The Antarctic Sun, November 29, 1997 - United States Antarctic

16 Pages·1997·0.85 MB·English

D—anodu thbe lseamthee losiwze price!
NOVEMBER 29, 1997
Every Two Weeks
Published during the austral summer for the United States Antarctic Program at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Nematodes: Lions Cross-Ice Lifelink
of the Dry Valley
An Ecosystem in Review Fueling Willy Field
story and photos by Alexander Colhoun
by Susie Brown
Saw-toothed peaks stretching up
into a breathless cobalt blue sky
did not distract Amy Treonis, a blonde-
haired graduate student, from her search
for worms —microscopic worms. Down on
her hands and knees she delicately
scooped samples of arid, sandy soil into
plastic bags in hopes of gathering her
unlikely subject: the Scottnema lindsayae,
or nematode.
Smaller than the tip of a sewing nee-
dle, the nematode is this region(cid:213)s African
lion, the dominant organism at the top of
the food chain.
Scanning the windswept Taylor
Valley, an area devoid of snow and ice,
the planets driest region, it is difficult to
imagine anything living here, particularly n
u
in the gravel-like soil that carpets the val- o
h
ley floor. Mantled in darkness half of the ol
C
...cont. on page 5 der
n
a
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e
Al
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b
INSIDE oto
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Survival! Happy Camper Style
Bob Gilmore inspects an attachment on the 7.5 mile fuel line to Williams Field. On December 6th the ice run-
Survival skills and Antarctic appreci-
way is scheduled to close, moving all McMurdo air operations to the permanent ice shelf.
ation go hand in hand at Happy
Camper School. Twenty-five seven-foot high orange connections that occurs every 660 feet slides
Helos + Lake Hoare = Hard Work reels are lined up below Observation off a reel and onto the ground. Gilmore strad-
Paula Adkins, Lake Hoare camp Hill. There, two Carhart-fitted workers in wool dles it, pulls out his torque wrench, checks the
manager, earns the right to her priv- hats guide 1800 feet of thick collapsible lay- torque between the hose connections, marks
ileged home.
flat hose from one reel to another. (cid:212)OK(cid:213)and the date directly on the hose, then
Mass Casualty: Recalling a Close to 30,000 feet of this six-inch diam- draws a dark line around each connection with
Tragedy Amock disaster is a eter fuel hose will be laid out to Willy Field a fat black marker. (cid:210)This is to make sure the
haunting reflection on reality for a this week in preparation for moving the land- connections aren(cid:213)t stretching out,(cid:211) he said.
McMurdo firefighter.
ing strip there from the Ice Runway. It takes The hose, which holds 47,500 gallons of
Save The Vinyl 20,000 vinyl discs in four days to check the fuel hoses and six full fuel, supplies aircraft at Willy Field, and is
Mcmurdo get their redeployment shifts to lay the 7.5-mile line that starts at the kept full at all times to keep it from blowing
papers as compact discs take over.
Scott Base ice-to-land transition. The hose is away. With the help of Fleet Ops, the
Perspective Antarctic ice caves offer connected to hard pipes at the transition and (cid:210)fuelies(cid:211), pack each section with fuel as they
writer Gretchen Legler a chance to run back to a farm of fuel tanks at the pass lay it, testing for leaks as each reel is emptied.
reflect. where the AN8 aircraft fuel is stored. There haven(cid:213)t been any leaks in the four sum-
Profile Opening windows to the (cid:210)We(cid:213)re prefabbing,(cid:211) says Bob Gilmore, a mers that ASAhas manned the fuels
heart. Dave Stillie finds new ways to second-year fuels operator. (cid:210)We don(cid:213)t want Department, but some of the hose is old and
preach an ancient message. any leaks springing out of the hose.(cid:211) After a some of the connections may be cracked.
few more rotations of the reel, one of the hose
...cont. on page 8
2
November 29, 1997 The Antarctic Sun
Preparation begins with a bright
Happy Campers orange survival bag, filled with every-
thing from a tent and ice screws to meal
rations and sleeping bags. The bags hold
enough gear to safeguard two people for
story and photo by Alexander Colhoun three days and must accompany every
helicopter, tracked vehicle, and snowmo-
bile that departs McMurdo(cid:213)s limits.
The massive orange colored Nodwell
vehicle that pulled Langmann(cid:213)s crew out
of town to the sea ice was built in 1972
and stands 20 feet off the ground.
Designed for exploratory work in Arctic
oil fields, the Nodwell is well-adapted for
Antarctica(cid:213)s titanic size, crushing over
mounds of ice and snow without hesita-
tion en route to Snow Mound City, the
field camp.
Snow mound it was, city it wasn(cid:213)t.
As far as the eye could see in all direc-
tions: nothing but snow. In an emergency,
finding shelter would be all but impossi-
ble without a tent or tools to build a
snow cave or igloo. Thus, one of the first
assignments was tent building.
Designed to match the tents Robert
Falcom Scott used on his early expedi-
tions to Antarctica (the same one he died
in), the simple canvas and pole structures
Using tents of the same design Scott used 100 year ago, two happy camper school students plant (cid:212)dead-man(cid:213)devices happy campers learn to set up can with-
to hold the tent down in strong winds. stand winds that gust over 100 mph.
