CReSIS Aerial Survey of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

01_15_10 I'm Home

Hello Trekkers,
I am home safe and sound. My beard is a lot longer. Just the fact that I have a beard is kind of funny. At least now it is freshly showered!!! I began by travels home on Tuesday the 12th from Byrd Surface Camp. I flew on a LC-130 cargo plane to McMurdo Station. After dashing around McMurdo for 36 hours turning in gear, picking up supplies, conducting a live event with you, I boarded another cargo plane for New Zealand. I got to a hotel in Christchurch after midnight making it early Thursday morning. I slept for about 4 hours before it was time to go to the airport to catch a plane to Los Angles, California. Another two flights later I was met at the Kansas City airport by my family and some friends. Remember I passed the International Date Line so I had a Thursday that was 48 hours long. This morning I woke up at noon! I think that even though I have only been awake for 5 hours I think I need another nap.
I have several more journals I plan to share with you, so I hope you'll continue to watch for them. Watch next week for several more posts beginning on Monday!!!
I know many of you have also posted questions on ask the team. Only today have I had access to the internet and these questions, but I will be answering them all. Keep trekking with me!!! We have a journey that has only just begun.
So glad you've been on this journey with me.
Mr. W

01_07_10 Reporter, Flat Stanley, Live from Byrd Surface Camp

Hi Trekkers,

Hello from Byrd Surface Camp on the continent of Antarctica

Can you find Antarctica on a globe or on a map?

I am traveling with my friend, Gary Wesche. He is a Polartrec teacher

Have you been reading his journals? They have great pictures.

Byrd Camp is located on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Antarctica has recorded the coldest temperatures on planet Earth.

Thanks to Mrs. Grantham's second grade class at St. Regis School in
Kansas City I have a big red coat to keep me warm.

We know this because scientists keep track of the weather all over
Antarctica using weather stations

Some of the data weather stations collect are temperature, wind speed
and the wind direction.

To communicate from camp we have to use a special phone that uses
satellites.

Antarctica is also the largest desert on the planet.

While it is very cold it is also very dry so you have to drink at 2
liters of water a day. It makes me laugh to think this is a desert when
our camp is on top of a mile of ice, but we get very little new snow
falling and it never rains.

To get water we have to melt snow.

I am helping my friend, Cricket dig up snow to melt for water.

It gets put in this melter and stored in this big tank for us to use for
drinking, cooking, and brushing our teeth.

Sometimes we melt it in big pots on the stoves that keep the buildings warm

Here it is very important to stay safe here in Antarctica. While we
have a doctor here in camp we are a long ways from a hospital. Green
and red flags are used to mark places that are safe to be.

Black flags mark places that are dangerous.

You should never go where there are black flags. You could get hurt.

This is my friend Hayden.

He is from the country of New Zealand and he is the camp mechanic. He
can fix anything.

Good thing too because there are many big machines here in our camp

Do you see me in this picture? Look really carefully.

I wasn't being safe around the equipment. Good thing I'm already flat.

Everyone has to be watching out for danger around big machines.

This machine is used to push show drifts and to help load airplanes with
cargo.

This week I went for a ride on a Ski Doo which is a snowmobile.

You have to wear a helmet but there were not any my size.

My friend, Logan, helped me with a helmet of my very own.

This is my science team.

They were having fun in this picture. Can you pick out the person on the
team who was the smart one for wearing the correct clothes for
Antarctica? His name is Chad.

My team works with radars that can collect information about the ice sheets.

They put the radars on an airplane and fly over the ice sheet to gather
this data

After the flight part of the team uses large computer processors from
Polar Grid to save the data in ways the team can then look at it.

The team uses graphs to understand their data.

This data will go to scientists all over the world to understand more
about ice sheets.

There are about 50 people here at camp and my friend, Robert, is one of
the cooks that feed us all

My friend, Chad, and I really like the food here.

I like the chocolate chip cookies the best!

I was here at Christmas time, and since there are no plants or trees
here on the ice sheet we built our own Christmas Tree out of metal scrapes.

We even had a gift exchange and Santa left us his hat.

In the evenings we often play games like cribbage which helps me
practice my adding.

