf-7WaPtAKI1vAbnBijDqDnPK-MXF7jEYTKbd0KyHdai3tITc-AyKJpX4kD85ZpUaV4Qc3YZXo-2cpX4ckhweBufc4w/s200/ANDRILL.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139850049653672946" /></a><br /><br /><br />Tomorrow at this time I will be in New Zealand. This will be my last dispatch from “the ice” – but certainly not my last blog. Thank you all for sharing the experience with me – and please continue to visit the www.andrill.org website as we share our findings and images, and continue our blogs.Robin Frisch-Gleasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512155121231423115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-82138612790321838842007-12-03T15:27:00.000+13:002007-12-03T17:49:33.203+13:00Cloudy with a Chance of SaladMcMurdo station is a busy place by all measures. But when a plane arrives with food and mail, a certain frenzy breaks out all over the base. It is quite exciting to watch certain operations jump into action as soon as the wheels of the cargo planes touch down.<br /><br />A few days ago, a C-17 arrived. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNQWZlhWmEcmodL3Kmb335nDBxHNZpOqGWXeGTnbsScTnMpXsvagyHNKrImxThqOMARY8kTUzGztRuf8fUoD_fMnutXEmDSCzqvpunvGSE1Shbslgg_VmDmBiXXz7e_8AuA7fzm1Rew/s1600-r/Last+C-17+on+Ice+Runway.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTQqZ3IxqcpqhHmvh1lEOtw4D56RxqKoZaVKFR3Zj8axhZyx-l2Y9xNCnSUDMfdQdigkO-PT-BSuAuo8By96HZK24v8aLRg-E-35MIt1-S9D7YhITUMqlZBgxrXDSPFUuuIkgFkxuuA/s320/Last+C-17+on+Ice+Runway.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139599730369727362" /></a>The list of passengers was short, which was good news for those of us awaiting mail, and great joy for those of us missing "freshies" (fresh produce). Freshies and mail only arrive when there is room on the aircraft after their weight and the weight of their luggage is calculated. As soon as a cargo plane arrives on the ice, the trucks and forklifts sprung into action. The food and mail, loaded onto pallets, is plucked from the back of the aircraft, and carried up to the appropriate building on the base. Eager teams open their doors to greet the forklifts and offload the cargo.<br /><br />A few days ago I was an innocent passerby who saw crates of bananas and lettuce arrive. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3TLoCht2-bcdtY6KTwlRAySmbZgF5gq-LSqCuOJeyuAtVmYWkUPnovG5GyncB5xfP0ndKUouKNe8vDLNWrZ0-Q0eI45I5Q-sW4szvyVulpNwuI9uTwX69XkRub25fKsTm1FU2ea6GQ/s1600-r/palletted+food.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapciugwpfwOAuWSqjrnxs60wwoXI4SjWwwF2eOhOyX4WLygwm4jA7utU2ehyC1cbfnjR6cfYPWfpNTzodXnmY4h_7Y6WqZZ29Sw5f1wedphyphenhyphen6I72wHoEHP_itSURBBL_YZ3g7s1JFiA/s320/palletted+food.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139600095441947538" /></a>JOY! I ran back to the lab to tell my friends that we would be having bananas and salad with dinner! We all cheered!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIGfjvpIvSjutP8LwuowXZD7T9-lm85UEzUcwJujbohDJVvL9S3ZSnodM9qNYwn303QXq5gE9q7GitJoaYaA5r7eKtk1dP2yN36PGsOPFyfqQiKACe0qrHSBNmpztvpic97jPlhyqeQ/s1600-r/Bananas.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeAamiAVOpryLi-hxbNt61j6rNcExDm9mX5Z2bVKsrNVxzZuMJ6VobXw5BX9JNgfwiiPKpG232gmhc5Qvw3z5UrInP78wjk0q2xKUo4MEzl2m-dnqjpNLEdXnaey8R7RBEiGWjHu78Q/s200/Bananas.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139603763344018338" /></a><br /><br /><br />Meanwhile, the mail room busily sorted through the mail that was delivered. Mail for field teams with helicopter support is sent down to the helicopter hangar. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04ML0QST_odQNL3Xg-Fp2hrc98zA3UvGrQpjuuFNK2E-Om-SW9keTw1g0RomexnQJsJQMmW7phcD56zvvdgy10DuXLpq7RlM7VolAEXLwOtdVZTgdoMwSsQ8CRkOIZsLLQLFy6Uw3JQ/s1600-r/mcmpo5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoWXkWlIKSdmE6bS6rpBOWMJFMp9mW3rXPj6AM1oNMlygeLOL6nS4oc_00ElUxT7EiOthWiKa-eCsgKEVic8iaEtbWCvTzz5-Ya8IkL5XuiaOMYClEijvxrrNOmMvkvNHyxjIp5OOfA/s200/mcmpo5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139598325915421554" /></a>Mail for McMurdo residents is sorted by name, and those lucky souls who receive packages get their names posted on the McMurdo Operations website, summoning them to come to the post office to pick it up.<br /><br />It is, indeed, a happy day in McMurdo when an aircraft arrives with cargo!Robin Frisch-Gleasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512155121231423115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-9280196071877126332007-12-01T23:50:00.000+13:002007-12-02T13:34:33.922+13:00Smear slides galore!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2pwpJtFHTdsURz9OAWxhdjbLylwNnbSbvpDW8nidVv-PsWUfqpRY1jSVCSSszDgqwHZYCELqeuiaYbx_pSe-MX6G8EcOdFJEHpSffo9Hln9tPZXKmp7mQlRWUdKd1V4zD36nW9iZuNYC/s1600-r/PB200029.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4txBMYQ9CHCJY3bzEgoVB9wj_0UAZgO7w5sVhYX_B3QmzCGxa5VQ89BwsMStOZrdWNy-s-YasLnSBb-jnVZsKeinKr3yDSCJXitWkfbDucGEQ049B2vtIFc6IGHl1LwF7GY0Tm2eM5P6S/s200/PB200029.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139146055453423266" /></a>My main job with the sedimentology team for the last several weeks has been taking photographs in regular light and cross polar light (see the pictures at the bottom of this blog) of magnified smear slides from the core. Brad Field on the night logging crew makes at least one smear slide from each meter of core (we have drilled 1138.54 meters of core = at least 1139 smear slides) and more from some intervals of sediment. A smear slide is made by taking a little scrape of the sediment with a tool <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgm4Is1wygecT3WyyRLC9nufEyzBIUemwhnAGfQ203xL-JaYpwnvqqte3gIsOdb1w6FcpCEidsUAPvu2o1PKMxW-DYFfMsMb9wn-FPF9Nouv9WVZW6PisX-AKRIiYcQ6rf8RSuwcl2sQG/s1600-r/IMG_2358.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ICdQTlXA7IUJstoJB4azGNTVTN-r63VZSqOZuXk0R0yw4YpzYhIiMcSUTsgRFf1nSwfv07eJvukn5iLhEAk7_TrF3N-9hWbJv84yeUojMnwBg8YPwB0gQVce0McFx2yz3S8sP8UBYo4x/s200/IMG_2358.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139146291676624562" /></a>(toothpicks and dental tools are both used) and then spreading that sediment sample thinly on a glass microscope slide. A clear fixative is added to the slide to hold the sediment in place and then a cover slip is attached. Each smear slide is labled with the depth in the core from which it was taken.<br /><br />These smear slides are used initially by the night logging crew to help with the description of the core and to give the initial <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseClyikKTw0zW-rBkA0slywYiWr3pHrFXkpudxxTUj2VeMzd60P26wq-Z3lDmt9cQh-jUveoe8sA_jJsvvwtHohVhtjNDtn4up_mvg6HmAXnsdyxP4MRT7WAwK818vi2hN9EzghLIRJcC/s1600-r/PB290015.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZI4iMaGSiBMMetUl_0dumYzUgHbjL15pSEBXXsBJ-kbWg-CP5NLaEDj_XJOK2f_FbMl-LLi5ZB_FXE1MGjxo173lPNByIN3cCExs9Y6JdU-d367oVGc505_pP8p3Yo8QjmNoOuYSmplJ/s200/PB290015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139162771466139346" /></a>compositional name to the sediments. The sediment might be mostly terriginous (sediment from the land), or perhaps have more volcanic or biologic origins. The smear slides also give the team some information about grain sizes. This may make the difference in the name given to the sediment in the formation. For example, diamictite vs sand with pebbles. To be true diamictite, the sediment must have all three grain sizes, gravel, sand and mud, without any one of those size classes, that section of rock will have another name. This information is part of Chris Fielding's core summary shared with <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7bjAyBar8v4VVj5H84W-IUWXGoAlj4oW9XubOF1Az8MVYRfwEffcKKGETveyoGPe4zO_ORcTVgLrDz8lQ1X7c9u5csGH5Xg68JLDxjFOxTBsTUd9exU9Wfn1m61Btkn5HqjeE9e5HR_A/s1600-r/PA300068.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQae4a_Dm2CNQAIDYitnAzwAphAQwSqc-h0qn5zsa8lvM3NJ_LI6U5bgBFcWyv_l2kTomn8Iuuh7ekhpMSxl7NGQlBnEN8soGCMP9zZ9DYXOo3FjsxLb9a0i151chVQFgADnEolgb6xBxH/s200/PA300068.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139165898202330866" /></a>the whole group every morning.<br /><br />The photos I'm taking are primarily for archival purposes. There are scientists working with this information all around the world and most will never travel to Florida to view the actual core itself. The images taken by the teams here are placed on a shared computer drive that everyone in the project has access to. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7eDgyWaPMAhNhjeyGu438zJXRXa_CAciTCBV7X0l78BLsb1a4k8CfKgiVnAxRPLwxQFe87668OAcruGdM0ayCVQ4fLA_l6NZQRBgbEmFjVsfD_sfXDcxJ1katUBqmvkBg5IUEX_DoiV4/s1600-r/IMG_2363.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMy2c0gNGlhiqvdiOPX3T3EbpWW2fNJdSWFbvdOmfE4CMXmXWnHiTUixWdLWdgg5cPMF-sTDScPBtkIsiGWlPf8LJVq_YuXgswFXL1YVTbcHqo1K3uw1SdXF4YBTmqXtPJzcZfCi05bHjm/s200/IMG_2363.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139150243046536898" /></a>This makes sharing the samples much easier than having to physically send the one set of smear slides to different countries....it also means that we only need one set, because everyone can use it, we don't need one set for each scientist. With 1200 smear slides, you don't want to make lots of sets! It is also part of our data set, the information that core description and characterization is based upon needs to be accessible to everyone in the team. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5S3xAQlA8WuLBhWpQMXRZf1gY7oiLjyG6deGTpRFm5bAnqmYQWQ9_iWqvj9cJ-lea8vopu-E34u0GdxzcrdmpxJ1_z54bnDsEqMEj4T2jOc7DGoNAxAFH_0dN_wqURufdp08-o6sfDsv/s1600-r/ss.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONc0EoRonGWI1xCUkQqbwzOsiDJcLW6CYS_-Am8a9fhO7ekn1asECNmu3OXkl0Oy_Wt4G6B2cSv87obSwMituRmrQznVKsNlKXwYU7oxYwGh1E6ZjIVCCgkvy28D_3icOfCirnu9f_tZF/s400/ss.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139165657684162274" /></a><br />Compare the two pictures of the same microscope view of smear slide (at 10x). What observations can you make about the various grains with the two kinds of different lighting?Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-57593628508062469702007-12-01T09:52:00.000+13:002007-12-01T15:46:06.787+13:00Field Trips, Field Trips and More Field Trips...Sorry to have been away from my computer for so long. I've been busy seeing more of Antarctica, specifically the ANDRILL drill site, Robert Scott's hut at Cape Evans, and the Wright Valley. In this blog I'll start with the most recent trip and work backwards because I really want to share this photograph with you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEBDa84zksScWQ1O67ajOa8HGYBkIMCcI6XMSTkcsnGUilyBahqc0ok1EVlT2X3hVDakYd4vlUPBXtnbVCk6PKLs4IvNryz3bP1EnOX9tCUxROrvuulg4VIc7ELwjiP_bCjq1_OYqKwY/s1600-r/Wright+valley+059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_n0itkOcVh5FbCbXEi1R5VhSkHnuKpOAHM9oJ6gNqXWt_4QKvCUazmAoGCiD4SKERWN1cN0Mva_ENKKOaDKo_vQdXDgKGVuWtqO-yXTQLPlQ1O2r-FaLnLHHeNhyFujtwvg2U34Wn3o/s400/Wright+valley+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138751689658642114" border="0" /></a>On Wednesday (11/28) a group of us from ANDRILL went on a field excursion to one of the valleys. We flew in aboard a helicopter that dropped us on the flat area near where I'm standing. Here is a quote from the introduction section of the Wright Valley Field Excursion guide given out to us:<br />"The Dry Valleys have long been a feature of great interest on the Antarctic continent. Not only because of their unique absence of ice and snow but as a result of this, their accessibility to geologic features that are ice covered in a majority of the continent. Little was known of the region until 1955 when the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955-1958, resulted in the first thorough geologic assessment of Victoria Land." (Peter Webb, whom I photographed at our Open House, was one of the students on that expedition.) "...On this trip a variety of erosional and depositional features will be observed that reflect the complex Cenozoic history of the region."