Dave Green synched his parka hood out here. We emphasize the practical, using While impressively stable, it is the
down tight. All you could see of his stoves and setting up tents, that(cid:213)s what sticks tents shape that captures the imagination. The
face was a sharp nose and two eyes peering in your memory.(cid:211) pyramid design reflects a surreal link between
out from behind a tuft of coyote hair that Lost in a whiteout with a survival bag and this ice covered desert and those of sand. Even
fringed his vision. Staring out into the hollow a snowmobile that won(cid:213)t start, one hopes the snow, flowing across the ice sheet in coil-
blue expanse as a gentle wind rippled over the Langmann is right. The goal of Happy Camper ing waves, is reminicent of sand crossing the
canvas tents behind him, Green fell into an school is to teach skills necessary to survive in desert. The only difference is the cold.
Antarctic trance. isolated situations, when rescue is impossible. Between tent building lessons the group
Lying in the hard-packed snow at 12 a.m., From the start Langmann emphasized the took shelter in a one-room Jamesway tent.
surrounded by a crystalline wilderness stretch- need for vigilance in Antarctica and shared Solid green, covered with an insulated fabric,
ing out in all directions for thousands and horror stories of those who had failed to heed and concave in shape, the Jamesway tent
thousands of empty miles, is just one of the his advice: like the scientist who left his sur- somehow lives up to the expeditionary ring of
intangible rewards of Antarctic survival train- vival bag behind as he raced by skidoo its name. Inside, the group learned to use
ing, or Happy Camper School. between experiment sta- Whisper-Lite stoves and
While impressively stable,
talked through various
The educational model is time-tested: tions. Afreak storm
it is the tents shape that cap- dangers that present
learn by experience. (cid:210)We can lecture all day caught him off-guard and
themselves in a typical
but you just don(cid:213)t get as much out of it,(cid:211) said within minutes he tures the imagination.The pyra-
Antarctic expedition
Vince Langmann, the instructor and moun- became lost in a white-
mid design reflects a surreal
—from mechanical
taineering veteran. (cid:210)You really learn by doing out. The scientist sur-
link between this ice covered breakdowns to engine
vived, barely, by wrap-
fires.
ping himself in a tarp. desert and those of sand.
TSNaaFnrtohaeadut eti nen coAosdon tanAna tnctlin aeolStucrnacscer.iitsceoistncniac csrS ei Pleu yFrxn oopt,gh urpreonaassdmsreate ,todo iif ofsi nn ttfhh. u TeeOn hUdpeei nndSii tuobenndys theHHHHHUNNIATTEIODNSATALTSECSIAENNTCAERCFTOIUCNPRDOAGTIROANMHHHHH adoreurpto aoCgrfato intmnocgwep lfnaaor crwee fnheiecaelysndy at chtnoaedm ssukpcysc oiusrm aeb vb etoono wmshhionergnt jbaluunets twJtihaoiemnn sd ewessa wakmsia csysk t wawerdota iusunl pgsdh. ttaIoenka sirano agump nsaadort tt fe.vAa rAit olaolnl lfeoid snfm tj tiutlcihyns i utusi tna t petssisr elqe ettpuhmhaieecrekad--
Editor: Alexander Colhoun and winds are mild. (cid:210)In minutes the whole
Publisher:Valerie Carroll, ASA. scene can change and you can be in a world of ly the winds died down again, revealing blue
Contributions are welcome.Contact The Sun at skies above.
trouble if you(cid:213)re not prepared,(cid:211) said
[email protected]. In McMurdo, visit our office in
Building 155 or dial 2407. Langmann.
Web address:http://www.asa.org ...cont. on page 7
3
The Antarctic Sun November 29, 1997
morning. One by Moving waste is just one aspect of Adkins
one, we go on down, job, another is coordinating the movement of
Barrels of Fun
stand in the drip supplies. Minimizing trips and maximizing
pan, and luxuriate in loads is the name of the game.
the hot wash. (cid:210)Things we order from town usually get
at Lake Hoare Everyone just gets here pretty fast,(cid:211) observes Adkins, pausing
one solar showerbag mid-chore to prepare for the arrival of another
full so that there is helicopter filled with scientists and gear from
enough water.(cid:211) As nearby Lake Fryxell. (cid:210)But being 30 minutes
story and photo by Terri Watson
clean bodies return from McMurdo by helo is a mixed blessing.
to the cookhouse, The helo hours we are allotted are limited. It is
Paula Adkins(cid:213)afternoon began by there are admiring not that hard to get what you need, but you can
wrestling a 55-gallon urine-filled drum comments, and the next eager bather heads spend $300 for a loaf of bread if you don(cid:213)t
over rocky ground to a cargo net. Adkins is the down. In the end, no more than a large pot of plan well.(cid:211)
Lake Hoare camp manager and the drum is gray-water has been collected for return to Among other functions, Adkins serves as a
part of a cargo netted slingload, one of 70 she McMurdo. central logistical clearing house for some of
will build this season for helicopter transport. Despite the use of gray-water evaporators the other Long Term Ecological Research pro-
Everything at Lake Hoare, and all Dry and propane fed rocket toilets that burn human jects at Lakes Bonney and Fryxell.
