Hello Everyone!
Before I run off to have my Thanksgiving feast today, I thought I'd send off a few fun facts to know and tell about the US Antarctic Program (USAP) and some of the neat things that go on here.
- There is over 3,000 US personnel working in Antarctica at the various research stations, camps or on ship.
- There is 175 research and technical projects in progress this year.
- There are 5 ships, 15 aircraft, 6 helicopters all in support of the program
- Support is shared with New Zeland, and the Italians - as they have nearby stations (Scott Base - a 15 minute walk from McMurdo - is the New Zealand Base and Terra Nova Bay is the Italian station - nearby). The New Zeland and Italian support also fly C-130 aircraft.
- The meteorite from Mars (ALH84001) that has been in the news was found in the Allan Hills here in Antarctica. ALH = Allan Hills, 84 = 1984 (the year it was found - I've met the person who found it by the way - she runs the lab were I work here in Antarctica). 001 = the number it was given.
- The deepest ice core in the world is just about finished being drilled at Vostok Station in East Antarctica - it is a joint US, Russian, and French project. The depth will be 3,650 meters - just 50 meters above Lake Vostok - which won't be contaminated for possible future research on lakes trapped in the polar ice cap.
- The oldest crayfish fossil ever found is from Antarctica - 245 million year old burrow deposits of the Triassic Period and Late Carboniferous - Early Permian Age (nearly 290 million years old) claws have been found. This 60 million years earlier than previously thought!
- Ground based work at McMurdo Station Antarctica was key to explaining the ozone hole, and in turn lead to the world reductions of CFC production in accordance with the 1987 Montreal Protocal.
- The US Antarctic Program is overseen and funded by the National Science Foundation.
I'll have more item tomorrow!
Take care,
Matthew