Hi All!
Here's the report yesterday and today:
1. Mary Ann (D-8s)
turn 50!
2. Condition I and II weather ...
3. Wednesday Science talk: Fungi and Plants and Extreme environments
1. Mary Ann (D-8s) turn 50!
There was a birthday party this past weekend, and it wasn't for just anyone. It was for Mary Ann, a Caterpillar SD-8 LGP. For the last 50 year Mary Ann (a bull dozer) has been a part of the USAP's Antarctic work...everything from plowing the skiway, the station, or even doing overland traverses from Little America Antarctica (one of the US first stations in Antarctica) to South Pole! This machine, and its brother and sister D-8s, Pam, Colleen and Big John, were a specially built bulldozer for polar operations. They have not been made by Caterpillar since the early 1960s. No bulldozer today has more than half the towing capability that these do, especially on the snow and ice.
It was a fun event to go to, and it included cake and ice cream. If you are interested in these, and wish to see some pictures, check them out at the Newspaper we have here at McMurdo Station. It is posted back in the US on the web at:
http://www.polar.org/antsun/Sun011903/index.html
If you look within the next few days, the most current issue from last Sunday you'll can read up on Mary Ann.
2. Condition I and II weather ...
For the last 48 hours we had fairly big storm...over 8 inches of snow (which is serious stuff for the very dry climate of Antarctica), with winds that topped into the 40 knot range or higher...with visibilities near and below 1/4 mile. This condition II and I weather (for visibility) has until late today, shut down the station in terms of flying or doing much out on the skiway/runways. The two fellows I am with this trip, Jonathan Thom and George Weidner, are in their second day waiting for a flight to go to South Pole (where they will fix Automatic Weather Stations that are 100 km to the grid North and East of South Pole Station).
In any case, it has
been fun indeed to see a taste of rough Antarctic weather, but it can
be serious business. Hopefully that will be it for awhile, so folks can
get back to doing the sciece they are doing here.
Picture
courtesy of Raytheon Polar
Services Company's Antarctic
Photo Library
3. Wednesday Science talk: Fungi and Plants and Extreme environments
Tonight's science
talk was on a study that is just starting down here to study how plants
and fungi need each other to survive, and especially to learn how that
role plays out in the very extremely cold and dry
environment in the Dry Valleys. Near McMurdo, across the sound in between
the high Transantarctic Mountains, there are a series of valleys that
are very dry, devoid of snow and ice (there are some
glaciers and lakes too)...in fact they look alot like Mars. For the most
part, this is a very, very unique ecosystem and area in the Antarctic.
The fellow speaking
this evening who has studied how fungi, which often live in a symbiotic
relationship with plants doesn't always hurt or kill the plant, but often
can help it live in dry, cold or hot environments. There is still alot
to learn here, but very interesting to see how the natural world works.
That the news from McMurdo Station. Hopefully the weather will hold and
my co-workers will get a shot at taking a plane to South Pole to do work.
Matthew