Valley camps, travels by helicopter. The urine- waste, sixteen 55-gallon drums of urine and (cid:210)It can get really complex, but Paula does
filled drum weighs well over 400 pounds. graywater, plus an additional five 20-gallon a great job with all the details and really makes
That(cid:213)s a lot of weight for Adkins, a wiry 108 containers of solid human waste were retro- it work smoothly,(cid:211) said Robin Abbott,
pounder. To assist her, Adkins uses a special graded to McMurdo last season. McMurdo(cid:213)s senior helicopter coordinator.
bent metal tube. (cid:210)This bar lets me tip over and (cid:210)Everyone loves the rocket toilets,(cid:211) said With 446 helicopter missions flown to
stand up barrels by myself, which is a tremen- Adkins. (cid:210)You can poop and pee in the same Lake Hoare last year, Paula is kept busy.
dous help since it can be hard to get someone place. But if nature calls while you are out of (cid:210)Sometimes people ask me what I do all day,
to drop what they are doing, walk across camp range of these facilities, you still have to con- and I swear, I just carry stuff around, except
and help me roll barrels of urine around.(cid:211) tain all of your liquid and solid waste in pee when I(cid:213)m doing everything else that I need to
Keeping a busy field camp well-supplied bottles and plastic feces bags, then bring them get to,(cid:211) Adkins says with a big grin.
and functioning smoothly is a big job, but back with you.(cid:211) The demands of running an air-supported
Adkins appears to thrive on it. Lake Hoare Without these regulations the valley would camp like Lake Hoare are myriad, yet Paula
averages ten residents at any given time during be a mess and the ecosystem irreparably has worked in Antarctica for six seasons. (cid:210)As
the summer. About 28 grantees and an even altered. Nothing decays quickly in Antarctica, much as I complain, I really do love my job,(cid:211)
larger number of support personnel are expect- particularly in the Dry Valleys. Lack of mois- said Adkins with a smile as she heads away to
ed throughout this season, some for just a few ture and bacteria allow anything organic to last help unload a new batch of arrivals.
hours, some for days. for years. Y
(cid:210)Everyone here eats, drinks, pees and
poops,(cid:211) said Adkins. (cid:210)Balancing that with
meeting the research and living needs of the
community here gets pretty complicated and
labor intensive.(cid:211) Stringent environmental
guidelines help keep human disturbance of a
delicately balanced ecosystem to a minimum,
but even simple necessities can entail a lot of
effort, like making water.
Atrip to the nearby glacier yields a har-
vest of basketball sized ice chunks from an
icefall. Hauled by sled over the frozen lake
surface, they are hand-carried up the hill to a
bin next to the cookhouse door.
Inside, a five gallon pot resting atop a pre-
way heater is fed ice chunks to keep the water
level high throughout the day — much the way
a homesteader might tend a fire. All of the
camp(cid:213)s fresh water is produced this way as
Lake Hoare(cid:213)s water is both saline and environ-
mentally protected.
McMurdo(cid:213)s two-minute Navy showers are
luxuries to Hoare residents. (cid:210)Sunday is shower
day,(cid:211) explains Adkins. (cid:210)Saturday night we heat
Paula Adkins, Lake Hoare camp manager, moves chunks of glacial ice, collected from the Canada glacier
the lower Jamesway and put a pot of water on
behind the camp, inside where they will be melted for drinking, cooking and even bathing puposes.
the preway so it is good and warm the next
4
November 29, 1997 The Antarctic Sun
DidYou Know...
Mass Casualty:
by Brenda Joyce
More than a Drill:
Frank Wild participated in five(cid:210)heroic
age(cid:211) journeys. He was with Scott on the
Jim Hathaway revisits a tragedy
Discovery,with Shackleton on the Nimrod,
Endurance and Quest and with Mawson(cid:213)s
1911-14 expedition. Born in 1874 in
story and photo by Alexander Colhoun
Yorkshire, he died of pneumonia in 1930 in
South Africa where he was an unsuccessful
cotton farmer.
Cpt. Cook(cid:213)s boyhood homeis bi-hemi-
spherical. The Great Navigator was born in
Marton, Yorkshire. His farmhouse cottage was
dismantled in 1934 and shipped to Australia
where it was re-erected in Melbourne(cid:213)s
Fitzroy Gardens.
Alaskan huskieswere brought to McMurdo
in 1956-57. With sleds and drivers, the dogs
were to be used in case of an aircraft crash in
remote areas inaccessible to air rescue. Fed on
raw seal meat, the smell of the dogs permeat-
ed the clothes of their trainers. The odor was
so strong the men had to be isolated from the
rest of the camp —living, eating and sleeping
with their dogs.
The Beardmore Glacieris over five miles
wide at its mouth. If glaciers are (cid:210)frozen
rivers(cid:211) then the Beardmore is the widest
(cid:210)river(cid:211) in the world.
Pat DeCory, a McMurdo firefighter, conducts a primary medical review of a victim in last weeks(cid:213)mass casualty drill. The surgeonon Ross(cid:213)Erebus and Terror
voyages, Robert McCormick, also served on
It was all an accident. Somehow the On July 19th, 1989, Hathaway was the the Beagle. That small surveying brig carried
accelerator stuck to the floor sending fire chief who responded to a major disaster fellow naturalist Charles Darwin on the
the airporter reeling into the wing of a at the Sioux City, Iowa airport. That day a research journey that led to his publication of
Hercules LC-140, the props slicing into the DC-10 wide body aircraft crash landed after (cid:210)Origin of Species(cid:211).
truck like a hot knife through butter. Within loosing an engine mid-flight, killing 110 of
seconds a fuel spill covered the ice runway as 296 passengers as it cart-wheeled across the The first black manto sail to Antarctica
victims clambered their way out of the runway. was Peter Harvey. Working on Nathaniel B.
wreckage. As tragic as United Airlines Flight 232(cid:213)s Palmer(cid:213)s Hero, he was one of the five crew-
The call came across the firehouse radio story is, a glimmer of hope managed to shine men on the historic voyage of discovery in
at 6:37 p.m. and 12 minutes later Jim through it all: were it not for the detailed and 1820-21.
Hathaway was standing amid the casualties. highly organized disaster preparedness plan
George Bernard Shawnamed the classic
Scanning the scene, Hathaway assessed the instituted years in advance, many more peo-
of Antarctica adventure stories. (cid:210)The Worst
disaster and began transmitting directions and ple would have died.