I really enjoy hanging out with my new friends the flat penguins.

They say they may come visit me when I get back to Kansas City. I like
new friends.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Bryd Camp

Love, Flat Stanley,

PS My friend, St. Regis Eagle, says hi too.

01_05_10 The Data!!

You have met Chad Brown a member of our team from Polar Grid.

{photo of Chad 1 of 6]

He along with Keith Lehigh represent Polar Grid and brought to the
field the computer processors which enable the team to get a first look
at the data to ensure that all the equipment is in perfect working
order. Keith was here the first part of the expedition and left last
week. Not one for smiling in front of a camera I did get a grin from
him just before he boarded the plan out of Byrd Surface Camp.

Logan Smith, a member of the team from KU, does some of the early
processing.

Here is a picture of the data you helped collect on our flight yesterday.

Study the graphs of the data. The x-axis has the points of latitude and
longitude which also correspond to the same points on your flight plan.

The y-axis on the data graph shows the depth in meters as recorded by
the radar.

On the y-axis you will see that zero is not on the bottom of the axis
like most of the graphs you might work with in school. Zero is up near
the top and it represents the point inside the plane from where the
radar sends its signal. You will also see a color change at about 250
meters. This is surface of the ice sheet.

The Challenge:

1. Look at your flight plan and the data picture. Mark on you flight
plan where this data set was taken during the flight. (Hint: Use the
points of latitude and longitude.)You will discover that this is not the
data from the whole flight.

2. Why are there gaps in the orange data at regular intervals? (Hint:
What is the plane doing at those points of latitude and longitude?)
You have now been looking at this data set. Notice the distinct line at
around 3000 meters. That is the ground under the ice sheet. You will
also see on the x-axis how many kilometers this data set represents.

3. Now that you have marked your flight plan to represent the data set
you have studied. Approximately how many kilometers did we fly for the
whole day's mission?

4. Can you think of ways this data could be used?

5. What could be studied if we could know what the topography is beneath
the ice sheet?

Answers:

1. The data chart represents the red lines on the flight plan (plus a
little more).

2. The gaps in the orange colored layers represent the times the plane
leaves the grid and turns. As it turns it banks to the left or right
and the wings are not parallel to the ground and the radar is not
focused down into the ice.

3. The flight plan represents 500-600 nautical miles.

4&5 I will let you be the scientists and post your ideas to "Ask the Team"

Great Job, Trekkers
Mr. W

Note from PolarTREC Team:  Join us for the last live event with Gary and the Team on Thursday, 7 January 2010.  For more information about the times and to register,  please check out the Live from IPY pages or click here.

10_04_10 Let’s Go Fly Our Grid!

If you did all your planning correctly we are ready to go. Now we wait
until Lexi determines if the weather in all the locations of our grid,
fueling caches, and at Byrd is going to be weather we can fly in. If
any one of the locations has or is expecting bad weather or low
visibility the flight is cancelled or the plan is reworked. At anytime
during the flight operation the pilots may decide that the weather is
becoming an issue and the plane will turn back.

As I wrote in another journal, weather is the number one factor that
determines how much science gets accomplished in a season.

Well, if you have done all your calculations you are ready to fly.

Let's go!!!

I am an extra passenger in the plane. Does my weight increase or
decrease the time the plane will be able to fly prior to a fuel stop?

(Note: I weigh approximately 200 pounds; read yesterday's journal for a
hint.)

For this reason, I will not be in the plane while they are flying the
grid. Instead I am parachuting out of the plane at WAIS Divide Camp.
I'M NOT really parachuting. The plane will fly to WAIS Divide Camp to
refuel at the fuel cache there before heading to the grid location. I
will spend about 8 hours there at that camp interviewing people and
getting an idea what it's like at another remote location. PolarTrec
teacher, Heidi Roop, is at WAIS Divide Camp, and I encourage you to read
her journals or even better participate in her live event on Monday,

January 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm central.

Check it out on the polartrec web site and register.
Trekkers, sure glad you flew with me today!!!!

Mr. W

Answers: My weight on the plane would decrease the flight time by 20
minutes.

