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Week 5 - November 28, 1999 to December 4, 1999
Date: 12/04/99
Latitude: 80.37 S
Longitude: 122.37 W
Temperature: −3°C
Wind speed: 20 knots, gusts to 40 knots
Wind Chill: Not Given
Wind direction: NE
Meters of ice collected: 16
Notes on daily life:
Under overcast skies with blowing and drifting snow, the ITASE team continues to drill ice cores and take snow samples. The permeability experiment work for the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, NH were finished yesterday. At a temperature of −3 C it is almost too warm to drill but with the limited time left the drilling must go on. Gordon did additional Global Positioning Satellite system work while Bert continued taking radar measurements. Though it was very overcast with limited visibility, Tyler and Joe tried skiing in their big snow boots and mountaineering skis. Since the terrain is so flat, they thought that skiing might be a good diversion from their other work. It turns out that skiing in that equipment proved to be more trouble than it was worth.
Date: 12/03/99
Latitude: 80.37 S
Longitude: 122.37 W
Temperature: −4°C
Wind speed: 25 knots
Wind Chill: Not Given
Wind direction: NE
Meters of ice collected: 15
Notes on daily life:
Under very cloudy skies with a wind chill of −29°C, everyone was very busy today with a variety of tasks. This new location is very flat and has very, very few topographic highs and lows. Fifteen meters of core were drilled yesterday for a researcher at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, NH to look for the presence of radioactive fallout from nuclear bomb testing in the 1960's. Paul and Mike are moving the drill to another nearby location to drill another 60 meters of core later today. Gordan continues his work on glacier mass balance and surveying while Bert and Steve are working on high resolution radar transects near the snow pit. Another snow pit has been dug behind the sampling pit in order to "back light" the sampling pit. This will help identify annual layers in the snow layers. Tyler and Joe worked on a snow permeability study yesterday and with modifications to the equipment last night they will continue that work today.
Date: 12/02/99
Latitude: 80.37 S
Longitude: 122.37 W
Temperature: −10°C
Wind speed: 8 knots
Wind Chill: Not Given
Wind direction: NE
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Under partly cloud skies with blowing snow, the team has arrived at their first ice coring site. They are halfway from Byrd camp to the next Automatic Weather Station (AWS). Yesterday was a 24 hour work/travel day and everyone was thoroughly exhausted by the time they went to sleep. The trip from Byrd took 18 hours during which time the team covered 90 kilometers. At the end of the trip everyone set up camp and Paul and Tyler dug a snow pit.
Everyone is very busy today: Gordan with the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system to determine their exact location; Bert on the radar system; Tyler and Joe are moving fuel drums, taking weather data, and taking more snow samples; Tracy is servicing the Tucker sno-cats; and Mark is helping set-up the ice coring drill. The thickness of the ice at their new location is 2600 meters at an elevation of approximately 1200 meters (the actually land surface under most of the West Antarctic ice sheet is well below sea level).
The phone call today was made from inside the portable "Jamesway" building which is on runners and is pulled behind the Tuckers. A Jamesway is a plastic covered, metal pole supported structure big enough to fit the entire team at one time (about 10 feet by 15 feet). Stay tuned for exciting information about the ice cores as they are drilled.
Date: 11/30/99
Latitude: 80 S
Longitude: 120 W
Temperature: −18°C
Wind speed: 23 knots
Wind Chill: Not Given
Wind direction: N
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Under partly cloudy skies, with blowing and drifting snow, the team remains at Byrd camp. The weather has kept planes from flying in to Byrd and the team from collecting snow and ice samples. Gordan and Bob are working on attaching the "traveling Jamesway shelters" to the Tucker sno-cats and Bob's radar sled. All the equipment needs daily maintenance as it sits under these frigid Antarctic conditions and waits to be moved with the sampling team. Simple tasks such as melting ice for water, cooking meals, and even using a wrench on the sno-cats take a great deal of energy and a lot of time. Tasks that take a few minutes in warmer climates may take an hour or more at Byrd camp. The next time that there is a break in the weather and all the equipment is operating properly, the team will make a dash for the first ice coring site.
Date: 11/29/99
Latitude: 80 S
Longitude: 120 W
Temperature: −19°C
Wind speed: 9 knots
Wind Chill: Not Given
Wind direction: NE
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Under partly cloudy skies with a slight breeze, the ITASE team is packed up and ready to roll out of Byrd camp on the first leg of their traverse route. Mark, the assistant field leader, hopes that snow and ice sampling can start as early as tomorrow. The weather in Antarctica, as well as in many parts of the globe, is a little unusual this fall. Even though there have been a number of weather delays already this field season, the team will still try to complete its proposed sampling schedule for this year.
Date: 11/28/99
Latitude: 80 S
Longitude: 120 W
Temperature: −15°C
Wind speed: 19 knots
Wind Chill: −36
Wind direction: NE
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
At Byrd camp, under partly cloudy skies with blowing snow, the ITASE team attended to last minute details before they start off tomorrow on the first leg of their overland journey. Everyone is anxious to start drilling ice cores. Last night the ITASE team and the staff at Byrd camp had their Thanksgiving dinner. It was a traditional family style dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, and the works. As the team works off dinner they will finish lashing down equipment on the sleds and prepare for tomorrow's departure.