<br /><br />In the photograph above, the distant peaks behind where I'm standing you can see the deposited layers that are lighter in color. Those layers are part of the Beacon Supergroup composed of sedimentary rocks like siltstones, limestones and sandstones and also have fossils of fresh water fish and plants from the Mesozioc Triassic time. The valley that is directly behind me clearly shows erosion from giant glaciers during the Cenozoic era. The other thing you should note is the glacier way off in the distance. That is the Wright Upper Glacier. Beyond that is the East Antarctic ice sheet that covers the largest portion of the continent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9RoMssI4KCifCZB6jWuEq1B7ShUIVc4UaWt8DNwjneYqrbaiqJmbfPjk8hKgEK9FM5TgO-6WoYU5R7ee-DbzqYXBaRkhVUxa3A6YP_Q3BVIt1E302bbU9qWjUXFD22omveSIs0qWma4/s1600-r/Wright+valley+063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzYe1-K_FWS0EsyMwHJsYAKYeYCpnPezNYRR3Av86wcFdiVO_-gLe7v04qGsT4JQrPjBVcg-KHIoSk8Y3SpwezeXoykg1oLEtvjoFITr51F83q70tbdlZYRcBxPRx83TJ64jAcdQR1f0/s320/Wright+valley+063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138806171318791890" border="0" /></a>One of the other cool things about this are is that the ground responds to the temperature fluctuations, freezing and thawing causing cracks that form the land into pattern ground- connected polygons. If you look closely at this photograph you will see some rocks laying flat and some sitting on edge. If you look at the lines created by the rocks sitting on their edges you will see lines that meet where the snow is. This is where three polygons of the pattern ground join together. As the helicopter took us to the bottom of the valley I took this next photograph of the valley floor where you can see some of these polygons, pattern ground. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpRXasomVp2bSPmn5DM0Ky_ExgyBS5Bf_3iTVUWbd_QR-qStAxAtmsE_yTnP5zPe7K0ZI8oQgpvMxZ86gg1j-zGkn4ppneaT8VeygXkE2auD99QGNJ8pXnhVXWQd-JuRDSvg_obr4FHE/s1600-r/Wright+valley+065.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvE4tJL0XBzVNq1fFfN4pjgHB-dN_jl2FsA9wRs0Jf4VGRIpdH9FHHIQA5WSOAMekv90IlN-WVjAfhjv_Otue9ugi0OLh_VoO4Fnr7lvcJbPdnyZe3n_pWgKshaRhtKaYS7wOUNotdors/s320/Wright+valley+065.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138809109076422386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The helicopter dropped us off at a New Zealand hut next to Vanda Lake. We left our gear and hiked around until lunch, came back to the hut and feasted. (I'm glad there was a port-o-potty next to the hut!) We picked up our gear and hiked a few more miles through what will be a very broad, shallow stream bed later in the season. For now, it was dry sand and pebbles.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp8eyUn4AdBC2Fj6A7DSfkOLkshKTV_SUFKJqZn6rnTF_BAeVuI-84omwpXs8gY7IQroY72xnsBXQqDMEtPYi1N_muVT7A5uFAdtH_f_uRwDCM5gm3erhTjjPPqHQ4yur49KzqCklUGs/s1600-r/Wright+valley+098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPi2dYKmieHEebjak5ztL4nenGImGpHDNKY3xVuM9F0oP-j_64-_3Jq0q5ZBE4oSNJIdoW6UK2bGRY28WTXlwaWxWyDGU3TOh0bzt5Pmvm7mINNvwTd61P9fVCW38xcCjcXXV_k__5fw/s320/Wright+valley+098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138827663335141122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We dropped our stuff off again at a US hut where some guys were working on the upkeep of a seismic array. They had a very cozy hut and had coffee waiting for us! That's one thing I really, really like about being here- everyone is a friendly neighbor. Too bad we can't all live that way off ice. After coffee and more hiking, the helicopter picked us up right on time and delivered us back to McMurdo just in time for dinner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABqOaAcTl1Kj88FJP_7UKx71MTu4ay7dL8H-dJtgJy4So29zQoZ-kJ5DINLAcwHC9UxRdZe_8_F6_zRko-F52sVc0B7gQOHvzqKBYugxFLw_fm_S8_XnIiMcQITzN0C3_pAZYhnyCwDs/s1600-r/Wright+valley+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQ7YjHDn7IDKQ5c53m4GScZHOGomPraUOLaMkfexMpXZ_hyphenhyphenV6bKvfJpP3b9cvo_c8Xj24N88Ev3smvtG1jEl50zPwUDgAQ99R26RbODk0dd3fkvgA8Smz86jdYsOCeBr6nx8yQithlg0/s320/Wright+valley+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138829574595587858" border="0" /></a><br />This photo shows the lower portion of the Wright Valley. Imagine where I was standing in the first photo as the top of the valley, this would be near the middle and the Ross Sea is still beyond.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04245399995264068371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-55609235544075619292007-11-30T23:00:00.000+13:002007-12-01T12:22:03.117+13:00Don't High-Fire Andrill Penguins!<div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138764032945039106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasVWHA994ZcZxdqB34L1iryNZ8iILrh5x7JzaB93dKyDOCaR64xtYKd988ah4nJos0tPQnZlaY36UC3t6efn4osi-NfQX2en709Ft9yHaf1CprzybKfU5tc4wDAO_9E7u0uzD_8Zka4Hh/s320/Penguin+Mold.jpg" border="0" /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Penguin made in mold from ordinary slip clay (?)<br />that has been glazed and is awaiting firing<br /></div></span><div align="center">The title of this blog requires some explanation. Do you recall that several weeks ago I mentioned going to the ceramics room sometimes? What I did was I took the fine material that accumulated in the boxes beneath the rock saws that we were using to cut samples from the core for various research purposes.<br /></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138762911958574802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEQu0-QkViNB9haSAqx6EoDEGRWSCFS7FFJbx42KUDx78_DQJhY1zOu6FlI2PuDgzItu12V8AFIDiKjOuaFQyh05J-wkXR2Cq2G0SkHyPAP13PB4xgMlMb_07cdQZkLzFVGCtZ9EXLUS7/s320/Rock+Saw.jpg" border="0" /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Rock Trimsaw used for cutting<br />samples for research from Andrill Core</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138763173951579874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRT7ghDkX9DqbCtGRW8R4U5plGLwCx3lLikzS4mOshltmmnESnQwQXG4EEsParxwdgLL1vZXgSvSDqxqne7ezXS4tUyicT5OC9gdwTbtH7rgqAP34w_UMD4bxgfzEUST8lmpFejj48Roi/s320/Bucket+of+cuttings.jpg" border="0" /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Bucket of 'cuttings' collected<br />from box beneath rock trimsaw</span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">I had the vision of making a world-class piece of art from Andrill clay. Note that the last time I touched clay was in Middle School or High School. Luckily I was able to turn to some of the regulars in the ceramics room for help, which include John, Denise, Jena, and Dave, as well as Brie and Meredith. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138765059442222882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMZcxD08LO4V76Tw0xXpJcgPVU9qy_85FMqYGjewKCNNM9BRn3DOHkEo4XZRM6oA5lUGvYJFwAKaehYy2pYsVup7uCyxQ6CwByNfhQCeq7JYSuI98-KT_L0S_3k_vwolnMDlFk6M7GyZj/s320/John.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">John working on an intricate pattern on a vase.<br />John is a master of patience and a ceramics room guru.</span></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><div align="center"><br /></span>First of all, the material I had from the saw included lots of silt and coarser particles, so I had to wet it, make it really goopy, and put it through a sieve. John suggested that I try a mold.<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138763577678505714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFA2eqUGun1ihzajWkcRwdLcXe0vk6AvVb3n21NLEpEKskcalM93h0AAd1JExPvUc2c7tEniMcW6FrRoSLgSMGlimptbCY8QCIf3ogk7Daxooai16JkMWELJKKYKsYmSEs60yTEiLoOGo/s320/goopy+mud.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">The goopy mud mixture I used in my efforts to make a penguin mold</span></p><p align="left"><strong><span style="color:#333399;">Penguin #1</span></strong><br />They have a neat penguin mold. Basically one just pours the goopy clay in, then pours it out again, and repeats several times, then leave it for 24 to 48 hours to dry somewhat, then take it out, let it dry a bit more, then sand any irregularities off, and it is ready for ‘bisque-firing’ or ‘low firing’ in the kiln. This was all really exciting, and I got lots of help from people – they were all quite curious to see whether it would work.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138766352227379026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIaG-xkls9tOQISNfHhMiHBkfZLpV9QRkw51HkoHHiWz2mlxKTpwq6R69LfyLMaO4PIGJ6v9IMZ_cONynzAElHHMoXmkn4sqzgbjh7hvZWZGDqT91faNJ8xNeJtAj-9FV6uOc2V055qVS/s320/Denise.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;"> Denise works on trimming one of her works of art<br /></span>So far so good. It came out of the kiln after bisque firing a deep reddish-brown color. I did not think to take any pictures of my prized Andrill penguin. I then decided I would just clear glaze it – I thought that the natural purity of 13 million-year-old McMurdo Sound clay and silt in my artwork should be allowed to shine through.<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138764509686408978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoyEnGKNefdk5fLRhuan0kjQwLxHgSl206OISpVUk3o50vzdsVzpLZZrsS0szsSGLSS2Am4B2BywD067N9iHSaUp05qGJ1OZ2kyM9XUIa9x4SthCR8RJbH3aqMBJ7WQL1JsO2awSPShN7/s320/Gena.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Gena working on adding handles to some cups. She is a cup-making demon.<br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">She works as a Helo-Tech (the person who helps people buckle themselves safely<br />into a helicopter, and makes sure the cargo is loaded safely,<br />and rides with the pilot and helps in landings and take-offs).<br /></span><br /></p><p align="left">Several days later I went in to the ceramics room and Gena looked at me with downcast eyes “I have some sad news for you.” My penguin had collapsed and turned in to a glazed mass of pottery –but it was a beautiful deep green color.<br /><br /></p><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138762499641714370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUCxKPKMcn3f5SL5m8LP3BmIf2BvlDMSxqcH4zykriaJ2TsZaEsRGCOhq2jkp-kGDQ46uPq1WPp417qpkVVtDImeTvxdW_cWDMLmRpyCXUY6PaluA8XmiOhcDSwsdifWzyPP_aLs-6-oe/s320/Penguin+Remains.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;">Remains of penguin #1</span></div><div align="left"><br />Moral of the story: One cannot ‘high fire’ Andrill penguins because the material does not have enough clay in it to bind it –it is too silty, and it just 'flows'. The experts in the ceramics room all reckon that I will be able to low-fire Andrill creations without them collapsing, because the low fire is the same temperature as the bisque-firing, which we know worked. We have yet to see …<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#333399;">Penguin # 2</span></strong></div>I tried pouring the goopy mixture into the mold again, but I didn’t trim it properly at the top, so it cracked as it dried. I then needed to ‘rehydrate’ the clay and add some ordinary clay to help bind the siltier material together.