Journey in the World(cid:211) has been continuously
requests for equipment to MACOPS, the (cid:210)Working and practicing together, that(cid:213)s
in print since 1922. Apsley G.B. Cherry-
communications headquarters. the key,(cid:211) said Hathaway. (cid:210)Everyone needs to
Garrard was assistant zoologist on Scott(cid:213)s last
By 7:04 the first ambulance was en route work as a team, and that only comes through
expedition. He accompanied Bowers and
to the McMurdo hospital, the remaining vic- practice.(cid:211)
Wilson to Cape Crozier to retrieve Emperor
tims were on stretchers, triaged and account- In McMurdo, thousands of miles and
penguin eggs. G.B. Shaw was a friend living
ed for, and the fire was under control. As the many hours away from metropolitan emer-
in a nearby village. Cherry reported he asked
ambulances whisked bodies away, Jim gency services, disaster preparedness is expo-
Shaw: (cid:210)What shall I call this book? It was the
Hathaway sighed in wonder. nentially as important. (cid:210)We can(cid:213)t rely on out-
worst journey in the world but I can(cid:213)t come
He(cid:213)d been here before, only the last time,
up with a title.(cid:211) Shaw exclaimed: (cid:210)That(cid:213)s it!(cid:211)
it was for real. ...cont. on page 9
5
The Antarctic Sun November 29, 1997
Nematodes snowmelt, a process being documented by plots. Some are covered entirely, others only
Keith Ligler, a United States Geological partially, in an effort to create varied environ-
...cont. from page 1
Survey volunteer. (cid:210)We(cid:213)re looking at the water ments for the nematode.
year, frozen and windswept without reprieve, budget for the lakes: what comes in and what On this trip, Treonis, Kuhn and Dan
the Dry Valleys represent the single harshest goes out via seasonal streams,(cid:211) said Ligler. Bumbarger are collecting samples to bring
ecosystem in the world.
Ligler(cid:213)s data will eventually help Treonis back for analysis. Filling the bags is tedious
On a continent shrouded in ice up to three and the Freckman team better understand work, but no one seems to mind, particularly
miles thick, it is a fragile oasis of life. This del- anhydrobiosis and the life cycle of the nema- Treonis. (cid:210)If we can fit the neamtode(cid:213)s (cid:212)awak-
icate balance of survival amidst a brutal envi- tode. To learn more about the nematode, ening(cid:213)into a cycle based on seasons or weath-
ronment has drawn researchers, like Treonis, to Treonis(cid:213)s team has established several test sites er, then we can fit them into an ecosystem
study this ecosystem under the umbrella of a on the south shore of Lake Hoare in the Taylor model,(cid:211) she said.
vast National Science Foundation effort called Valley to monitor the worms over the long One theory on the nematodes life cycle
the Long Term Ecological Research project term. centers on its food source, namely, organic bio-
(LTER).
Boxed in on four sides, Lake Hoare is an mass that develops beneath frozen lakes in the
Established in 1980, it is a project with
vision and scope. Its goal is to better under-
stand how ecosystems in different geographic
regions function by studying them over a long
period of time and later comparing and synthe-
sizing the information.
In a more tangible sense, it is as if
researchers are producing a time lapse film,
created over many years, to observe how an
entire ecosystem behaves. Collecting data from
streams, lakes, and the soil, scientists slowly
generate a multi-dimensional understanding of
the ecosystem at work.
With just a handful of species exchanging
carbon and other gases, researchers say the Dry
Valleys represent the simplest ecosystem on
earth. Understanding the Dry Valleys will help
us understand more complex ecosystems.
(cid:210)This place represents an end member,(cid:211)
said Kathy Welch, a geochemical researcher.
(cid:210)Without plants and organisms to complicate
the picture, we can study this very simple
ecosystem and then make inner-site compar-
isons within the LTER network.(cid:211)
(cid:210)Here we can see how life adapts on the
edge,(cid:211) said Dr. Peter Doran, a researcher from
the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada.
(cid:210)Because the region is so sensitive to change,
In search of nematodes (microbial worms) in the Dry Valleys, Ed Kuhn (left) and Amy Treonis take soil samples
we see global changes and climate changes
from an experiment site. "The Antarctic environment is so fragile," said Treonis. "Even simple walking kills millions
here first. It(cid:213)s a kind of early-warning system of nematodes."
for the rest of the earth.(cid:211)
If Doran is right, the nematode may well aqua-blue jewel frozen in unparalleled silence. valley. In a process identified through LTER
serve as the blinking red light that warns us Standing like bookends to the fresh water lake research, this biomass detaches from mats of
things aren(cid:213)t going well. Which may explain are two glaciers, the Canada glacier on one end material on the bottom and floats upwards to
why Treonis, working as part of a team direct- and the Suess on the other. Named for the meet the ice. In six years time this organic
ed by Dr. Diana Freckman of Colorado State Norse God(cid:213)s home and rising above it all is the material works its way up through the ice and
University, takes her worms so seriously. Asgard Range, whose afternoon shadows fall eventually gets blown throughout the valley,
across the Kukri Hills, the slopes of which are feeding bacteria that the nematodes subsist on.