01_03_10 Flying on Our Plane is more than Peanuts and Pretzels

Hello Trekkers,

You've helped set up all the radars and you have loaded them into the
plane and tested them. You're ready to fly in the twin otter airplane
over areas of West Antarctica Ice Sheet using flight plans, BUT there is
more to it than just getting on the plane.

Let me introduce you to your pilot and co-pilot

Here in Antarctica there are some very specific rules that are followed
to ensure safe flying.

A pilot can work 14 hours per day with 10 of these hours flying. Then
they need 10 hours off work.

Weather is, once again, one of the most important factors in determining
a mission plan. There must be a 1000 foot ceiling. This means any
clouds must be 1000 feet above the ground.

Visibility must be 4800 meters. You have to be able to see that far
into the distance.

There are also limitations placed on the Twin Otter airplane.

1. The Twin Otter can take 2300 pounds of fuel on our science missions,
although it can actually hold more.

2. 2300 lbs of fuel allows for 4 hours of flying with ½ hour reserve.

3. Our CReSIS Twin Otter flies at a speed of 125 knots/ hour when
collecting data.

4. With 2300 pounds gallons of fuel the plane can travel 500 nautical
miles at 120 knots/hour

5. Every 200 pounds added to the plane reduces the travel time by 20
minutes.

6. The plane carries all the equipment, two pilots, and two members of
the CReSIS team.

So now that you have these parameters here is a flight plan for you to
study.

This is a sample of a flight plan. Now flying is not as simple as it
looks. There are many factors that have to be incorporated into the
planning of a successful mission.

1. Calculate how far it is to fly this grid. (Hint: Every minute of
latitude or longitude is a nautical mile, but a minute of latitude or
longitude is not a minute of time.)

2. Knowing the flight plan is (Insert your answer from #1 here) nautical
miles, how long will it take you to fly this grid?

3. Will the team have to refuel? (Refer to the information about the
plane.) If so how often?

4. Calculate how long it will take to fly the entire grid.
 a. Take your answer from #2
 b. Be sure to add 30 minutes for each fuel stop.
 c. Also add 45 minutes to get from Byrd Surface Camp to WAIS Divide Camp
where they refuel before flying the grid.

MOST IMPORTANT: Will Pilot Lexi and Co-pilot Lee have enough on duty
time to fly this grid if they began their duty day at 7 o'clock in the
morning??

Trekkers, hopefully you have done all the planning correctly and we'll
be ready to fly tomorrow, weather permitting. Check back tomorrow. You
will not want to miss flying day!

Mr. W

12_31_09 Happy New Year [audio journal via satellite phone]

Jump to audio

Trekkers,

I have heard the words "global climate change" exactly once the entire time I've been here in Antarctica. You would think that it would be a popular topic of conversation between the many scientists here on this continent.

The one time I heard the phrase "global climate change" was during a friendly discussion about the funding of the space program and the funding of societal needs and social programs. The comment, which was not debated by the 15 individuals engaged in the conversations, was, "The science community has known for nearly 40 years that we (industrial nations) have been influencing global climate change negatively. Yet, we haven't made any significant advancement toward correcting the problem..."

As I look back on the many conversations I have been a part of since my introduction to this continent, dedicated to science, there is no debate over "global climate change". There are no heated discussions as to whether or not humans have had an effect on the planet's climate. This is no longer a hypothesis. My understanding is that for most, if not all, of the scientific world planet Earth's climate is changing and a major cause of this change is due to our human interaction with the planet.

So what is all this polar science about?

I have seen scientists diving under ice sheets to record data about the changes occurring in marine ecosystems. Scientists are recording data about microorganisms found in glaciers or frozen lakes; data that will provide clues as to past changes and base line data for comparison to future data. I assisted a team dig two snow pits in the West Antarctica Ice Sheet that were 2-3 meters deep so they could measure the density of the annual snow layers and to take samples for the study of isotopes in the snow and ice. The CReSIS team I-189 that I am a part of is flying patterns over the West Antarctica Ice Sheet collecting data that will be used by scientists who are measuring the movement of ice sheets toward the oceans of the world. In turn this information will be used by other scientists to better model the rate of sea level rise on the planet. Much of this science is brand new. Robotic submarines, radars that can penetrate thousands of meters into the ice and, lab equipment that is constructed on the spot in remote field settings to record new data are just a few examples of these emerging fields of science.