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#333399;">Penguin # 3</span></strong><br />I poured the goopy mixture into the mold again, and left it to dry – carefully making sure that I trimmed the material at the top. That was Sunday. Monday I went to Cape Evans (and saw REAL penguins), then I was working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Whoops. I went in tonight, and the penguin was cracked – I had left it in the mold too long.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138765334320129842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTWXH58og5ncnO59HrNmn8og1vlG7a3UJ43R0NKujouUOpXl2wO5ZdhEJw9nnRzRjJSmxRfdP-XtIUXWPJEK63i-HmHzWtlI9dNkRZReKZd40WKPas1v89E7Dtpe_HYuHthI_K9AD7pZ9/s320/Rookery.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Ceramic penguin rookery - the creations of Dave - who helped me save Trivet # 2<br />Dave hand sculpts marine mammals. He is currently working on a fish for one of the biologists.</span></p><p><span style="color:#333399;"><strong>Penguin # 4</strong></span><br />I poured it into the mold tonight (Friday 30th), and I am hoping that everything works. I will have to make sure that I get back to the ceramics room sometime before Sunday night.<br /><br /><span style="color:#663333;"><strong>Trivet # 1</strong></span><br />I have also tried making several trivets. Basically I added ordinary clay to the Andrill clay and I let it dry out a bit, then I rolled it out, and let it dry a bit more until I could carve the texture for my picture into the clay. The first one is a map of Antarctica showing the winter and summer sea-ice extent. It has just been bisque-fired, but is not out of the kiln yet. It definitely won’t make it into a museum – it was quite buckled and upturned at the edges before going in to the kiln – but I am hoping it stays in one piece, so I can glaze it.<br /><br /><span style="color:#663333;"><strong>Trivet # 2<br /></strong></span>I used the same process as for Trivet # 1, except I scored it more (too) deeply to prevent it from curling or buckling. I carved a scence from Beacon Valley into it. Then I lifted it up, and it broke along the score lines. Luckily Dave and John were there, and Dave helped me patch it with paper clay. Today I tried to tidy up the carved surface, and put it on the shelf for bisque firing.<br /><br />I’ll miss the ceramics room – playing around and being creative is something I do not normally get the time to do, and I have really enjoyed going there when I have the time. I have also gotten to meet and talk with people at McMurdo that are not part of Andrill, which is good.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138765652147709762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RQ2pMnFl1QS4pEzvXNoLup9dKG_A9MeoclfYQ23oaJ0_2R-9IYGV3vQQ8n4VCvNescgIrkbz7q6x1NLjNzcu-h9Hbgz9bBgF0dsxTA2SJKpnlZMpolxfYIJrFfKnQ_CptAjn-u7TBIlb/s320/Brie+and+Meredith.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Brie (she is a baker in the kitchen) and<br />Meredith (works in the kitchen) work on their creations</span></p><p>So, even if Penguin #4 bites the dust, I’ll still be happy about all the time I spent over there – thanks y’all. I've accepted the reality that I will not create a museum centerpiece - I just hope that something I make stays together so I can take it home! </p>Dr. Kate Pound, Geology Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16278203232345606681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-79713406441037107812007-11-30T21:54:00.000+13:002007-11-30T22:39:46.336+13:00Launching a Met BalloonNovember 17, 2007<br /><br /><br />Meteorological (met) balloons are launched from McMurdo twice daily to gather atmospheric data that helps predict the weather. A weatherman’s job in Antarctica is especially difficult for several reasons. First, there is no radar data for the meteorologists to use for this area. Think about how our weathermen at home use radar images as a matter of course! Second, weather here can change dramatically and dangerously in just a matter of hours. But the greatest challenge for the weather predictors here is that they are acutely aware that people’s lives depend on the accuracy of their predictions. Helicopter flights and fixed wing flights are governed by the decisions made at the Met Center, as are field teams’ travel plans. If a plane takes off, it must be able to fly to its destination. There are precious few other places for them to land if the weather deteriorates.<br /><br />So, imagine my excitement when Patricia Ballou invited me to launch one of the met balloons. Patricia has quite an amazing story. She is on a leave from the army where she has deployed to the Mideast twice, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. She worked as a combat weatherperson in the army and is now gathering data and helping predict the weather in Antarctica this year. She is also writing climate interviews for Celsias. Check out her interview with David Harwood, the co-chief of ANDRILL and keep watching for an interview she is working on with me! (www.celsias.com then scroll down the right side to Patricia’s name.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_QxnZwieI/AAAAAAAAAGk/dL4YTGKs7W8/s1600-R/Patricia+adding+weather+data+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_QxnZwieI/AAAAAAAAAGk/gNQ1lqpn96o/s320/Patricia+adding+weather+data+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138555250662214114" border="0" /></a><br />Patricia is adding in weather data to the computer that came in from one of the Met field stations while I was there.<br /><br />I met her at the Met Center and when I arrived she had begun hydrating the Sonde. The Sonde is a complicated device that records many different types of data including temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity, while also carrying an antenna that allows satellites to track it as well as to send data back to the McMurdo weather computers. This morning, ten satellites were tracking this one balloon! I found it interesting that the same data is received in South Carolina where besides helping predict the weather here, it is being used in world climate models.<br /><br />Patricia and I took the fully hydrated Sonde down to the “balloon shack,” a two story structure built on prime McMurdo real estate. When the door is opened, what a view there is of the Ross Sea and the Trans-Antarctic Mountains!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_RKXZwifI/AAAAAAAAAGs/qoHUINHml1k/s1600-R/Balloon+Shack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_RKXZwifI/AAAAAAAAAGs/3innrzrPqZg/s320/Balloon+Shack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138555675863976434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Balloon shack—notice the two story section—very large Met balloons can be inflated here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_SA3ZwigI/AAAAAAAAAG0/Lh0yn7B5Rds/s1600-R/Patricia+pointing+out+the+view.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_SA3ZwigI/AAAAAAAAAG0/WG4LjTTVsV8/s320/Patricia+pointing+out+the+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138556612166846978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Patrica’s pointing out the view of the Trans-Antarctic Mountains and Hut Point.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_S7nZwihI/AAAAAAAAAG8/3hd_LY5GHe0/s1600-R/Huge+helium+tanks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_S7nZwihI/AAAAAAAAAG8/7RBYN19KsZ4/s320/Huge+helium+tanks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138557621484161554" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Patricia turns on the helium pumps in the huge outside tanks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_VUnZwiiI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Glzv4rSw6EE/s1600-R/Blowing+up+balloon+with+helium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_VUnZwiiI/AAAAAAAAAHE/UK9u0h_bPvU/s320/Blowing+up+balloon+with+helium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138560250004146722" border="0" /></a><br />Blowing up the balloon with helium.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_X3XZwijI/AAAAAAAAAHM/B0K5eEYp-jk/s1600-R/Tying+the+Sonde+on+carefully.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_X3XZwijI/AAAAAAAAAHM/jA485CfpWXU/s320/Tying+the+Sonde+on+carefully.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138563046027856434" border="0" /></a><br />Patricia deftly ties the Sonde onto the inflated balloon.<br />The Sonde has a small wire that records all of the measurements--and an antenna on the other end that sends the info to the McM computers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_YuXZwikI/AAAAAAAAAHU/9xxxf6z6G9I/s1600-R/My++message+to+the+world--and+to+Terry%21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_YuXZwikI/AAAAAAAAAHU/iWXbdeUSTo0/s320/My++message+to+the+world--and+to+Terry%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138563990920661570" border="0" /></a><br />Guess who I am missing!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_ZC3ZwilI/AAAAAAAAAHc/6iCsAPzcOZc/s1600-R/Very+windy--felt+like+I+could+fly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_ZC3ZwilI/AAAAAAAAAHc/8kpAmMi7Cq0/s320/Very+windy--felt+like+I+could+fly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138564343107979858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Walking out of the balloon shack was tricky. It was very windy and felt like I could take wing and fly at any moment. The wind kept whipping the balloon around over my head, so I hung on to it and the Sonde, worried I would mess this up and ruin an expensive piece of equipment!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_ZVnZwimI/AAAAAAAAAHk/JLYk-GORePA/s1600-R/Wind+was+winning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_ZVnZwimI/AAAAAAAAAHk/T7XuNqRJuYI/s320/Wind+was+winning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138564665230527074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It felt like the wind was winning at this point. I was concentrating on the directions Patricia had given me—let go of the balloon and wait until you feel it tug on the Sonde, then let it go too.<br />Mentally rehearsing— concentrate! Don’t mess up!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_Zj3ZwinI/AAAAAAAAAHs/NLMhwy5gWeg/s1600-R/There+it+goes%21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_Zj3ZwinI/AAAAAAAAAHs/2M5w9ZDU3-A/s320/There+it+goes%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138564910043662962" border="0" /></a><br />And there she goes! If you look carefully, you can see the Sonde unraveling its string to dangle quite some distance from the balloon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_Z0XZwioI/AAAAAAAAAH0/VK_1xcurBl0/s1600-R/Met+Building.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_Z0XZwioI/AAAAAAAAAH0/XpGs_T1RvT8/s320/Met+Building.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138565193511504514" border="0" /></a><br />Walking back to the Met building I took this picture—it’s the building with the large white golf ball on top. Notice the “catwalk” because in the next picture I am ON that walk. Patricia and I went up on the roof where she takes precipitation samples. I liked the view! But I didn’t like the one flight climb down the metal rung ladder to get back inside!