Altitude Sickness

    Unlike McMurdo at sea level, the South Pole Station sits at a pretty high altitude. Around 9,200 feet, in fact. Because of this, altitude sickness becomes a big concern.

    Altitude sickness happens when you cannot get enough oxygen from the air at high altitudes. Typical symptoms include headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and trouble sleeping.

    I brought along a pulse oximeter – an instrument that reads the amount of oxygen in your blood. When I was in New Zealand I took a baseline reading. The percent oxygen in my blood fluctuated between a healthy 98% and 99%.

    Then I took a reading the first night that I arrived at the South Pole. The percent oxygen in my blood had fallen to 84%!

    pulseoximeter
    A pulse oximeter reading the percent oxygen in my blood (top number) and my heart rate (bottom number). I took this photo the day I arrived at the South Pole. The oxygen in my blood is 84%, down from 98%/99% baseline reading in New Zealand. You can really see the effects of the thinner air at this altitude.

    We’re told to take it easy for the first few days. Drink lots of water, take many naps, and don’t push it. So far I’ve only had a slight headache. I think the anti-altitude sickness medicine I got from the nurse in Christchurch is helping a lot!

    Sun Protection

    At the South Pole, the sun is really intense. For one thing the sunlight is reflected right back at you off the white ground. In addition, without water vapor above to absorb the UV rays, combined with the OzoneOzone is a molecule made up of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs naturally in the stratosphere and provides a protective layer shielding the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the troposphere (the lower layer of the atmosphere up to approximately 15 km above the earth's surface), it is a chemical oxidant, a greenhouse gas, and a major component of photochemical smog. hole, sun protection is a must here!

    Before I go outside, not only do I dress in all of my Extreme Cold Weather (ECW(abbreviation) Extreme Cold Weather clothing) gear, but I also put sunscreen on any exposed skin. Of course, with the cold I don’t have much skin exposed to begin with, but my cheeks and nose sometimes peak out.

    I’m also careful to always wear polarized goggles or sunglasses to protect my eyes from the sunlight. I want to prevent “sun blindness” which is kind of like getting sunburn on your eyes. I’ve never had it, but I hear it’s very uncomfortable. Ouch!

    Conserve & Recycle

    Lastly, we’re very conscious at the South Pole (and really everywhere in Antarctica) to conserve energy and reduce waste.

    Almost all of the energy used at the South Pole Station ultimately comes from jet fuel (basically a special diesel rated for cold conditions). This includes melting ice into water, stoves for cooking, and electricity that comes out of the wall. And that jet fuel needs to be flown in on (you guessed it) a jet! This can all get very expensive.

    In fact, when planes come to the South Pole, we actually suck as much fuel out of the plane to add to the fuel reserves here, obviously leaving enough for the plane to get back to McMurdo safely.

    So we do our best to turn off lights in empty rooms and unplug unused devices. We also conserve water here, except when it comes to washing our hands so we don’t spread germs and staying hydrated. This includes showers – here we’re allotted TWO shows per week. Laundry is also limited to ONE full load per week. It might get a little smelly here.

    Additionally, in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty, all waste (except human waste) needs to be taken off of Antarctica. That means all food scraps, recyclable, and landfill waste is flown out of the South Pole. Again, this can get expensive.

    recyclyingroom
    The recycling room at the South Pole Station. With so many categories, we have to be careful to sort our waste into the right bin.

    So we’re very careful here to use only what we need. I take only the food I know I will eat and I use one paper towel instead of two.

    Circadian Clock

    My circadian clock, that little internal voice that tells you it’s time to go to bed and time to wake up, is way off. With 24-hours of sunlight, I never know when to eat, sleep, work, or relax. It’s truly a very weird feeling.

    I find myself carrying around my cell phone almost anywhere just so I have a clock to look at.

    The cardboard over my dorm room window does help to block out the light, which is especially important when I’m trying to fall asleep.

    dorm
    My dorm room at South Pole Station. Notice the cardboard over the window - it works really well at keeping the sunlight to a minimum in the room.

    But even so, it’s pretty weird to get up in the middle of night and have it look like afternoon outside.