For three years Polartrec teachers have witnessed amazing things?

I encourage you to read the archived journals of past Polartrec teachers. They have worked with scientists in the field. Descriptions and pictures fill their journals. They give a broad look at the world of polar science and how science is working to find answers to questions that arise from the fact that the Earth's climate is changing.

What questions do you have when I state, "The Earth's climate IS changing"?

What thoughts do you have about your world, country, or community?

Do the answers exist to all of your questions?

I would guess that when you take the time to think about it you have many questions, and I can guarantee that there are not answers to all your questions.

Merely the fact that you have the questions makes you a scientist. You have stepped into the world of scientific thought.

You have a choice now. In the New Year, 2010, what will you do to seek out the answers to your questions? If you are a student some of the answers you seek do not exist. Their discovery is years away. How will you prepare yourself to become an adult of society that seeks answers?

Trekkers, it is not enough to ask questions with no intent to look for the answers. You have the time and talents to be those who will find answers. You can be the scientific community of the future who can provide the leadership to not only find the answers to your questions but to help society take the actions that may be necessary to adapt to what may be the ramifications of "global climate change".

It is my proud pleasure to be a part of your education, future scientists,

This is Polartrec Teacher Gary Wesche from the Byrd Surface Camp, Antarctica.

Happy New Year

12_29_09 Hey, We’re hungry! What are YOU going to feed us?

Trekkers,

Here is an activity you can do while you are home on holiday or even at
school as a science activity.

The Situation:

The camp is set up for 60 people to be living in tents in temperatures
that are below freezing. The wind blows most days at 15-20 knots. The
members of camp work long hours when the weather allows, and the work
they are doing is physical work. (Even walking through the snow in all
the gear that must be worn to keep warm is physical work.)

When people work outside in the conditions that are common here in
Antarctica their bodies use a significant amount of calories just to
keep warm. When it is time to eat everyone is eating almost twice the
amount of food they would if they were at home like you are.

The Task:

Your task is to plan one meal. Choose breakfast, lunch or dinner. All
meals served are hot, even the sandwiches are grilled. You will be
feeding 60 very hungry people. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not
really available so salads are out. "Freshies", fresh fruits and
vegetables, come in by plane every couple weeks so we eat mostly cooked
vegetables that have been frozen.

Talk to your parents or lunchroom staff. How much food do they use to
feed your family for a single meal or in the case of the lunchroom how
much food do they need to feed 60 middle school students. Now I have
eaten school lunches, and while I have always enjoyed them 4 of those
lunches would feed one person here in Antarctica, and there would need
to be more vegetables included.

Choose a menu for one meal. Plan out the recipes you're using. Put
together a shopping list of ALL the ingredients you will need, including
salt, pepper and other spices. Don't forget anything because there is
no store to run to if you forget something.

The Galley/ kitchen:

Eating together in the galley is one of the main social times of the
camp. The food is excellently prepared and always very good. We have
had Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indian, as well as specialties from all
over the United States. The three chefs here are wonderful at what they
do and they are constantly trying to come up with interesting menus, so
your work is cut out for you.

The kitchen has two electric stoves and a large refrigerator. The
freezer for the camp is under the snow. (I will write an entire
journal just about the under snow freezer)

Snow is constantly being hauled into the kitchen and melted for water.
The system being used stores the water and there is even a hot water
heater, so we have hot and cold running water in the galley.

St. Regis students:

If you are one of my students from St. Regis your meal plan can be
turned in to me when I return for extra credit. I will want to see your
recipes, the shopping list, and the time line you would use to prepare
the meal. (Remember to thaw meat it will take a couple days in the
refrigerator.) If you really want to go all out include pictures of the
food if you cook a similar dish at home. Maybe even a photo of the
entire plate of food.

Good luck with the planning, Trekkers.

Mr. W (One of the hungry Byrd camp residents.)