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_aF3ZwipI/AAAAAAAAAH8/JX043zrWid8/s1600-R/Louise+on+Met+roof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zWAeisLIPPQ/R0_aF3ZwipI/AAAAAAAAAH8/f9ULMpFHZL8/s320/Louise+on+Met+roof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138565494159215250" border="0" /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-37969824006091651422007-11-30T17:37:00.000+13:002007-11-30T14:28:46.502+13:00Following the tracks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2SzVLWzvHDZChBLIsp0VubGjxVlSk4xH77PUZ4Q0-xSBGHNbM5tc-KznxfA40m30AqC2mYuRiBQWtllexzkBD-htSJn0rP4kxeRqyCBYqyZBcqWLAqCbOL6WLoFeSpPycQJ99j7rfFj6/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2SzVLWzvHDZChBLIsp0VubGjxVlSk4xH77PUZ4Q0-xSBGHNbM5tc-KznxfA40m30AqC2mYuRiBQWtllexzkBD-htSJn0rP4kxeRqyCBYqyZBcqWLAqCbOL6WLoFeSpPycQJ99j7rfFj6/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138116910813614114" /></a>In the roads around town, there are many interesting tracks made by the wide variety of heavy equipment and all-terrain vehicles used here. The picture above shows the tracks and some of the vehicles they were made by. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqpVAGhmulfj1anlEhwudstmJlaJGhR5w5gK2LzQvx26yiVGvUqkSrQ0KhcmhgJnPZsCcIRFCatQBMOYlxopc_RdoiRBV2Hk-ideWJ9t-niJRRWdovjxo8prePTu_nlP9htXNybUSa8IA/s1600-h/PA110092.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqpVAGhmulfj1anlEhwudstmJlaJGhR5w5gK2LzQvx26yiVGvUqkSrQ0KhcmhgJnPZsCcIRFCatQBMOYlxopc_RdoiRBV2Hk-ideWJ9t-niJRRWdovjxo8prePTu_nlP9htXNybUSa8IA/s200/PA110092.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138368041846378546" /></a><br /><br />It isn't always easy to match them up. I still haven't seen the vehicle that made these: <br />Based on the marks it has left in the snow and dirt, I can guess what the tire or tread surface that made it might have looked like and I can get an idea about the path it followed as well as how large/wide a vehicle it might be. <br /><br />Similarly, we can use the tracks and paths left behind in the marine sediments of the core by small animals to figure out what type of animal (often worms) might have left them, their size, how they were moving or behaving, and perhaps how many were active in an area (population). <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwJb32CTKBnRJY7KhCVBhOWdoV9lm1-H1wCDSsdWnknDc95giRe5gdso4KPqaCec-6QqHATfuBYplttc-HkcJynXqe1lP7kgSMGBPL85Lq2pROdEG1nRce9zDMl4cLk20d9Ehx0IgCmNG/s1600-h/PB280002.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwJb32CTKBnRJY7KhCVBhOWdoV9lm1-H1wCDSsdWnknDc95giRe5gdso4KPqaCec-6QqHATfuBYplttc-HkcJynXqe1lP7kgSMGBPL85Lq2pROdEG1nRce9zDMl4cLk20d9Ehx0IgCmNG/s400/PB280002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138410635037052994" /></a>These sections of sediment that were disturbed by biological organisms post-deposition but pre-consolidation (after the sediment settled but before it turned into rock) are described as being bioturbated - mixed by living organisms. The most important information that the ANDRILL project gains from these trace fossils are from those that can be used as index fossils - giving a date or date range for the rock in which they appear. Many of these characteristic trace fossil types have specific names even though we don't know the exact species or genus that created it. One type, called escape traces or Fugichnia, are created when a shallow burrowing, near surface, or surface marine animal gets burried suddenly under a quantity of sediment and has to dig furiously for the surface to survive. (Look up "trace fossils" or "trace fossil classification" for more information about these fascinating fossils!)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw1bBwOjsOVfo2CIK2jvPvArjyNlQvLHVxyKTW7KjwSNO0hwyxLtIircdOHE_xOCov7APiDk8wVkpr91JpeeYW8JAdo98cszI1LVFO7LuCzcsfG9pWr4jtpEAC8cYWSQR63lQilXbTvh7/s1600-r/softseddefchris"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmmfDBNUmrJfp9zegXRmRE-oYrYHChazV_mJYwN9JTKeWE9ruEd14FNRJqLmCXCcylr06ZNvwAyJQMtn8bjG98yFQCe-i7E6HYIs1dTNMzC6JKHyDygzImix9BmXO3OjYgNo9B8508Gdt/s400/softseddefchris" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138437156460105810" /></a><br /><br />In the photo of bioturbated sediment in the core above and to the left, see if you can find burrows and other evidence of the movement of organisms through the sediment. What might you be able to tell about the organism involved? <br /><br />Notice what the movement of organisms has done to the layering of the fine sediments. Compare it to the picture on the right of soft sediment deformation caused by physical or mechanical stresses experienced by the sediment over time. What similarities and differences can you find?Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-72956922354967576762007-11-29T01:26:00.000+13:002007-11-29T20:09:19.092+13:00Food Preparation in McMurdoMcMurdo Station has a population of approximately 1,200 people in the austral summer. A base this size requires quite a network of support and infrastructure. In these past few days, I have had the opportunity to go behind the scenes to see how some very fundamental services are operated: food, water, and sewage. This blog will focus on food, and the process of feeding 1,200 hungry souls.<br /><br />Executive Chef for the United States Antarctic Program, Sally Ayotte, gave us a tour of the food operations at McMurdo. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvSZN6grYESvzgwJ4eO2IA04ijJqZLZiT8_OI0HWdbhD9WhymnuUfrcGtyR6p-Sx1jXhsN2kGI-h5HUzKTwsIfA2e_g2-N5UzntoucBavgbK_XuC9hXk2jxx5DNC_GRhoMGqzXbaYJA/s1600-h/Executive+Chef.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvSZN6grYESvzgwJ4eO2IA04ijJqZLZiT8_OI0HWdbhD9WhymnuUfrcGtyR6p-Sx1jXhsN2kGI-h5HUzKTwsIfA2e_g2-N5UzntoucBavgbK_XuC9hXk2jxx5DNC_GRhoMGqzXbaYJA/s200/Executive+Chef.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138150275298385746" /></a>Sally has been a chef in Antarctica for 12 years, 6 years at South Pole Station, and 6 years in McMurdo. She oversees a staff of 28 cooks, including sous chefs, production chefs, front chefs, and bakers, as well as 35 dining attendants. It is quite an operation to oversee! They produce 4 meals a day, including the Midnight Rations ("midrats") for McMurdo Residents and visitors who work on the night shift.<br /><br />Sally is a registered dietition who attended culinary school in Colorado. She now resides in Colorado when she is not in Antarctica, and 6-7 months per year she plans menus, hires staff, and deals with all of the food ordering and planning for the future seasons in the three major U.S. bases in Antarctica: McMurdo, South Pole, and Palmer. <br /><br />In McMurdo there are three buildings for storing food: the "Keep Frozen" building, the "Can Be Frozen" building, and the "Do Not Freeze" building. It seems ironic that McMurdo would need a building and refrigeration to keep food frozen, but the food needs to stay at a steady temperature - despite what outside temperatures are doing.<br /><br />The Galley is where food is prepared, served, and eaten. Sally took some of the ARISE team on a tour of the Galley in a less-busy time, between breakfast and lunch. Chefs were busy everywhere: one was making guacamole, one was taking cookies out of the oven (Wednesday is cookie day here in McMurdo), <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQpuSH0nBdi9v7sB2Q41uQbZ0l5Dn2Br5Bbn0ABod2JPQDWA3EJpcda85WfpNDyW_1bKBNowCbxMKikZ1ef75SmLcPxwCMoryMQMWmRVcFnrsMAiGJQwjesEDTcvkLNxu9GUC7BXNWg/s1600-h/Cookies.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQpuSH0nBdi9v7sB2Q41uQbZ0l5Dn2Br5Bbn0ABod2JPQDWA3EJpcda85WfpNDyW_1bKBNowCbxMKikZ1ef75SmLcPxwCMoryMQMWmRVcFnrsMAiGJQwjesEDTcvkLNxu9GUC7BXNWg/s200/Cookies.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138151207306288994" /></a>one was putting the final touches on a big vat of soup. They work with great efficiency and cooperation - with supplies that are plentiful, but not always optimal.<br /><br />"Freshies" - which are any type of fresh produce, come in on incoming cargo flights. Sometimes weeks go by with no "freshies" because either there are no flights at all, or there is no room for extra food cargo. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19zi5ZEMhl8L5nsCz9fPsqh7JNUcyty2qnLn_W22uF-1RTo_mCyi0CDPp4hNmfc1NvWw9K47jeshR_1sN-0tg5LqeUzE48hw9r-__ZnjFkXoaGrYtAtuqCD1o9U_D2ZuymIzmCmArCA/s1600-h/Asparagus.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19zi5ZEMhl8L5nsCz9fPsqh7JNUcyty2qnLn_W22uF-1RTo_mCyi0CDPp4hNmfc1NvWw9K47jeshR_1sN-0tg5LqeUzE48hw9r-__ZnjFkXoaGrYtAtuqCD1o9U_D2ZuymIzmCmArCA/s200/Asparagus.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138154776424112018" /></a>So the chefs have to be quite creative and adaptable.<br /><br />Almost all of the food for the year comes in on a re-supply ship the previous year. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x79vARmRp6p2Mv6CMZyscj4uptz5HuaCaXDoSTvhNFD0HPTdCRp9vn6eaYbrSkNNdFuz_gjOagBRCIY7Aua0Wz8UU7q7QL6Jn9KCajbdL3pw1KZBwoWn3NE-06wZMlXbAthqSoiBqw/s1600-h/Coldcuts.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x79vARmRp6p2Mv6CMZyscj4uptz5HuaCaXDoSTvhNFD0HPTdCRp9vn6eaYbrSkNNdFuz_gjOagBRCIY7Aua0Wz8UU7q7QL6Jn9KCajbdL3pw1KZBwoWn3NE-06wZMlXbAthqSoiBqw/s200/Coldcuts.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138151954630598514" /></a>In February of this year, a ship will arrive with a year's supply of food for McMurdo and the South Pole. Some of the quantities are staggering: 70,000 pounds of beef, 50,000 pounds of poultry, 20,000 pounds of seafood. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz572duTjPt6ZJCg6iNCNQDS6TpltlV7JPrIO2RVCObH-JaUkImDMp3Vf-5dCw3P4Vp4Xe2Rdw1cQn02Zc_uxYG7xw2BPoL1OXARDidL9wQzE546VSNC9leMaMqWYOJAtV2PlyUwmh0Q/s1600-h/Big+ovens.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz572duTjPt6ZJCg6iNCNQDS6TpltlV7JPrIO2RVCObH-JaUkImDMp3Vf-5dCw3P4Vp4Xe2Rdw1cQn02Zc_uxYG7xw2BPoL1OXARDidL9wQzE546VSNC9leMaMqWYOJAtV2PlyUwmh0Q/s200/Big+ovens.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138154235258232706" /></a><br />In fact, for one recent meal (Thanksgiving) the amount of food served included: 1,200 pounds of turkey, 400 pounds of roast beef, 400 pounds of potatoes, 1,200 dinner rolls, 50 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 100 pumpkin pies, and more. Imagine being in charge of so much food!<br /><br />Sally and her team do a phenomenol job of feeding all of us. I think the food truly is the way into a person's heart!Robin Frisch-Gleasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512155121231423115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-83537265466516292632007-11-27T21:08:00.000+13:002007-11-28T21:04:26.123+13:00A penguin a day...Even though I have only seen one distant Adelie and no Emperor Penguins while here at McMurdo, there are enough penguins around the base to make up for it! Everyone has the same fixation. There are penguins at the water plant, <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3MOvWX7E58adzi0qYUjTvr7fAome78QwIAjf0dGtpQM7Xd7yBU-_DkIinJ8V-c7I8Ep4u0QgygPYx6MkjIMgoahKq445Evx43ReW33yI37dnt0EroyaUOYS7SaO3QIYswESP2T9oTcze/s1600-h/IMG_2232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3MOvWX7E58adzi0qYUjTvr7fAome78QwIAjf0dGtpQM7Xd7yBU-_DkIinJ8V-c7I8Ep4u0QgygPYx6MkjIMgoahKq445Evx43ReW33yI37dnt0EroyaUOYS7SaO3QIYswESP2T9oTcze/s200/IMG_2232.