    House Mouse Duties

    At South Pole Station there are stewards to clean the main hallway and most common spaces. But the dorm rooms and bathrooms are our responsibilities.

    Each person is assigned a day of the week to take “House Mouse” duties.

    housemouse
    Posted inside my dormroom door is my assigned day for "House Mouse" duties (i.e. cleaning the bathroom.
    housemouse2
    The list of responsibilites of the House Mouse posted inside each bathroom.

    Although cleaning the bathroom is not my favorite task, it really helps out to split up the responsibilities. As a result, the South Pole Station is extremely clean!

    Questions?

    Have a question about what life is like at the South Pole? Post it in the comments below and I’ll get back to you!

    Author
    Date
    Location
    South Pole
    Weather Summary
    cold and sunny
    Temperature
    -15.3F
    Wind Speed
    9.9 knots
    Wind Chill
    -36.2F

    Comments

    Dave Spangler

    So cool that you brought a monitor with you. Is an O2 saturation level of 84% considered normal down there? In my EMT training, anything under 90% was generally considered worth transporting to the hospital. I can definitely see how that could cause a major adjustment period.

    Lucy Coleman

    Kate- I've just read a couple of your most recent journals and can perfectly imagine everything you are describing for us. Its hard to believe that the South Pole is so high up when it looks so flat. I'll be curious to hear if you have long term side affects of being at that altitude.
    Thanks for sharing your adventure!

    Lucy

    Joanna Ratliff

    Is the North Pole as cold as the South Pole?

    Sandi Thornton

    My students and I are loving your journals! One of my biggest personal challenges in the Arctic was the constant daylight, so I completely understand what it must be like for you. We had "Field Day" on the Healy where we all cleaned for a short but intense period. Although scrubbing floors and bathrooms is not my top choice of "fun" activities, I liked the sense of normalcy those routine tasks brought.

    Kate Miller

    Thanks so much for following along, Lucy! I also never realized that the South Pole is at such a high altitude until I started talking to people who have gone before. Who knew?

    Kate Miller

    Hi Sandi! Thanks for following along. So glad you and your students are enjoying my journals. Yes, getting into a routine sounds like a very helpful thing. Unfortunately I think I've fallen into a routine of sleeping-in which only makes nights harder to sleep. I'll get adjusted one of these days...
    Please let me know if you or your students have any specific questions! I'm happy to investigate!

    Kate Miller

    Hi Joanna! Great question!
    The South Pole is the colder of the two poles. The average temperature at the North Pole 32F in the Summer and -40F in the Winter, whereas the average temperature at the South pole is -18F in the Summer and -76F in the Winter.

    The reason the South Pole is colder is because it's at such a high altitude (over 9000 ft). That's in comparison to the North Pole, which is somewhere in the Arctic Ocean (at sea level). In addition, the Arctic Ocean acts as a "heat reservoir," warming the cold atmosphere in the winter and drawing heat out of the atmosphere in the summer. Interesting huh?

    Period 2 IB Ph…

    Can you put up posters in your dorm room?Do they have books at the South Pole?
    Do they have weather such as wind or snow, or even clouds at the South Pole?

    Kate Miller

    Hi Dave! Great question! I’m no medical expert, so I talked to Dr. Chris, one our physicians at the station. He agreed that under normal circumstances, yes, 84% would be very concerning. However, because of the pressure difference here, mid-80s is totally expected for the first day or two for an otherwise healthy person. After a few days, a normal reading here is 88-93%. He predicted that the entire 3 weeks that I’m here I should be within that range and indeed when I took my reading this morning I was at 93%. After a few months, people will start to show around 95%, but usually don’t go much higher.

    Kate Miller

    Hi Period 2 IB-ers!
    I'm not sure if you're allowed to put up posters in dorm rooms here. Honestly, the dorms are really small (I heard someone say they're smaller than your average jail cell! eek!) and there isn't much wall space as is. Because of that, I spend a lot of my time outside of my dorm room. I'll usually go to the Science Lab to get work done. There's also a quiet reading room, a greenhouse you can sit in, a lounge...pretty much one of every type of room you could think of! I'll (hopefully) be posting a tour of the station soon (if the internet cooperates).

