Journal

Polar TREC is in Antarctica

Polar TREC Teachers
Antarctica- McMurdo Station-2019 Polar TREC Teachers Denise Hardoy, Bridgette Ward, and Amy Osborne
It is unusal to have more than one Polar TREC teacher in the field at the same time and place as other teams. This year, three projects aligned in both location and time...to put the three of us at McMurdo Station. We are happy to have each other's support, while still concentrating on our own projects and teams.

Bridgett's Amazing Baby Seals

As today is Sunday here, our team took the day off from working in the lab or diving for fish. So.... I bring you greetings from my fellow Polar TREC teacher Bridgette Ward. You should totally check out her journal on the Polar TREC website too!

Seal Pup
Newborn seal pup - Photo by Bridgette Ward Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01

Bridgette's team is led by Dr. Heather Liwanag from Cal Poly State University. They are studying how baby seals get so good at diving so quickly. Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01

Seal Pup
Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01
They have a special permit to do this research. Not very many people have a chance to see these adorable seals up close.

Seal Pup
Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01
These moms can weigh up to 1200 pounds and their pups weigh about 60 lbs when they are born.

Weddell Seal Pup
Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01

The pups grow quickly on mom's rich milk and are ready to wean at about seven weeks.

How we get Around

I have had lots of questions about what vehicles we drive around Antarctica. We use a variety of vehicles, depending on how many people need to be moved,where we are going, and the weather conditions.

Kressie
This vehicle moves the largest number of people from the airfield to Mc Murdo Station- about an hour drive
This is the vehicle that carries all the passengers and their cargo from the big C-17 airfield, to Mc Murdo.

Piston Bully
A Piston Bully for getting a group of people around in bad weather.
Weight and track length play an important role on vehicle choice when going out on the sea ice. The Piston Bullies are heavy, but they have a long track length that can cross cracks in the ice up to 91 cm wide. They are nice and warm inside, and can hold our whole team. Unfortunately, they are super slow.

This Hagglund continually drove the race course offering support to anyone in the McMurdo Marathon that needed it. There was also a toilet bucket in the back." Ross Ice Shelf near McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Photo by Byron Adams, Courtesy of Joshua Heward (PolarTREC 2016), Courtesy of ARCUS
Hagglunds are another way to move a team of people. We don't have as many of these, and their track length is a little shorter.

Mattrax
Mattrax designed for lightweight use in the snow and on the sea ice
These mattrax are very specialized vehicles. They do well on sea ice. They are light by comparison, but have a short track length. This makes it hard to cross any substantial cracks.
Pick Up
McMurdo Pickups
We also have regular pickups with heavy duty tires. These are great for around town and on snow covered land, but not the sea ice.

Shuttle
We Use shuttles to get up to 12 people around on the main roads around McMurdo
These shuttles are used for transporting up to 12 people at a time. They are driven by volunteers to take up over to the Kiwi Station. They also cannot go on the sea ice.

SnoMos
Denise and Amy on a SnoMo during training.
Snowmobiles are the lightest weight choice. They are quick, but miserable if it is really windy.

We also have a wide variety of heavy equipment- Challengers, backhoes and huge forklifts. Then there are the smaller airplanes and even a few helicopters. It takes a lot of equipment and vehicles to get everyone where they need to go. Mc Murdo is a staging ground for expeditions into the deep field- like the Dry Valleys, and even the South Pole.

Shout Out

Miss Hunter's 3rd Grade Penguins
Blue Oak Charter School's Miss Hunter's 3rd Grade Class
Today's shout out goes to Miss Hunter's cool class of third graders from Blue Oak Elementary in Chico, California. Thanks for following my journals! I'll take good care of your Antarctic penguins and get them back to you soon.

Stay Cool,

Comments

Sun, 11/03/2019 - 17:17

Argus

Taken under ACA Permit number 2018-013 M#1 MMPA Permit Number 21006-01

Sun, 11/03/2019 - 17:27

Denise Hardoy

Hi Argus,
This is the permit number for the scientist conducting one of the Weddell Seal studies this year. Study of mammals is very closely regulated in Antarctica. It would violate the Antarctic code of Conduct if I was to approach a seal and take these pictures. I would have severe consequences. Therefore, all pictures taken legally under this permit need to be identified as such. These are regulations put in place to protect the animals and the Code of Conduct is taken very seriously. That is why I am sharing them instead of taking my own pictures.

Mon, 11/04/2019 - 10:48

CCDS Otters

Hi how are you? How many people are you going to give shout outs to? Which vehicles are you allowed to drive? How many seal pups have you and Bridgette seen? We hope you are having a great time!

Tue, 11/05/2019 - 09:41

Denise Hardoy

Good morning Otters! I still have four or five more classrooms to give shout outs to. I also visited schools in Greenfield, California....and one more at CCDS! I am authorized to drive the Piston Bully and the snowmobiles. Although, there are usually people with more experience on our teams that do the driving. I have seen too many seal pups to count. It is probably the same ones many times though. They tend to not move around that much until the pups can swim at three-ish weeks old. Thanks for asking!

Mon, 11/04/2019 - 12:28

william

haha they r FAT and fuzzy, epic B)))))

Tue, 11/05/2019 - 05:40

Pam Hernandez

Oh my those bay seals are adorable and understanding the makeup they have not only to learn to dive so early but to live in the Antarctic temperature and water
brings so much knowledge that could be applied across other fields.
I'd love to know more about the town of Kiwi. Are there native people to the area?
How far is McMurdo Station from the ocean and areas that you travel to for samples to study?

Tue, 11/05/2019 - 09:49

Denise Hardoy

I know...I'm totally falling in love with the Weddell seals. I'm not sure about "the town of Kiwi. " I think you are talking about my reference to the Kiwi base? I meant Scott Base, which is a Kiwi(new Zealander) base. There are no indigenous people in Antarctica...anywhere.
McMurdo is right on the coast of Ross Island. Although, the sea ice makes it feel like a valley, not the ocean. We travel about 18 miles on the sea ice to our furthest dive hole. The ice is starting to warm, so they are getting ready to pull that hut though. They have to get it out while the ice is still strong enough to get the big Challenger tractor out to get it. In a few months, there will not be any more ice in McMurdo sound.

Tue, 11/05/2019 - 10:05

Pam Hernandez

Such interesting insight into the lifestyle of the scientists that work in extreme conditions. We focus so directly on the scientific results and there is so much more to the process than meets the eye. What extraordinary dedication!

Thu, 11/07/2019 - 10:56

Griffin Gucci

Aww, the baby seals look so cute you should bring one back as a class pet ;)

Thu, 11/07/2019 - 10:59

Denise Hardoy

I would totally consider going to jail just to do that, but they grow to 1200 lbs...so they wouldn't exactly fit in the turtle pond. Pictures will have to do.