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137716972048945122" /></a><br />penguins at the Field Safety Training Program garage,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkwNDw1tCojz-wZZXn9xtK9xDmv9HV-0ZKZ-mn8pkVmcILLlYE6jcGhrham0mmkpkFPZrr5tn8d2runTHpQgGO61nlllwfZUuVPjudRCTX7oOktiI9eiznyAnAeE0AQJiuPvjbMg4Sgv9/s1600-h/PA280011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkwNDw1tCojz-wZZXn9xtK9xDmv9HV-0ZKZ-mn8pkVmcILLlYE6jcGhrham0mmkpkFPZrr5tn8d2runTHpQgGO61nlllwfZUuVPjudRCTX7oOktiI9eiznyAnAeE0AQJiuPvjbMg4Sgv9/s200/PA280011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137710752936300466" /></a><br />penguins collecting library books,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuFGqYyc_VNG0OCtyUV1K1aid3TGN_M0UHPj0a4SpsBFCUifGWMNvJ75cRGexck9clFUG7AGyaSuzPyDF_Tqz8HlX-XIseb_ahToFA6mv81_196-IIvcnT9GhG8SoFy56ckYz7N8gYxPn/s1600-h/IMG_2307.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuFGqYyc_VNG0OCtyUV1K1aid3TGN_M0UHPj0a4SpsBFCUifGWMNvJ75cRGexck9clFUG7AGyaSuzPyDF_Tqz8HlX-XIseb_ahToFA6mv81_196-IIvcnT9GhG8SoFy56ckYz7N8gYxPn/s200/IMG_2307.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137716727235809234" /></a><br />and penguins at the store.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbyJvcD2hDCN9zFiEkq7zQKTyFgYsrsHMnJ3A4Z0uspywO9r7JfsXfdJHSlacfucw9VCS03_vmT0b_0gnjhIdKXh4SDn8Fz6iJodunE1khM-pXwqpkhAyjZOahg02Ahn5NI4zdgKR_bqc/s1600-h/IMG_2313.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbyJvcD2hDCN9zFiEkq7zQKTyFgYsrsHMnJ3A4Z0uspywO9r7JfsXfdJHSlacfucw9VCS03_vmT0b_0gnjhIdKXh4SDn8Fz6iJodunE1khM-pXwqpkhAyjZOahg02Ahn5NI4zdgKR_bqc/s200/IMG_2313.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137718724395601906" /></a><br />They even have a house,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCdw7oa8pLScpWc3f1txE4sEbreVrhrZq6phtQ53Gz8lfINGq6_rLoMRDuKsiCxOo-3AvzYJdvMRQ5kFrcUKNi61YjSbEcZlFs1rg4fVQHd0u0NB3N4hjE89tob8WC06xEbROd5o4IC7C/s1600-h/PA220031.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCdw7oa8pLScpWc3f1txE4sEbreVrhrZq6phtQ53Gz8lfINGq6_rLoMRDuKsiCxOo-3AvzYJdvMRQ5kFrcUKNi61YjSbEcZlFs1rg4fVQHd0u0NB3N4hjE89tob8WC06xEbROd5o4IC7C/s200/PA220031.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137431232169709458" /></a><br />and tell us what to do!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42oMc56e2wQB2rzXv_2OV2VVuo3Njh_TbC1ccFxJC9E25zPgtop_EkQRUuQNfQ3L-oVfXSLLOPEUbCNL69hjLUi0uEgMmlOsvjEd435ZgqupnCo_reGbBeyh42YsWW4DaOoGzEykO0VX7/s1600-h/IMG_2364.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42oMc56e2wQB2rzXv_2OV2VVuo3Njh_TbC1ccFxJC9E25zPgtop_EkQRUuQNfQ3L-oVfXSLLOPEUbCNL69hjLUi0uEgMmlOsvjEd435ZgqupnCo_reGbBeyh42YsWW4DaOoGzEykO0VX7/s200/IMG_2364.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137727743826923538" /></a><br />There are penguins at the hospital,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2r0yS13dI6fSCgxzWn6xi2uxxOm711UDzicj9Q2pR9D5eAwwG1vaPyQTNRUAjSPG05FuqcWCj6MBrsSXlCZ_soFVg0skwSuQPcH8RG-9U96W1_opKm4nslAziSjB_Q3mme1shYwPhUfP/s1600-h/IMG_2308.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2r0yS13dI6fSCgxzWn6xi2uxxOm711UDzicj9Q2pR9D5eAwwG1vaPyQTNRUAjSPG05FuqcWCj6MBrsSXlCZ_soFVg0skwSuQPcH8RG-9U96W1_opKm4nslAziSjB_Q3mme1shYwPhUfP/s200/IMG_2308.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137716229019602882" /></a><br />penguins at Scott's hut,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYEQ58zjIWuX6sLDvn70cK-Lh9_ZboDFsO6MxlVbchdI5J89H1L8VQNJWX_hyigwEyIb2MuQLbSGXMfEXvPT4vHfPhNef0FcL7cUQXZGFhMH4OwxatVFScgCrGitoUagZZnlBLx76t-xc/s1600-h/IMG_2045.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYEQ58zjIWuX6sLDvn70cK-Lh9_ZboDFsO6MxlVbchdI5J89H1L8VQNJWX_hyigwEyIb2MuQLbSGXMfEXvPT4vHfPhNef0FcL7cUQXZGFhMH4OwxatVFScgCrGitoUagZZnlBLx76t-xc/s200/IMG_2045.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137723496104267778" /></a><br />and, of course, the occasional kiwi.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8GBS1IdORwG5It0xUQDQyC0vS06-pfG6VYQfxzDFoHnYag4jCM-L1LLN6i2FDXrnN1Y0K42xXlChZgHSiIb9axH_Jo3ZZJfVT4nTCjwwk7dzfEOJMNZejFEaA_M8grbM2_s7oGlIrISJ/s1600-h/PA240109.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8GBS1IdORwG5It0xUQDQyC0vS06-pfG6VYQfxzDFoHnYag4jCM-L1LLN6i2FDXrnN1Y0K42xXlChZgHSiIb9axH_Jo3ZZJfVT4nTCjwwk7dzfEOJMNZejFEaA_M8grbM2_s7oGlIrISJ/s200/PA240109.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137708695646965666" /></a>Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-91938272120150307552007-11-27T14:22:00.001+13:002007-11-30T14:32:01.532+13:00Do you see what I see?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmv_NvEsLAaa48A27aDuL4BPLyBsCRdms0TwqWyFE-rwVOfQQBx02N-nB6Whgw_Oad8QUQb-yowLbmel9ORTm_sMyZieryB37WL_qIWiPjF3LP507HXuaV1ZydVpxQ0kWNkM1ygStxgMG/s1600-h/d06leopard_waterbuck3_mg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmv_NvEsLAaa48A27aDuL4BPLyBsCRdms0TwqWyFE-rwVOfQQBx02N-nB6Whgw_Oad8QUQb-yowLbmel9ORTm_sMyZieryB37WL_qIWiPjF3LP507HXuaV1ZydVpxQ0kWNkM1ygStxgMG/s200/d06leopard_waterbuck3_mg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137331331230404434" /></a>When I was in Tanzania, I found out a curious fact. When I am scanning the bush around me, I don't pick up leopards or other cats at all. I notice birds and ungulates, am often one of the first ones to see them, but a cat would have to be chewing on my leg before I can find it. Possibly this is because I spend most of my time in Alaska with half an eye on the look out for moose or bears and I am always looking for a new bird. My search image is well developed for these types of shapes and motions....but I've never spent any significant time in an area where it was important to notice large cats - or for that matter, snakes, which I've nearly stepped on at times. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IJ5iuxOBownuhxCDTS0mGxVpLPmG_zeWyNoqo8pnI5YI5YFnfu3mIMs1HNl0q5uiksMvAea6K9sOe8jwk6XV8wzZH2MIbpTyhcYJuygmtX3e7O-kM60rGVaiLMoONNRskpdl8Qg8xWzV/s1600-h/PA160099.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IJ5iuxOBownuhxCDTS0mGxVpLPmG_zeWyNoqo8pnI5YI5YFnfu3mIMs1HNl0q5uiksMvAea6K9sOe8jwk6XV8wzZH2MIbpTyhcYJuygmtX3e7O-kM60rGVaiLMoONNRskpdl8Qg8xWzV/s200/PA160099.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137347171069792098" /></a>Very similarly, the scientists looking at the core bring their areas of greatest experience with them when they look at the core. A volcanologist will tend to notice igneous features while, for a sedimentologist, the most obvious parts of the same section of core will be the layering and texture patterns of the grains of sediment. We all do this to a greater or lesser extent - we tend to be drawn to and pay more attention to the things that interest us most or that we are most familiar with. <br /><br />One of the great strengths of the multi-disciplinary nature of ANDRILL is that everyone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9JzEVUVCihC540w0MF45oVHzm3grMTRlfWInvedeycumcgJkdPZwkDvIL-E48JZMcfxjU-Gao5KMSTWiRGOOMzCW5R533c0dNnJik76W9ZRfYzW0z_rYWqoeMhc_S9RZnh6cZqNzpvCR/s1600-h/PB060079.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9JzEVUVCihC540w0MF45oVHzm3grMTRlfWInvedeycumcgJkdPZwkDvIL-E48JZMcfxjU-Gao5KMSTWiRGOOMzCW5R533c0dNnJik76W9ZRfYzW0z_rYWqoeMhc_S9RZnh6cZqNzpvCR/s200/PB060079.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137359317237305202" /></a> brings their special area of interest to the endeavor and then shares their ideas and observations with others who have very different starting points and backgrounds. The scientific discussion then involves exploring the ways in which the data might fit together to answer the big question of what was happening in this area of Antarctica in the past. The final explanation that is rendered must accomodate all data from many science disciplines, making it a much stronger statement than one coming from just one viewpoint. <br /><br />The interpretation of the SMS sediment core needs scientists from both tectonic and environmental perspectives. For example, evidence in the core for deeper water environments may indicate an increase in sea level caused by ice sheet <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK-_ITdz0PWzigfOxAGsDU3V54Hu9xxLMa-ZA-EFvtdNcFVIYwa5fLDxaV_nzg4MaYrAKT1DNaTsMlflghyphenhyphennYG6ikKiHifMXSAP-UkPR9CECOeogSe9OIwM6OWOfSyCmoqGrOv8veTG1b/s1600-h/VLBcrosssection"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK-_ITdz0PWzigfOxAGsDU3V54Hu9xxLMa-ZA-EFvtdNcFVIYwa5fLDxaV_nzg4MaYrAKT1DNaTsMlflghyphenhyphennYG6ikKiHifMXSAP-UkPR9CECOeogSe9OIwM6OWOfSyCmoqGrOv8veTG1b/s200/VLBcrosssection" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137367112602947458" /></a>melting or it might indicate rifting and subsidence in the plates of the area - or more likely, a combination of both. We are looking in the core at a record of sedimentation and erosion. Sedimentation happens in where there is both space for sediment to accumulate and sediments in the area to fill it. We need a complete picture of both the tectonic and environmental factors that might be creating the sediment and space for it to fill in order to understand what was happening here in the past.<br /><br />Take a look at the picture at the top and see what animal you notice first (there are two). What are the things you focus on in an outdoor environment, what do you see first? How about in indoor environments? How does what you notice differ from what someone else in your school or family notices?Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-77949475464738572152007-11-26T19:38:00.000+13:002007-11-27T14:21:15.094+13:00Taylor Valley by Helo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsFB86oowENFTd57vhu37eKoEBamqcV4doIHffDwknB5mq2rbPxZRnTjufI4jaa3nSBx8LUXAbS76wQ0v9qPnJMCDYB3iv5LuIEPJnxAobL1OMpRkgkrq-9AAIQjU-DYJvoqpxITj0I2w/s1600-h/IMG_1333.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsFB86oowENFTd57vhu37eKoEBamqcV4doIHffDwknB5mq2rbPxZRnTjufI4jaa3nSBx8LUXAbS76wQ0v9qPnJMCDYB3iv5LuIEPJnxAobL1OMpRkgkrq-9AAIQjU-DYJvoqpxITj0I2w/s200/IMG_1333.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137305063210422050" /></a>Last week at this time, I was sitting at the window seat of a Bell 212 helicopter with my jaw on the floor as we flew through some of the most magnificent scenery I've ever seen. The sun was out, there were fluffy white clouds to give a bit of definition and the wind wasn't bad enough to bounce us around very much. A perfect ride!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTFlgLv5VgOK-CG30kAUQZRGljYxiSZj3synPbFA4vzyg55CItukG7UoySSqNQ42hNgcIJu3ohNR0WkJGzU0XeA4Jq0wb3S40kGP_VCdLAsSFrG0gaQTRY-OrZAHXTwuO4AZQR6xwhtf-/s1600-h/IMG_1312.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTFlgLv5VgOK-CG30kAUQZRGljYxiSZj3synPbFA4vzyg55CItukG7UoySSqNQ42hNgcIJu3ohNR0WkJGzU0XeA4Jq0wb3S40kGP_VCdLAsSFrG0gaQTRY-OrZAHXTwuO4AZQR6xwhtf-/s200/IMG_1312.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137304238576701202" /></a><br /><br />Taylor valley, unlike its neighbor, Ferrar, has no single glacier filling the entire valley. There are side glaciers coming into the valley, like the Commonwealth glacier where we stopped to hike, but most of the main valley floor is a series of small lakes <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4wkScFwzN2ls_-f9mfQiB2D2tFDOOqQtf0uIItEjbWQRpQkaUbGwQ91rhRPpVQQI5skCYhIF-BU2YV71b6AFyTgh4laHfI3P7CMbDgzbmYIuBK_nFi2psueS0xDdy1u1iV1jihdYOsDr/s1600-h/IMG_1406.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4wkScFwzN2ls_-f9mfQiB2D2tFDOOqQtf0uIItEjbWQRpQkaUbGwQ91rhRPpVQQI5skCYhIF-BU2YV71b6AFyTgh4laHfI3P7CMbDgzbmYIuBK_nFi2psueS0xDdy1u1iV1jihdYOsDr/s200/IMG_1406.