(cid:210)The Antarctic environment is so fragile,(cid:211)
home to Treonis(cid:213)s experiments. It(cid:213)s not exactly a daily meal, but the nematode
said Treonis. (cid:210)Even simple walking kills mil-
lions of nematodes.(cid:211) Left undisturbed, howev- Helicopter passengers that fly above the has adapted to survive.
er, the nematode is a survivor. experiment have dubbed the team (cid:212)worm The wind, Treonis(cid:213)s hypothesizes, does
herders(cid:213), but Ed Kuhn, a member of Treonis(cid:213)s more than just move the nematodes food, it
Entering a survival state called anhydro-
group, ignores the ribbing and focuses on the may also move the nematode. To test the theo-
biosis, the nematode stops respiration and
work at hand. (cid:210)These worms are an indicator ry, the team has erected a series of collection
freeze-dries itself, loosing 99 percent of its
species to the planet, like canaries in a coal devises: Frisbees mounted on water bottles. If
water. (cid:210)They have no detectable lifesigns,(cid:211)
mine,(cid:211) said Kuhn as he lifted a plastic sun nematodes are found inside the bottles, washed
said Treonis. (cid:210)But you put them in water and
shield strapped to the ground with a bungee in by the wind they were carried on, another
they come back to life in 30 minutes; and
cord. (cid:210)And this is our worm farm.(cid:211) mystery of the nematode will be solved.
they(cid:213)ll do it again and again throughout their
lives.(cid:211) The farm looks like a something a con- For now though, secrets of the Dry Valley
fused hermit might erect in hopes of growing ecosystem remain locked in the dried out
So where does this precious water come
vegetables in this stark valley. The area is cor- floors and rubble strewn canyon walls, await-
from? Snowfall in the Dry Valley is so sparse it
doned off with marker spikes in an area the ing freedom as the nematode awaits its magical
is considered almost incalculable. Instead,
size of a small garden. Inside there are 30 breath of life, water. Y
water for the nematode must come from glacial
6
November 29, 1997 The Antarctic Sun
One of the first projects ASAhas tackled toring experiment, and a UVMonitoring experi-
this season is the completion of the VIPER pro- ment.
ject. This is the Center for Astrophysical Along with an aggressive science program,
fromAntarcticstationsandships Research in Antarctica(cid:213)s latest telescope plat- this is the first year in an eight-year effort to con-
form, a larger and more powerful replacement struct a new station at South Pole. One of this
FFOOCCUUSS:: for the PYTHON telescope. Despite the late year(cid:213)s major projects is to raise the existing
South Pole Station opening, ASAhas accelerated the schedule for garage arch and to construct a new garage arch.
VIPER to go on-line. It will be ready to turn Last week blasters shattered compressed snow
by David Fischer
over to the scientists in early December, about which had accumulated around the arch over the
Despite South Pole(cid:213)s late opening this year, two weeks early. last 22 years, making it easier to remove. ASA(cid:213)s
a 12-day delay, South Pole(cid:213)s crew successfully
Along with other science projects at the construction crew will work three shifts through-
opened the station, completed transitions with
Pole, The Polar Ice Coring Office (PICO) is set- out most of the summer completing this arch
the outgoing winter-overs, and ramped up close
ting up its camp to hot-water drill three more project.
to its full population less than a week after open-
holes for the AMANDAscience project. These Finally, this season summer camp
ing.
holes will be deeper, up to 2400 meters, and Jamesways will be moved. Moving Summer
Originally scheduled for 16 weeks, a busy wider than any of the holes previously drilled for Camp is necessary because it drifts in every win-
season had been planned.Working with on-site AMANDA. ter, requiring great efforts to clear the snow for
NSF Representatives, ASArescheduled major
Also this year, the NSF will host a dedica- opening. Additionally, while moving Summer
projects for the season and NSF decided to sur-
tion ceremony in January for the new atmos- Camp, ASAwill construct three new
pass its pre-season planning cap of 183 people.
pheric Research Observatory. This building, Jamesways, making accommodations for up to
By bringing in additional science and support replacing the old Clean Air Facility, houses not 27 additional people. Y
personnel throughout the season, South Pole sta-
only the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
tion should be able to complete all its efforts in
Administration(cid:213)s climate monitory laboratory,
what has become a fourteen-week season.
but also a LIDAR experiment, an aerosols moni-
McMurdo Station Christchurch, NZ Arkansas to confirm the fabrication and then dis-
by Stan Wisneski by Brian Stone
assembled and shipped on to Port Hueneme.
Now that the weather has calmed down a Workers have completed the placement of
The R/VLAURENCE M GOULD has been
little, we have been able to get folks off to South an eight ton boulder on the lawn between the
moved to the Gulf of Mexico for sea trials and
Pole, Siple Dome and other areas. Everyone has Passenger Reception and Clothing Distribution
final installation of equipment with a departure to
settled into the summer groove and things are Centers. The five-foot-high boulder was pro-
Antarctica scheduled for early December.
starting to happen around town. Many folks are cured by the US Navy and will become a memo-
participating in various sports league activities. rial to US Antarctic Program personnel who lost
There are a few different bands that have formed. their lives in Antarctica. Plans are underway to National Science Foundation
Besides the bands, there are a handful of acoustic dedicate the memorial during the NASU decom- by Guy Guthridge
(cid:210)Things that fall from the sky(cid:211) seems to be
performers that play weekly at the Coffee House. missioning ceremony in February 1998. The R/V
the theme of October(cid:213)s Library of Congress sur-
There are many talented people and it is a plea- ROGER REVELLE will be at Port Lyttleton
vey of Antarctic literature. Elements from the
sure to relax to live music. Preparations for the from 24-29 November for its second JGOFS port
Mount Erebus plume are in snow all over
Thanksgiving feast are underway. Volunteers are call. The vessel will be preparing for its four-
Antarctica, say G. Zreda-Gostynska, Phil Kyle,
being located and the menu has been planned week JGOFS Process I cruise.