    In the game room and the quiet reading room there are lots and lots of books. More books that I could possibly read while I'm here, but I'm sure the winter-overs enjoys having a selection. There are also shelves upon shelves of DVDs and VHSs. Lots to keep you entertained!

    Yes! There is weather at the South Pole. There are three ratings for the weather here - Condition 3 is normal, acceptable weather. Condition 2 the wind is 48-55knots, the wind chill is -75 to -100F, and visibility is less than 1/4 mile. Finally, condition 1 has winds greater than 55knots, a wind chill greater than -100F, and visibility of less than 100 feet. I've only experienced Condition 3 weather here so far, but I do know we should have some winds rolling in tomorrow. I have definitely seen some clouds here and there too!

    Keep the great questions coming!

    Kate Miller

    Update! It's 11pm and I'm getting some work done when I look out the window and see a completely overcast sky. It's pretty strange - it's hard to tell where the snow ends and the clouds begin because everything is just so white! I'll take a picture and post it soon.

    Jackie

    Hi Kate!Love reading your journals everyday!
    Was curious how you are adjusting to the altitude at this point? Are you feeling well?
    And when you go home, will you have to stay for awhile (e.g, New Zealand) to readjust?
    :)

    Kate Miller

    Hi Jackie! Great to hear from you!
    I'm feeling pretty normal now...with the exception of my sleeping patterns which are way off with the constant sunlight. But all in all, I've adjusted to the altitude just fine. I took an updated pulse oximeter reading this morning and I'm up to 92% oxygen in my blood. The doctor here said that's pretty normal, although lower than it would be back home. I worked out today in the station's gym and let me tell you it does not take much to make yourself out of breath.

    When I go home, I'll stay just a few nights in New Zealand no so much because of altitude adjustment issues but more so just getting the logistics figured out for planes home. I think the transition from high to low altitude is the easy one - you simply have more oxygen available at lower altitudes so breathing is easier. I will say I'm going to be so sad to leave this place. It's such an incredible community of friendly and helpful people at the South Pole!

    Jackie

    Very cool!!!So glad to hear you are doing well! :-)

    Judy Fahnestock

    I can't imagine how much trash and recycling get flown out of McMurdo on a regular basis. Do you know if they do any composting down there? Maybe for soil enrichment in the greenhouse?

    Kate Miller

    There must be so much trash and recycling out of McMurdo by airplane AND boat!
    I like how you're thinking - can't we use compost somehow? It turns out that the greenhouse here at the South Pole Station uses aquaponics instead of compost. This way, the amount of nutrients the plants receive is exactly controlled and optimized to successfully produce food. Compost would be a less controllable alternative that would not guarantee the desired result.

    Chloe

    Hi! I am thinking about living and working at the McMurdo Station. I was wondering if they provide laundry detergent and what kind? I have sensitive allergies and can only use free and clear(no fragrance). Are people allowed to wear perfumes? And whats the wifi like? Also could you talk about the food provided? I have a gluten allergy, and I've heard they don't cater to that, but are there options? Thank you!!!

    Kate Miller

    Hi Chloe! So glad you're thinking about living and working in Antarctica. It's a very special place and I highly recommend it.
    I spent more time at the South Pole Station than I did at McMurdo, but let me try to answer your questions anyway.

    Laundry detergent is provided. I don't recall it being a specific type (fragrance-free or otherwise), so might need to bring your own. As far as I know there are no rules against people wearing perfumes. It's not a very fancy place so I'd say perfumes aren't common, put people may be using scented lotions. There is no wifi at McMurdo (or South Pole), but you can connect to the internet via an ethernet cable. There's a small computer lab in the main building, a library in the science lab, and a coffeehouse that all have places to connect. The internet isn't the best - sometimes just pulling up facebook can be a struggle. But for the most part emails work okay. The food provided is really good! As a vegetarian, I did not have any trouble finding meals. I did not take note of gluten so I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are options for you. They seem to be very accommodating of allergies and dietary preferences.

    Hope this helps!