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137306557859041074" /></a>or dry ground. The upper valley is where the Taylor glacier is located, and we flew over the vast area where the Taylor and Ferrar glaciers go side by side. At some point in the past, the mouth of the Taylor valley was blocked and the whole thing filled up with water. You can see the remnant shelves left around the edges of the valley showing at least two different water levels.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWWF5civUnQenm-eeDpYxTfZ41aRLzg580B1vcXY3926X9CGBvsfJ0Pm9_PrQynaGRmJ1Cczh0GPvIh1A-kmO1Frx8UowW85tdLnKwjDclsjDY7Ifj2szDnogjaXwK6D8FPWWg8Bq9o_J/s1600-h/IMG_1352.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWWF5civUnQenm-eeDpYxTfZ41aRLzg580B1vcXY3926X9CGBvsfJ0Pm9_PrQynaGRmJ1Cczh0GPvIh1A-kmO1Frx8UowW85tdLnKwjDclsjDY7Ifj2szDnogjaXwK6D8FPWWg8Bq9o_J/s200/IMG_1352.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137319434170994498" /></a><br />What landform features do you see in the photos that were created by glaciers? By wind? By flowing water?Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-49327463799836970932007-11-25T10:05:00.000+13:002007-11-27T21:57:30.594+13:00Reflections from Granite HarborIn my last blog, I shared information with you about the science conducted at the Mackay Sea Valley Seismic Survey. It was a very successful field season, and great information was learned about the subsurface rocks – to help us plan for the next drilling season.<br /><br />This blog will share the personal experience of that same trip. I had anticipated this experience for quite some time, and was overwhelmed with excitement when my chance finally came to head for the field.<br /><br />I flew out of McMurdo on November 12 in an Huey helicopter. I arrived at the helicopter pad two hours early, even though I only needed to be there half an hour early for my safety briefing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_LBqoMqs7IFwwXKL-y8uIcYi410HxHxQ3RSkvwIUJl87-VrmgDTTADMUIQOVPZgpSR0bqR1h2t9AcZx-8xTme6_3QJ0VUxhI1_lsnriSNA7fNs8kJxs1X4uPwTyt2qKD1rLI8QH_rw/s1600-h/Helo+Ride.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_LBqoMqs7IFwwXKL-y8uIcYi410HxHxQ3RSkvwIUJl87-VrmgDTTADMUIQOVPZgpSR0bqR1h2t9AcZx-8xTme6_3QJ0VUxhI1_lsnriSNA7fNs8kJxs1X4uPwTyt2qKD1rLI8QH_rw/s200/Helo+Ride.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136517358797217394" /></a>I flew out with Ken, another ARISE participant, and Thai, the mountaineer for the final leg of the field season in Granite Harbor. We were flying to the north around 100 miles to a location on the Ross Sea, adjacent to the Mackay Glacier which flows out of the Central Transantarctic Mountains. The field party had already been at work for 3 weeks – and I was flying in for the final push. As we flew out, Thai sat near the window and surveyed the ice beneath us. Our camp was set up on sea ice, and the traverse back to McMurdo was going to involve driving 100 miles across sea ice which, at this time of year, is starting to show significant cracks. <br /><br />From the window of the helicopter I marveled at the icebergs which had calved off from glaciers and became frozen into the sea ice when it froze for the year last year.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOc7ruEccuCZoMyEXM0XUGS1BPsgeMvWKsuuBejQRk7VtnFXc9S7bmwi_r_dQOQ7UJ4bMzY14NQBbc_VUOZCKeyaTbNLaMn032i7do2eae5dMVDnr7ZqVjNhqey_WD6C9U76PAUUH4Q/s1600-h/Iceberg1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOc7ruEccuCZoMyEXM0XUGS1BPsgeMvWKsuuBejQRk7VtnFXc9S7bmwi_r_dQOQ7UJ4bMzY14NQBbc_VUOZCKeyaTbNLaMn032i7do2eae5dMVDnr7ZqVjNhqey_WD6C9U76PAUUH4Q/s200/Iceberg1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136518234970545794" /></a> It was like watching time stand still before my very eyes. Some of the icebergs stand 200 feet tall or taller (and considerably deeper than that below the water surface) – and they reflect light in the most amazing ways, with every shade of white and blue and gray. They stand like sentinels with ever-changing light.<br /><br />As we flew, we left the volcanic province that surrounds the McMurdo area, and flew past the Dry Valleys and along the Central Transantarctic Mountains. By the time we started to land, we were in an area with high granite cliffs surrounded by expansive glaciers coming right down to the vast frozen Ross Sea. Many of the mountains were covered with ice, but mountain peaks could be seen deep into distance.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSdLic1dv0INf1O2h5NMwLHowp0Ac1EYpQXh7LKLgcKePpImthPN_EruhFtjtNvuwR_avNiSCN2O74xDgIx-SLXfd-RGOowcCIqh5XNwAPxKdOir9THEdaE8f5bNOZbtX0NUuWfdlqQ/s1600-h/Granite_Harbor_Camp_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSdLic1dv0INf1O2h5NMwLHowp0Ac1EYpQXh7LKLgcKePpImthPN_EruhFtjtNvuwR_avNiSCN2O74xDgIx-SLXfd-RGOowcCIqh5XNwAPxKdOir9THEdaE8f5bNOZbtX0NUuWfdlqQ/s200/Granite_Harbor_Camp_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136516980840095330" /></a>As we approached camp we could see flashes of blue and yellow on the frozen seascape below. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ_XcjiCCXwMRSRKZB0wx8XJ_JSeyaijcJJ93DANdzkcs6L6T2xkW3i41h-ocQGNT4Pnfyzkzymf2iUtHX3iVlngpZ5gEgMtn7tzAYV9hGm8Z7OxcZtcTqpxAybY2_rYZ-NKADehDOw/s1600-h/Granite_Harbor_Camp.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ_XcjiCCXwMRSRKZB0wx8XJ_JSeyaijcJJ93DANdzkcs6L6T2xkW3i41h-ocQGNT4Pnfyzkzymf2iUtHX3iVlngpZ5gEgMtn7tzAYV9hGm8Z7OxcZtcTqpxAybY2_rYZ-NKADehDOw/s200/Granite_Harbor_Camp.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136516577113169490" /></a>Towering pinkish granite cliffs came right down to the ice. We gently landed right next to camp, and, when given the signal, I took off my helmet and climbed out of the helicopter. I had arrived!<br /><br />My friends, who had gone out three weeks earlier, welcomed me warmly and showed me around camp. I was struck by how cozy and warm camp was – out in the middle of the Antarctic wilderness. There were 2 Rac tents, one for cooking/eating/socializing, and one for computing/data processing/ storing and drying out field gear. Scott tents were used for sleeping, 2 per tent, with one bathroom tent.<br /><br />I couldn’t get over the views from camp. For the first hour, I couldn’t bring myself to go “inside.” Rather, I just walked around and around thinking, “I must be the luckiest person in the world!” Then, when Joan, our cook, made a beautiful dinner of beef in a coconut curry sauce, I knew that I had indeed found Nirvana!<br /><br />A typical day was to wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 am, and eat a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon, or eggs and potatoes, and coffee. By 8:00 we were on our way to the field. (See my previous blog to learn about the purpose for the survey and the way it was conducted). Before the seismic surveys were done, a line had to be flagged. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tB_UkCew0XUj7KHzrA3Oh-miX44B5w-QU_2cUn3bY2gC5PtpjmbUwj8oqkhR-FHbIyAhdVKSOZwZPydUfgl0dWkVMrBQJeUtnNQPzjCIcSCvHgVJrWyMKh_rdUd9ldAL9yCtvr2mKA/s1600-h/Numbering+Flags.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tB_UkCew0XUj7KHzrA3Oh-miX44B5w-QU_2cUn3bY2gC5PtpjmbUwj8oqkhR-FHbIyAhdVKSOZwZPydUfgl0dWkVMrBQJeUtnNQPzjCIcSCvHgVJrWyMKh_rdUd9ldAL9yCtvr2mKA/s200/Numbering+Flags.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136868876100591410" /></a>For the first couple of days I was involved with flagging the lines. This entailed using a GPS unit to establish a location. A 50 meter cable was then used to plant a flag every 50 meters, keeping a perfectly straight line with the previous flags. When the flag location was determined, an auger was used to drill a hole in the ice to securely plant the flag. The lines were typically 1 or 2 kilometers long. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2lNCC36a5HNDHVx_hFNvVwI74WerAsHwRA8S8tVVJKTDqt4gBc3xYzzMKZAPR0-wB9x7tiDp2BsvDbPdXZw5ffATyPy0NyF8zvZSymMQgBPJtlUI067ytxM7mtbVxf9IgsnRtASN_g/s1600-h/PB+with+Flag+Line.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2lNCC36a5HNDHVx_hFNvVwI74WerAsHwRA8S8tVVJKTDqt4gBc3xYzzMKZAPR0-wB9x7tiDp2BsvDbPdXZw5ffATyPy0NyF8zvZSymMQgBPJtlUI067ytxM7mtbVxf9IgsnRtASN_g/s200/PB+with+Flag+Line.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136869309892288322" /></a>Once the line was established, we had to go back and label all of the flags, and get an accurate GPS location for each flag, as these would soon be linked to the geophysical data being collected.<br /><br />The driller and the science lab, both pulled by Piston Bullys, followed later. They would pull their equipment up to each flag and drill, and then collect seismic data. I worked both with the driller, shoveling snow away from the drill hole, and with the science lab, deploying the airgun into the hole. At the appropriate moments, the seismologists would fire the airgun, and their computers would monitor the return of the sound waves from the sea floor and below to the geophones which were in a streamer behind the mobile science lab.<br /><br />My first day in the field, we were concentrating on flagging a line, when suddenly we saw three emperor penguins walk up to us! They are so playful and curious – and walked right up to us, with absolutely no fear. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSvK1ZUglvmFSVCw0GkWSYx8jbSblSofkR8IcnLU-E-wGYwXsgQA-z0WcMo9NHITxdn8AomQFwlpQOkofVqBREgk5fgumf540jl9jtEjMrKa0WhOAFo1niU00F7_6jy6x9HHr3A8Ovw/s1600-h/ThreeEmperors1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSvK1ZUglvmFSVCw0GkWSYx8jbSblSofkR8IcnLU-E-wGYwXsgQA-z0WcMo9NHITxdn8AomQFwlpQOkofVqBREgk5fgumf540jl9jtEjMrKa0WhOAFo1niU00F7_6jy6x9HHr3A8Ovw/s320/ThreeEmperors1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136861480166907682" /></a>They stood near us for at least 15 minutes while they interacted with one another, squawking and rubbing beaks, and finally the scooted off. Little did they know they had absolutely made my day!<br /><br />One day, after our work was done, we went exploring a nearby point called Cape Archer. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdFpmJjqXUdqBI8-5DqNNLSqitVNoyPxXeD0njp7D5tQ-oOSy1JFoNbVqiKGdBOqt6w5DROvYons8kJ-IG3_myazxpgQHIR7-SfPHvDkUbtqfuY3wvVTugEqZm7AttFSUGwaFl6Xtaw/s1600-h/2+Skidoos.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdFpmJjqXUdqBI8-5DqNNLSqitVNoyPxXeD0njp7D5tQ-oOSy1JFoNbVqiKGdBOqt6w5DROvYons8kJ-IG3_myazxpgQHIR7-SfPHvDkUbtqfuY3wvVTugEqZm7AttFSUGwaFl6Xtaw/s200/2+Skidoos.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136518707416948370" /></a><br />To get to Cape Archer we drove our snowmobiles past some deep pressure ridges with seals all around. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2GqLJ2ZNGZRVh5z0XrBkSAYVw3FzU5D8MaVbWfG0sctP26wap7n2Xnqz4TIYrPJSOTJxvbvbWMZaol51EM-tBYjdckAbjbIdygmnYWVZyvoDTPriPSC0DzzcOO0HQ7AofBjiBi9smA/s1600-h/blue+ice.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2GqLJ2ZNGZRVh5z0XrBkSAYVw3FzU5D8MaVbWfG0sctP26wap7n2Xnqz4TIYrPJSOTJxvbvbWMZaol51EM-tBYjdckAbjbIdygmnYWVZyvoDTPriPSC0DzzcOO0HQ7AofBjiBi9smA/s320/blue+ice.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136519115438841506" /></a>Here we were able to get up fairly close to see the mother seals and their young pups. The mothers noticed when we approached, but were not afraid. Nearby, there was a seal hole where a mother and her pup kept bobbing up and down in and out of the water. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf9nU7U78cMIgmjAaJefhBUX_iDMiM5cUi9lBRCzvxyd357K9mOjpK2DfyZOeRrT_fYPaLobGqFFVgdO75J5ypRc4CsV35YbkMprywv9RWwWumUdDJrllbMKDptJMNASs4xJ8BtqLlA/s1600-h/Seals1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgf9nU7U78cMIgmjAaJefhBUX_iDMiM5cUi9lBRCzvxyd357K9mOjpK2DfyZOeRrT_fYPaLobGqFFVgdO75J5ypRc4CsV35YbkMprywv9RWwWumUdDJrllbMKDptJMNASs4xJ8BtqLlA/s320/Seals1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136519583590276786" /></a>I felt so privileged to have this close encounter with Weddell Seals – and for them to not be frightened of me! I knew I was a visitor in their territory and I felt humbled by their acceptance of me.<br /><br />A bit beyond, we came across a magnificent ice cave at the edge of the interface between a granite cliff and a glacier. The colors, texture, and lighting were beautiful as we treaded into the cave – through an old crevasse which used to be deep in the heart of the glacier before it advanced its way toward the sea. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX8Y4_57cAq1BrVN-d0aQgZfJQ54H93zpW-prNbd5VGzADfETELxeE0RxgQC58SD43mr5lPigX5WJzGu3zGiEGHG3oOgbISr6mUtb3XLiUZvpGSt0E3vDPt1lSUT5CGKDB-KC10jYJA/s1600-h/Ice+Cave+1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX8Y4_57cAq1BrVN-d0aQgZfJQ54H93zpW-prNbd5VGzADfETELxeE0RxgQC58SD43mr5lPigX5WJzGu3zGiEGHG3oOgbISr6mUtb3XLiUZvpGSt0E3vDPt1lSUT5CGKDB-KC10jYJA/s320/Ice+Cave+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136520184885698242" /></a><br />One was always aware that bit could break off or shift at any time – so we didn’t venture too far in, but it was spectacular nonetheless.<br /><br />After just 9 days in the field, our work was done and it was time to head back to McMurdo with all of our gear. We were going to traverse back from Granite Harbor to McMurdo. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qp-2B8sgHLKLwiUs10KhMaVYpJZFks58Ewn7voIbKWJPiV6WFv0igdzZdtknTIHF4auQECkyqWDOCx9ZwXf-h2p-vY5jrRvwGlTqB9nzqZP8SBpQoOVm8MEqTe_YbOW0wY46tUIIlA/s1600-h/Robin+with+Iceberg+and+Snowmobile.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qp-2B8sgHLKLwiUs10KhMaVYpJZFks58Ewn7voIbKWJPiV6WFv0igdzZdtknTIHF4auQECkyqWDOCx9ZwXf-h2p-vY5jrRvwGlTqB9nzqZP8SBpQoOVm8MEqTe_YbOW0wY46tUIIlA/s200/Robin+with+Iceberg+and+Snowmobile.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136524033176395490" /></a>The traverse was one of those profound events in life that are<br />difficult at the time, but that you wouldn't miss for anything. I rode on the back of a snowmobile for 13 hours. The traverse party consisted of 2 snowmobiles, each with 2 persons, and two Pisten Bullys pulling laden-down sleds full of gear, and a total of 6 passengers. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtT12t0LDG_EmIQlMsT1RMRSe5iXBM0whyphenhyphennT96iy1rn8xd4bSkDI7a1veyXfUKXvbgmBtSDR7J1D5ApaHqCjp4mEPtEbeP7H9BMgNPHsgJMsDrvF-4QS8DGzOm3nckBnxWPFtxbBtIQ/s1600-h/Pisten+Bullys+in+front+of+Ferrar.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtT12t0LDG_EmIQlMsT1RMRSe5iXBM0whyphenhyphennT96iy1rn8xd4bSkDI7a1veyXfUKXvbgmBtSDR7J1D5ApaHqCjp4mEPtEbeP7H9BMgNPHsgJMsDrvF-4QS8DGzOm3nckBnxWPFtxbBtIQ/s320/Pisten+Bullys+in+front+of+Ferrar.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136523680989077202" /></a><br />We left sunny Granite Harbor, and in less than a half hour, we were in overcast skies and moderate visibility. The ride on the snowmobile was cold and windy, but a great adventure. <br />We rode past icebergs, nursing seals, big cracks in the sea ice. We plodded along slowly, with the Pisten Bullys being our limiting factor (maximum speed of perhaps 15 mph). But slowly the mountains and glaciers moved behind us, and Mount<br />Erebus come closer into view. The snowmobiles stopped at the ANDRILL drill site for a brief bit of warmth and a tour, while the Pisten Bullys went on ahead. 45 minutes later, we took off from the drillsite and sped on to catch up with the advance party of Pisten Bullys. Partway there, 3 Adelie penguins came waddling across our path. With due humility, we silenced the engines and squatted low for them to come and check us out. They appear to be such happy creatures! Again, there were fearless and inquisitive! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhc8zgJfyobiAyLsDdxWyLw2j2qXZeG6LmgwFGcMpHG6DpvRKbEQbaPE6uwB1cpv8bgtng2_b82dFGUOVbVV1me29i261F9eJG2_r1NnAwQ5z8vKx0X1DEIdfkYBlWtU0ctzr4fGMcA/s1600-h/3+Adelies.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhc8zgJfyobiAyLsDdxWyLw2j2qXZeG6LmgwFGcMpHG6DpvRKbEQbaPE6uwB1cpv8bgtng2_b82dFGUOVbVV1me29i261F9eJG2_r1NnAwQ5z8vKx0X1DEIdfkYBlWtU0ctzr4fGMcA/s320/3+Adelies.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136570453182930706" /></a><br /><br />When they were done checking us out, and slid off on their bellies, we ignited our engines and took off for the final stretch – to catch up with the Pisten Bullys and make it home in time for "midrats" (Midnight Rations – the midnight<br />meal served in McMurdo). A windstorm picked up on our final stretch, and our last leg was though a blizzard. We followed the flags to circumnavigate the ice runway, and finally reached McMurdo just before midnight.<br /><br />Room keys were awaiting us at the housing office. We charged for the showers – and welcomed the chance to get clean – and then settled in for a hot meal and some much needed sleep.<br /><br />I would have happily stayed out for another two weeks – but I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to get out into the deep field.<br /><br />Meanwhile, back in the ANDRILL lab, we hit our target depth of 1,000 meters and the windows into climates past are continuing to captivate the science teams. After a brief pause to do some logging of the drill hole, we will continue drilling for another few days before calling it done. The ice is started to soften a bit, and they will need to haul the whole rig (90 tons of it!) soon. What a sight that will be!!Robin Frisch-Gleasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512155121231423115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-11922614874622208542007-11-24T14:50:00.000+13:002007-11-24T15:41:22.476+13:00On Top of the World (at the 'Bottom' of the World)So, I feel 'On Top of the World' because it has been a VERY BIG and exciting week.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVki8i5LjJ6GuYyIOwbZ7IbgGB3QPvaIq5zIr0QCP2QmxrfSsJXmWHm_LOntZauM1pm71T_4JPERkftNJTHIIR0xTT3om-UCkaIvdM5O2mK5ivbasRWLw59MREtLbEFv8HFTFy2ju5s1w/s1600-h/Beacon+Valley+View.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136194744828713442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVki8i5LjJ6GuYyIOwbZ7IbgGB3QPvaIq5zIr0QCP2QmxrfSsJXmWHm_LOntZauM1pm71T_4JPERkftNJTHIIR0xTT3om-UCkaIvdM5O2mK5ivbasRWLw59MREtLbEFv8HFTFy2ju5s1w/s320/Beacon+Valley+View.jpg" border="0" /></a>First, we had our field trip to the Beacon Valley, which is part of the <a href="http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_antarctica/geography/rock/index.php">Dry Valleys Area </a>in Antarctica, and we ended up staying overnight at the New Harbour Camp because the helo could not fly back to pick us up because of bad weather at McMurdo. I have read about the Beacon Sandstone and Ferrar Dolerite (some of the rocks we saw) since I was an undergraduate student - and now I was actually going to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Dry_Valleys">Dry Valleys </a>to see them! Now I am trying to figure out how to use what I saw and learned in my teaching. The excitment did not stop there. On Wednesday I had the an incredible <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa_7BJjCnnUwrVt51QsePNlk9PROqODr-rK6Qfqwx3Pm2w69VyMhEB9ShyphenhyphenVusbtmu7q3gUMXmbuXr-zVYt8p4CXoMMLlOmundlIXn1fCrEL9bvkTzDm9cs1GZGGBp9MagHGcEKlS9Wbe2/s1600-h/Mario+Zuchelli+View.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136197828615232018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa_7BJjCnnUwrVt51QsePNlk9PROqODr-rK6Qfqwx3Pm2w69VyMhEB9ShyphenhyphenVusbtmu7q3gUMXmbuXr-zVYt8p4CXoMMLlOmundlIXn1fCrEL9bvkTzDm9cs1GZGGBp9MagHGcEKlS9Wbe2/s320/Mario+Zuchelli+View.jpg" border="0" /></a>opportunity - an overnight trip to <a href="http://www.comnap.aq/facilities/stationinfo/mzu/">Mario Zucchelli Station</a> (formerly known as Terra Nova - the Italian Station), coming back Thursday morning. This trip was a result of the great effort put in to international cooperation in education and outreach, as part of ANDRILL ARISE. I was very fortunate to have this opportunity, along with Graziano Scotto and Joanna Hubbard.</div><div><br /></div><div></div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Today (Saturday 24th November) we have our Thanksgiving Dinner, and there was a 5K run (called the Turkey Trot) this morning out to the Ice Runway and back. Far too much for me to tell you about all at once, so I'll try to break it up into little pieces over the next week or so -that way you can see what I saw and learned in Beacon Valley and at Mario Zucchelli - I am still somewhat overwhelmed by it all!<br /></div><div><span style="color:#330099;"><strong></strong></span></div><div><span style="color:#330099;"><strong></strong></span></div><div><span style="color:#330099;"><strong></strong></span></div><div><span style="color:#330099;"><strong>About the Turkey Trot <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht0dUl92m8Bd0201-NbAIv32eOeMgcytRRlARp5-s6ZtXdrDtJUgKs43EPmTmbRpRdK90a2VaAmxTLNnuouYTbKLDc9tWsmZXIFnHMHmIpO8FlaS-IhZjEA-PPHUM6rSQzNK1ST4flxQb/s1600-h/Our+Team.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136201749920373298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht0dUl92m8Bd0201-NbAIv32eOeMgcytRRlARp5-s6ZtXdrDtJUgKs43EPmTmbRpRdK90a2VaAmxTLNnuouYTbKLDc9tWsmZXIFnHMHmIpO8FlaS-IhZjEA-PPHUM6rSQzNK1ST4flxQb/s320/Our+Team.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></strong></span>Here are some of the runners from ANDRILL. Down below you can see me dressed for the run with my race number. I have not found out how long it took me - I was quite slow (longer than 30 minutes), and one of the last runners in - although there were a bunch of people that walked it behind me. It is just like a fun run anywhere - we signed up half an hour before it started and got our race numbers. They divided us into two groups - under 40 and over 40 (I was in the over 40 group, in case you are wondering). I wore some special winter long johns that I have for running in Minnesota, with wind pants over them. I had a polypropylene top, my windbreaker, a wool beanie, a neckwarmer, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRQAHFx466bSgFbnzi915ThSMDNRh4F0Q7R8NSNDaeBVlKsJpfYu0co7Q3sli1sJdEXtfsFYrUGId3awIWbLRcY6EPLT5YC5BUH00jeXaRiZ2s9BgUPBNewoDAcA9KJPfU7z0iaSLVZQ8/s1600-h/Kate+Turkey+Trot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136198275291830818" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRQAHFx466bSgFbnzi915ThSMDNRh4F0Q7R8NSNDaeBVlKsJpfYu0co7Q3sli1sJdEXtfsFYrUGId3awIWbLRcY6EPLT5YC5BUH00jeXaRiZ2s9BgUPBNewoDAcA9KJPfU7z0iaSLVZQ8/s320/Kate+Turkey+Trot.jpg" border="0" /></a>gloves and sunglasses. I wore my lightweight hiking shoes - I was worried about slipping on the ice, and they have a firmer grip than my running shoes do. Unlike many people, I had not already tried running on the ice. Running on the snow and ice was the hardest part - it was a beautiful day with only a relatively light breeze. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#330099;"><strong>On Top of the World?