and others (July 10 Journal of Geophysical
with care. Everyone is looking forward to the
Research). At South Pole the volcano may con-
two-day weekend and the chance to relax with
tribute as much as 14 nanograms of chlorine per
friends on this special day. ASA, Denver
by Jim Chambers gram of snow. And emissions increased from
Although we are continuing to deploy per- 1986 to 1991: hydrochloric acid, for one, nearly
sonnel to Antarctica, the vast majority of the doubled to 13.3 million kilograms a year.
deploying ASApersonnel have now departed for Converting to intercontinental atmospheric trans-
Aurora Storealis the southern hemisphere with departures now port, S. Zimmermann found that fish in the
down to 3 or 4 personnel per week. Weddell and Lazarev seas have chlorinated
Denver’s efforts have now turned from hydrocarbons —not enough to hurt them, but
Hours
deploying personnel to deploying cargo with a (cid:210)useful as bioindicators for organochlorine conta-
Sunday 11-2
heavy emphasis on getting cargo to Port mination(cid:211) (Berichte zur Polarforschung 232).
Monday closed
Hueneme for vessel transport on to Antarctica. Looking past the sky, Cold Regions Research
Tuesday 7-8:30 11:30-1 5:30-7:30
Although ASAbuys materials from all over the and Engineering Laboratory researchers S.Taylor
Wednesday 11:30-1 5:30-7:30
United States, the SPSE (South Pole Safety and and others designed, built, and deployed a collec-
Thursday 7-8:30 11:30-1 5:30-7:30
Environmental upgrades) materials have been a tor to retrieve icrometeorites from what they say
Friday 11:30-1 5:30-7:30
particular challenge with tanks being fabricated is an ideal place: the floor of the South Pole
Saturday 4:30-8:30 5:30-7:30 in New Mexico and California, steel in Arkansas water well. Their CRRELreport says the collec-
and Colorado, and panels in South Dakota and tor doesn(cid:213)t threaten the water supply. Y
Washington. These materials have been brought
together for test erections in California and
7
The Antarctic Sun November 29, 1997
Happy Camper
...cont. from page 2
As temperatures soared the group headed
back outside to build snow walls. Stripping
down to polypropylene shirts as the sun beat
down it was, for a moment, almost hot.
An hour passed, clouds moved over the
sun, and jackets went back on. Meanwhile
our instructors packed it in, leaving the
novice crew to survive the night alone.
Crawling into canvas tents and wrapping up
inside heavy sleeping bags atop two insulat-
ed pads, most fell asleep without trouble.
Though the sun never set, another day
began with a group effort to clean up camp.
Though 24 hours earlier most people were
only acquaintances, today they had become a
team, and the work was quickly dispatched.
The group had bonded.
(cid:210)This is a great way to meet people,(cid:211)
said Leah Thompson, a red-haired 22 year-
old world traveler with an alluring smile.
(cid:210)This is what I came for, to experience Gathered around a VHF radio, happy campers attempt to contact South Pole station from the field. Unfortunately, a
Antarctica with a diverse group of people. solar flare over the pole obstructed radio communications.
It(cid:213)s amazing.(cid:211)
But not every group bonds. (cid:210)Any situation do you copy?(cid:211) The last lesson was on solar- with the right skills and basic preparation,
that forces people to work together can make powered VHF radio operation. even the worst Antarctic scenarios become
them bond or diverge,(cid:211) said Langmann. Try as they did, a solar flare over the Polar survivable. And while survival is the lesson,
Pulling together as a team can mean the differ- plateau blocked all radio communications to the strongest memory in Dave Green(cid:213)s mind is
ence between life and death, which may be the the Pole. Even so, sitting on the ice with 30 of sky screens in shades of blue, a desert of
reason why Happy Camper school stresses feet of Antenna stretching in either direction, ice, windblown snow, and of a sun arching
group activities, like calling the South Pole. the group felt like Antarctic explorers. gently above the peaks of the Transantarctic
"South Pole. South Pole. South Pole. This What the early explorers knew, and what Mountains. Y
is Field Safety Training on frequency 4.770, this crew of happy campers learned, is that
Be like a skua, clean up your trash.
Remember to take
your keys with you
eeveery time you
leave your room.
Take it
to the
shower!
8
November 29, 1997 The Antarctic Sun
Ice Transition
McMurdo and
...cont. from page 1 South Pole sta-
To lay the hose, a fuelie hops on the
tions. Fuel is
flatbed of a Challenger trailer with four reels
also allotted for
aboard and helps to unwind the reel as the the Nathaniel B.
Challenger drives forward. The female end of Palmer, Scott
one hose is connected with the male fitting of
Base, field
another hose, sealed by a floricilian O-ring,
camps, and to
then clamped with a band. (cid:210)We create this
supply icebreak-
wedding band between the hoses (cid:209) the
ers, research
romantic side of the job,(cid:211) said Gilmore.
vessels, and
After the hose is laid, the fuelies continue Vostok station
their meticulous attention to possible leaks. on an as-needed
Once a week they (cid:210)strap the hose(cid:211) by wrap- basis.
ping a canvas strap around it while the other
Despite the
end is pulled by a snowmobile, lifting it out
fact that fuelies
of the rut caused by melting snow in order to
spend the major-
check connections.
ity of their days
Laying the hose is just one part of the outside and
move from the Ice Runway to Willy Field. often smell like the fuel they work with, there
The fuels team also spends a day tearing is a high return rate in their department. McMurdo Is Like Camp...
down the Ice Runway fuel pits and moving There are just three new people on a crew of
them out to Willy Field. (cid:210)We move the tanks, 20 this year, 50% of which are women. (cid:210)Fuel 1. Dorm rooms.
the pumps, the warming hut, the whole sha- is the nastiest commodity in Antarctica,(cid:211) said 2. cYhoau rwgeo.nder how they picked everyone in
bang,(cid:211) said Kelly Montgomery, a five season Phil Parfet, Fuels and Fleet Ops Supervisor. 3. Kool-Aid.
fuels veteran. (cid:210)But because the crew really enjoys each 4. Weird roommates.
