When I applied to the PolarTREC program, I was asked where I would prefer to go given the options of the Arctic, Antarctica, or either. I checked the Antarctica box only, despite the fact that I may…
The team caught the December 17, 2008 flight to Christchurch at 0530. Approximately eight long hours later we arrived in Christchurch, claimed our luggage, and turned in our Extreme Cold Weather…
The 2008 Antarctic drilling season is over for Dr. Marchant's team. The team spent a total of 35 days in Mullins and Beacon Valley camps, and retrieved 72 m of core from 5 drilling sites. Sampling…
The entire team is back in McMurdo, but there is still more work to be done. All of the camp equipment has to be inventoried, cleaned, separated, and returned to the Berg Field Center (BFC). Team…
The team moved to Site 5 on December 8, 2008. Site 5 is the location of one of the soil pits dug by Dave Marchant (See 22 November 2008 journal entry). Dave uncovered a volcanic ash layer directly on…
On December 5, Cindy Dean, Environmental Education Compliance Coordinator at McMurdo came to Beacon Valley to film the drilling operation which will be included in a film on science in the Dry…
I went back to McMurdo on December 1 to post journals and returned to Beacon Valley field camp on December 3, 2008 in time for a drill site move. Dave and the team decided to abandon the hole at Site…
Today the team took a hike to a "Bigfoot" location in Beacon Valley. "Bigfoot" is the name given by David Marchant to debris-covered glaciers with unique imprints left by sublimated ice. "Bigfoot"…
The team celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday November 29, 2008. Tanner was stranded in McMurdo due to weather conditions and his presence was sorely missed. Drilling was at a standstill, so team…
What are the team members like? Do they all get along? Where do they come from and what are are they researching? How many times have they been to Antarctica? These questions and more will be…
What is day to day life like in a deep field camp in Antarctica? I am told by Gareth and Joe that our deep field camp is the most exclusive camp - strictly "A List". The guest list is by invitation…
This is a good time to provide an update on the status of Dr. Marchant’s field work for this field season. In addition to the team’s ongoing research on late Cenozoic climate change, Dr Marchant…