<br /></strong></span>Now, lets get back to the topic of this blog - 'On Top of the World.' How often do you talk about places in the Southern Hemisphere as being 'on the bottom of the world' or make jokes about people 'walking around upside-down' in the Southern Hemisphere? The portrayal of our planet with the Northern Hemisphere ‘at the top’ is simply an artifact of how early European explorers drew their maps. Planet Earth is simply a sphere moving through space; there is no ‘top’ or ‘bottom.’ It is just our perception and visualization of the Universe, based on early maps that make us draw the earth with the North Pole in the ‘up’ position, and the South Pole in the ‘down’ position.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>To students at Coon Rapids Middle School:</strong></span></div><div>I am working on a blog about the science process for you - check back in tomorrow (Sunday 25th). </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Dr. Kate Pound, Geology Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16278203232345606681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-71634615538458342432007-11-24T12:33:00.000+13:002007-11-24T09:00:35.429+13:00Signs of Spring<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcoF5-LXMix7H1hepME8ANmVcCKtUYyQsLmaJoSEjhLKewuKiQV_KSg3n_GBBA1e6PVWli4pnUEIhnBfy3L65fUWu8VA8sLz-siAv9hgbpR3rEhIgh1BJRoc2ST6uXryJ-VSYJSss6A-2/s1600-h/Slide4.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcoF5-LXMix7H1hepME8ANmVcCKtUYyQsLmaJoSEjhLKewuKiQV_KSg3n_GBBA1e6PVWli4pnUEIhnBfy3L65fUWu8VA8sLz-siAv9hgbpR3rEhIgh1BJRoc2ST6uXryJ-VSYJSss6A-2/s200/Slide4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136122671598735074" /></a>When we first arrived, low temperatures hovered around -30F without windchill. As weeks go by, those numbers keep creeping upwards- now nearly always in the positive. Recently any day that is sunny has created puddles, dripping eaves and icicles, and muddy spots. I even saw some joggers the other day. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iN7qVUjLhQTKtRlrMO_t5eLSXoPsp3UVk23le1yvjQ3aYpQ3I-SnvPLVxpbJFD87c9OSb70U4BIbjg_Ic95RgUwQhZd3LYC0eTTLrfEVFrOhYl5uDjg3ZZ9T_iqW8XSbb_6PmOfPVG7W/s1600-h/IMG_1164.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iN7qVUjLhQTKtRlrMO_t5eLSXoPsp3UVk23le1yvjQ3aYpQ3I-SnvPLVxpbJFD87c9OSb70U4BIbjg_Ic95RgUwQhZd3LYC0eTTLrfEVFrOhYl5uDjg3ZZ9T_iqW8XSbb_6PmOfPVG7W/s200/IMG_1164.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136126945091194626" /></a>Another sign of spring is the return of our skuas. These scavenging birds are very effective at finding food resources, they know that Building 155 is where the galley is located, anyone carrying out food wrapped for later has to be prepared to keep it from the birds. The first skua of spring was actually spotted flying past on the 4th of November but they didn't really move in to town until a week or so after that. Now they are sitting boldly in the middle of the road or parking area most mornings.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ5HxpxI729XA_ajuBuSozYEDdgC-a8FT1eFd5uRKQubkaq9LbUPKKl-PrqprG9IBNPyzqxko3TD9ahrjN1KMOvvfMPc2AUoMG8gjawqLSaB0RqU1C3kYR3UpnFCcT-n3imyYzA7nA8gv/s1600-h/PB170109.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ5HxpxI729XA_ajuBuSozYEDdgC-a8FT1eFd5uRKQubkaq9LbUPKKl-PrqprG9IBNPyzqxko3TD9ahrjN1KMOvvfMPc2AUoMG8gjawqLSaB0RqU1C3kYR3UpnFCcT-n3imyYzA7nA8gv/s200/PB170109.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136126644443483890" /></a><br /><br />The hard packed snowberms that surrounded the buildings and encroached on the roads when we first arrived are mostly gone now. It seems like a strange time to have Thanksgiving, the sun and melting make me think of Easter and spring instead?<br /><br />What signs of changing seasons do you look for or notice first?Joanna Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01936249119059377537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4352377229399467500.post-71469357749457112442007-11-23T13:55:00.000+13:002007-11-23T19:57:44.522+13:00The Mackay Sea Valley SurveyAt long last, I made my way out to the deep field camp of Granite Harbor for the geophysical survey of the Mackay Sea Valley. Granite Harbor is a small bay in the Ross Sea, nestled along the old granite cliffs that form the basement rocks of the Central Transantarctic Mountains. The setting is quite breathtaking! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRqG-gZlVNlIBC38vsrPJShSiTU9_NAF1qccUiTkLPj5S5XKeuqgtBYtvYbzNmHB7MbPaWBm7-jqToK6TKi1QDIZ6CjHF1HeJ3f8614BKJYRywMqF-LTEkP3yhzIjjHp6Vn-81-iRlA/s1600-h/Granite_Harbor_Camp.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRqG-gZlVNlIBC38vsrPJShSiTU9_NAF1qccUiTkLPj5S5XKeuqgtBYtvYbzNmHB7MbPaWBm7-jqToK6TKi1QDIZ6CjHF1HeJ3f8614BKJYRywMqF-LTEkP3yhzIjjHp6Vn-81-iRlA/s320/Granite_Harbor_Camp.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135893665121328594" /></a>The Mackay Glacier is a large glacier which terminates in the Ross Sea. In past years, when the ice sheet was larger, the Mackay Glacier carved out a deep trough on the continental shelf. In subsequent years, as the climate warmed, this trough became an area where deep packages of marine sediments accumulated. Those marine sediments are the reason for this site survey.<br /><br /><br />The Ross Sea in this area is still frozen over – so our camp is built on frozen sea ice, approximately 2 meters thick. As we look out toward the sea, there is solid ice as far as the eye can see – with old icebergs from last year, or perhaps older, embedded in the sea ice.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0_LTrr38vMs51JsYxp0b6URreK7IFdjfAI0LaFQ_J_MSuTMYpOGygw21s_8JtErIGwsQl8bLDJTvhcH0DEapmQSdUv62AnTFZ4IhqwunV47yiDOuGGJxf9G56LZ6KOv17uczSr9Fg/s1600-h/Iceberg1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0_LTrr38vMs51JsYxp0b6URreK7IFdjfAI0LaFQ_J_MSuTMYpOGygw21s_8JtErIGwsQl8bLDJTvhcH0DEapmQSdUv62AnTFZ4IhqwunV47yiDOuGGJxf9G56LZ6KOv17uczSr9Fg/s200/Iceberg1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135925005497687618" /></a><br /> They are quite monumental – standing sometimes hundreds of feet up above the ice surface and can be seen for many miles away. As the sun moves across the sky during the day, the illumination of the icebergs is constantly changing from bright white to deep blue to gray – to every shade in between. <br /><br />Our deep field camp consists of 11 people. 7 Scott tents, 2 Rac tents, 2 snowmobiles, and 2 Pisten Bullys (oversnow vehicles). <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yRlMFwilc-fkdQmQ2aMlRDGzd4m8-N7fkRRZwM27UP8YDa1lCDRKt6Vc_SnfIEoxePMSdj_jr-HVYdmotNswDBeqt8ktQ5mwOwiYRumUuxo3JCTQ6Xr-Mv1G1WVJegBiDHKtn59luA/s1600-h/PistonBulley.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yRlMFwilc-fkdQmQ2aMlRDGzd4m8-N7fkRRZwM27UP8YDa1lCDRKt6Vc_SnfIEoxePMSdj_jr-HVYdmotNswDBeqt8ktQ5mwOwiYRumUuxo3JCTQ6Xr-Mv1G1WVJegBiDHKtn59luA/s200/PistonBulley.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135922398452538914" /></a>The Scott tents are for sleeping, 2 per tent, and the Rac Tents are for eating and for science. The Rac tents have heat and generators for recharging electronics. It is remarkably comfortable and “cushy” in this remote camp!<br /><br />Why are we here? We are in Granite Harbor to conduct a seismic survey of the seafloor and the rocks below the seafloor which accumulated in this large trough carved by the Mackay Glacier. Under the leadership of Dr. Ross Powell, of Northern Illinois University, we are working to get a picture of the rocks below the seabed where thick accumulations of Holocene (the past 7,000 years) sediments are located. These sediments are of interest because they can tell us information about what the climate has been like in this part of Antarctica for the past 7,000 years, and how it compares to the climate seen in atmospheric records and marine geological records for other parts of Antarctica during the same time period. The seismic survey will not drill for rocks, but will provide information for future drilling projects about where the sediments are located and where a future drill hole should be placed.<br /><br />Seismic surveys operate using a sound blast, made by an airgun, which is set off below the ice. We drill a hole through the sea ice so that we can place the airgun, which is on a cable, down 8 meters in the water. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihva62rqlD5ZinuomIox0pW5khu2_yUL4JMHPFUPXDyr9NuFHpf07m3NWilF31u2nL8ClXdLM5qv5aomigjs4ksgumilDp4nh99rL8EbJqefwZM0lOxFR0Sd6bdKg6ftFRgpXV6Hu60A/s1600-h/Drilling+.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihva62rqlD5ZinuomIox0pW5khu2_yUL4JMHPFUPXDyr9NuFHpf07m3NWilF31u2nL8ClXdLM5qv5aomigjs4ksgumilDp4nh99rL8EbJqefwZM0lOxFR0Sd6bdKg6ftFRgpXV6Hu60A/s320/Drilling+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135897577836535282" /></a>We have a 1.5 kilometer long streamer that is dragged on the ice, behind the piston bully that carries the laboratory with all of the seismic recording devices.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBMSCcgFYACR9IzU8RX8rq4ep8uWNPwL9LQCcycUScApcEdtyKrI7BFq_jKVV7ppVhU3FAVG5lDy4o897MDz75lpBOCxKnLLNJrk_oVTwFFlHKvGTxJ31WmRkjvdyKSdTQIqrg39_Ow/s1600-h/Streamer.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBMSCcgFYACR9IzU8RX8rq4ep8uWNPwL9LQCcycUScApcEdtyKrI7BFq_jKVV7ppVhU3FAVG5lDy4o897MDz75lpBOCxKnLLNJrk_oVTwFFlHKvGTxJ31WmRkjvdyKSdTQIqrg39_Ow/s320/Streamer.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135922063445089810" /></a> The streamer contains 60 geophones that record the sound waves after they have traveled out of their air gun, and traveled down through the different layers of rock on and below the sea floor, and been reflected back up. Different types of rocks give off different types of reflections, and require differing amounts of time to travel back up to the geophones. Computers in the mobile lab record the sounds as they bounce back to the geophones, and based on their time delay, they give an image of the different layers of rock in the subsurface. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdf7m2jF3NqVbH72J-CwIBDqNfMHNrkEFJwPJDaDdPn3GeF9O8PdLAx2liRGRsKUJPUZj4TBbnmGJesmMiA_7disyLyOXGjWG6ExpUgnr2VpVRo1SqgqPp3hSZARhVZnYG_nKZXhIww/s1600-h/Marv+and+Computer.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdf7m2jF3NqVbH72J-CwIBDqNfMHNrkEFJwPJDaDdPn3GeF9O8PdLAx2liRGRsKUJPUZj4TBbnmGJesmMiA_7disyLyOXGjWG6ExpUgnr2VpVRo1SqgqPp3hSZARhVZnYG_nKZXhIww/s320/Marv+and+Computer.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135921470739602946" /></a>This type of work is typically done by ship with the geophones towed behind the ship. We are using a very new technology to conduct this survey over sea ice, and getting excellent results.<br /><br />The survey was very successful in identifying where the pockets of sediment are. The seismic data was all collected digitally and will require continued processing back at Montana Tech University where Dr. Marvin Speece, the geophysicist on the site survey, teaches. Once processed, the seismic records will tell us in much greater detail, about the types and thicknesses of sediments – and allow scientists to determine the optimal site for future drilling. <br /><br />Field work dominated life in Granite Harbor. But there were also wonderful moments of exploration and fun. Please visit my next blog, entitled "Reflections from a Remote Field Camp" to learn more about life and exploration in the Granite Harbor area.Robin Frisch-Gleasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512155121231423115noreply@blogger.com0