5. The food sucks.
Of the 5,310,000 gallons of fuel that have other, they have fun and keep coming back.(cid:211)
6. When you are there you want to leave. When
been ordered by ASAthis year, half is used in Y you leave you want to go back. When you go
aviation and half is for on-station use both at back you wonder why.
7. Oh yeah... Kool Aid.
8. Cookies from Mom.
9. The brochure looked good.
10. Organized activities.
-- EDITORIALS --
11. You pass lots of cool places to get there, but
never stay.
12. Lots of Kool Aid.
Thanks to our readers for pointing out errors in last week(cid:213)s story: Humor Is As Humor Does.We thought read-
13. Old food.
ers might like to see the real Marine Rifleman(cid:213)s Creed, so we included it below. Here(cid:213)s to all the swabbers in
14. Your friend said it was cool, but they are not
McMurdo! Your comments are always welcome at The Antarctic Sun. coming back.
15. Neat T-shirts and patches.
The (cid:210)Ode to the Mop(cid:211) in the janitor(cid:213)s 16. Buffet style eating with compartment trays.
closet on Highway 2 of Building 155 was The Rifleman(cid:213)s Creed 17. Mail from home is worth its weight in Gold.
done in the summer (cid:212)94/95 by two great by Major General W.H. Rupertus, USMC 18. You miss your mom.
19. Every time you write home you give weather
janitors, Chase Malara and Chris Blue. The This is my rifle.There are many like it but this reports.
ode is a take-off from (cid:210)Full Metal Jacket(cid:211). one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I 20. Did we mention Kool-Aid?
These two young men had the Bldg. 155 must master it as I master my life. 21. It’s always your last year, you’re never going
My rifle, without me is useless. Without my back.
run for almost five months. They did a rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must 22. The weather is always better at home.
great job. They also took pride and owner- shoot straighter than any enemy who is trying to kill 23. You make great friends, exchange addresses
and never talk to them again.
ship in their work and found humor along me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
24. The weather is always better at home.
the way. Thanks for setting the record My rifle and myself know that what counts in 25. You are always trying to score, but never do.
this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of or
straight. Hope Stout 26. It’s the experience of a life-time.
burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is
27. Everyone dresses the same.
the hits that count. We will hit...
28. No good TV.
The quote which that mop-wielding My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my 29. No pets.
Ph.D scrawled on the interior of a wall- life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its 30. You can’t get any of your friends to go with
weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its you.
locker in building 155 is a parody of the sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and 31. You’re always missing good things at home.
(cid:210)Marine Rifleman(cid:213)s Creed(cid:211). The original is ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will 32. Arts, crafts and recreational sports.. You’re
taught to young recruits during bootcamp to become part of each other. We will... always sneaking around behind the leader’s
Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and backs.
emphasize the importance of the weapon to myself are the defenders of my country. We are the 33. Bad weather.
Marines in battle, and the care that should masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my 34. Your family does things while you are gone
that they have never done before in their lives.
be exercised in keeping them in good work- life.
35. Your name is on your clothing.
ing order. Hope this adds a little depth to So be it, until victory is America(cid:213)s and there is 36. Too much damn Kool-Aid.
no enemy, but Peace!
the character of (cid:210)the mop-wielding Ph.D(cid:211).
I neverlearned anything while I was talking.
John Thompson
—Mark Twain
9
The Antarctic Sun November 29, 1997
Casualty Drill munity. The radio and TVstation are used to system,(cid:211) said Brown, who hopes for improved
communicate messages across the station; the communications within the command and con-
...cont. from page 4
search and rescue team mobilizes; troops from trol center in future efforts.
side help,(cid:211) said Art Brown, manger of support
the Navy and the Air Guard can be tapped Meanwhile, in the firehouse, Jim
services for the National Science Foundation.
into; MACOPS, the communications center, Hathaway and the emergency response crew
(cid:210)We have to use our own resources.(cid:211)
becomes a headquarters, shuttle vans act as continue their training with hopes their disaster
McMurdo(cid:213)s disaster plan calls upon an ambulances, and the list goes on. It is an inte- skills will never be tested on the ice. But if
array of resources one wouldn(cid:213)t expect to find grated effort. they are, McMurdo will be ready. Y
on an isolated block of windswept ice in
(cid:210)Although the risks are low for a mass
Antarctica. Within the fire department alone
casualty to occur here, it
there(cid:213)s a 47,000 pound tanker truck, two 750
requires a tremendous amount
gallon first attack response vehicle, two fully
of coordination to handle that
TV and Radio Line-up
equipped ambulances, four JAWS OF LIFE,
kind of situation,(cid:211) said Eric
five K12 saws ((cid:210)They cut through anything,(cid:211) Juergens, ASA(cid:213)s director of CH 2 American Forces Network, Pacific: sitcoms, soaps,
says Fire Captain Dave Turley), 5,000 feet of drama, game shows and movies
safety, environment and health.
fire hose, and five airport fire vehicles CH 4 Weather with FM93.9 audio
(cid:210)If we can prepare for the big
CH 6 Information Scroll with FM 104.5 audio
equipped with foam fire-fighting capabilities.
problems, we can handle the CH 7 Transportation Updates with NPR and Sports audio
All of this equipment is managed by 39 fire-
small ones.(cid:211) CH 9 Movie Channel
fighters, all medically trained, four dispatch- Though seen as a success, CH 11 News and Sports, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS
ers, a fire chief and two shift captains. And CH 13 The Spectrum Channel, a variety of programs
this season(cid:213)s drill was not
this is just the beginning.
without its flaws. (cid:210)Overall it Detailed schedules are available
The McMurdo disaster plan draws achieved its objectives and outside the TV station in B-155.
resources from nearly every sector of the com-
pointed to weaknesses in the
n
u
o
h
ol
C
er
d
n
a
x
e
Al
y
b
o
ot
h
p
Views of the Transantarctic Mountains from the window of a C-140 more than make up for the cramped ride to McMurdo.
10
November 29, 1997 The Antarctic Sun
(cid:210)Some of the older to save these albums by saving the music.(cid:211)
Save the Vinyl
albums are wearing out in There are other people at McMurdo who
a big way,(cid:211) said Chuck also don(cid:213)t want to see the records go. Aself-
Kramer, who manages the described agitator, Anna Meade, who works in
radio station. (cid:210)They skip, hazardous materials, began the (cid:210)Save the Vinyl(cid:211)
story by Dave Breitenfeld
they sound scratchy, movement.
Ever since Thomas Edison recorded the there(cid:213)s dust in them; Meade(cid:213)s and several others disc jockey(cid:213)s
first words on his phonograph invention they(cid:213)re not a permanent medium for keeping goal, is to keep the records here, or, if that is not
in 1877, records have been an important medi- music.(cid:211) Lacking not only spare parts, but also possible, at least see that they are not destroyed.
um for voice and music recordings. First con- any support from the Naval Media Center, the (cid:210)Vinyl has an authentic feel that fits the his-
structed of tin foil wrapped around elongated available turntables are in jeopardy as well. toricality [sic] and personality of the place,(cid:211) said
cylinders, records went through many changes They are scheduled to be shipped out on Meade, who appreciates the nostalgia and feel
before the disc shape became popular in 1929. next year(cid:213)s vessel. Back in the U.S., they will of working with vinyl.
Vinyl records have even outlived some more most likely be destroyed to protect the artists One significant factor contributing to the
durable mediums including the now obsolete from any copyright infringements. (cid:210)We have the Save the Vinyl movement was a rumor that
eight-track cassette, and reel to reel tapes, which obligation to protect the copyrights,(cid:211) said Chief many of the records in the collection are the
today are used almost exclusively in recording Jackie Kiel, Public Affairs Transition Liaison. same records played by Adrian Cronauer on his
studios. Adisc jockey in her spare time, Kiel has radio show in Saigon in 1965 and (cid:212)66.
Despite their success over the last 120 mixed feelings about the plight of the albums. (cid:210)I Cronauer, humorously portrayed by Robin
years, the popularity of record albums has been found a song I haven(cid:213)t seen in 25 years,(cid:211) she Williams in the 1987 film (cid:210)Good Morning
in decline for the past decade. Cassette tapes stated, commenting on the extreme variety of Vietnam(cid:211), played a key role in getting the new
were the first significant threat, but the advent of songs found on the records. However, she also sounds of the rock(cid:213)n(cid:213)roll movement to troops in
compact disc and mini-disc technology will understands the practicality of transferring the Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Air Force.
deliver the coup de gra(cid:246)ce.Especially in music to a more permanent medium: (cid:210)We need
...cont. on page 12
McMurdo.
When the Armed Forces Radio and
Television Service originally set up its radio stu-
dio, the medium used to play music was the Ask Aunt Arctica
vinyl record. Several thousand records were
shipped in, and the collection has grown
through the years to approximately 20,000 ...advice forstaying healthyontheIce
albums.
The problem is that these records are wear- Aunt Arctica is written by a clinical psychotherapist from Washington state
ing out, and taking up a lot of space while doing with eight years experience working in individual counseling, specializing
in cognitive and transpersonal psychologies for personal growth. Please
so. write with any questions you may have. You need not include your name.
All queries will be confidential.
Question:As a self-respecting 90(cid:213)s sort of woman, I find myself in an interesting dating
dilemma. While the opportunities here are plentiful, I(cid:213)m concerned about the gossip in
such a small town. I want to maintain the same standards I have back home and be able to
retain my own self-worth and keep a sense of self-esteem in the community.
You(cid:213)re right, no matter where you go It is possible by expanding your sense
on a date people will be watching, and of personal power as a woman. Many
that may include last week(cid:213)s date. It(cid:213)s folks out there feel they are worthy of
regrettable that we, as a society, maintain judge you and your values. It(cid:213)s not your
such double standards. Awoman(cid:213)s track job to jump through their hoops.
record for dating is far more suspect than The concept of dating is basically one
a man(cid:213)s. of information gathering. You will be
Studies of women have repeatedly learning about yourself and your priorities
shown disturbing patterns: lack of self- all the while. If you maintain good per-
esteem, an inability to feel powerful or in spective, this will far outrank the judg-
control of one(cid:213)s life, a tendency to see ments of others.
oneself as less able than one really is. Not Whether down here or back home,
quite as valuable as men. you will profit significantly by always
That being said, know that many being mindful in your relationships. That
women identify with your concern. Arela- includes your relationship with yourself.
tionship, romantic or otherwise, should be
forged on equal terms, yet how is that pos-
sible under these circumstances?