24 November 2008 [Video] Cape Evans Study Continues

After a day off I am still tired. It will take a bit more to get me back to 100% but I am willing to wait until I leave Antarctica. I don't want to miss anything.Today we are going back to Cape Evans to continue our study of the effects of icebergs on the seafloor. Most of the team left early but DJ needed to take care of a few things so I waited to go out with him. The rule is that you cannot travel by yourself on the ice. This is for obvious safety reasons.

Once DJ had finished his errands we suited up and went down to the transition area and selected two snowmobiles. We gassed up and headed for Cape Evans. It was a beautiful day with no wind at all. The other day I thought the ends of my fingers would break off because they were so cold but today my hands are actually hot from the handgrips. What a difference a day makes.

As we were travelling down the road I noticed that my windscreen had come loose at two of the connection points (there are eight). I decided to use my left hand to hold it until DJ made a stop (we had just made our first stop a few minutes before). All of a sudden the entire windscreen came off of the snowmobile and I just managed to grab it. I slowed down and stopped at the side of the road. DJ continued to drive off because he was ahead and didn't notice. I tried calling him on the radio but we forgot to coordinate what channel we would be monitoring (there are 14 channels on our radios). I proceeded to remove the front cover and try to figure a way to reconnect the windscreen. After about five minutes I noticed that DJ had turned around and was headed for me. It is always a good idea to check on your travelling companion. We were able to attach it back on at three of the connection spots. DJ insisted on switching snowmobiles because he is a gentleman.

We continued on our way but I have to admit that I was a little shook up. Of course, I couldn't show it because we had to get to the site and help the team. We were situated on the back of the same iceberg. This side isn't as pretty because the dust has settled on the surface which makes it look dirty.

The team was still in the process of setting up for SCINI. They had drilled the ice holes but there was still a lot that needed to be done to get SCINI ready for her dive. There are several things that have to be connected and it must be done a particular way. It takes two to three hours to get things ready to launch SCINI.

Once everything is connected then you have to launch her. This involves releasing tether at a specific rate. You don't want SCINI to get tangled up in the tether.

SCINI has a camera at one end that takes continuous pictures of the things that she sees.

Sometimes she sees some really beautiful things. This is one of a sea spider or pycnogonid. We have several in the Touch Tank outside the lab.

This is one of my favorite pictures that SCINI took today. I think that is because it appears to have so many different colors. It is a Comb Jelly. There are about 90 different species of this animal which is a member of the phylum Ctenophora. Its name is Mertensia ovum and it is commonly found in the Arctic in abundant numbers. The organism is almost transparent and some, like this one, can produce green and blue colored light. I think it really interesting that the Comb Jellies are all carnivores.

The mission today was fairly successful. We packed up and I let Bob take my snowmobile back. It was such a beautiful day that several of the guys wanted to ride back on the snowmobiles. I climbed into the Tucker and prepared myself for a two hour trip (it took about 30 minutes on the snowmobile). As we crawled along at about three miles an hour I started to doze off. I was suddenly woken by the vehicle when it seemed to hit something. We figured it must just be a big piece of snow or ice and we kept going. About five minutes later the vehicle jolted two more times and we noticed that the oil pressure was at 10 (it is supposed to be about 25). We stopped the vehicle and called for assistance. It just so happened that the two guys who had been on the snowmobiles had just arrived and offered to get the Pisten Bully (it was now fixed) and come out and pick us up. The first thing we did was look for a spill. We spotted a small leak and set out a cloth that would absorb the oil but not water. I put the cloth on a plastic bag and weighed it down with snow.

We unpacked the Tucker and then settled in for a wait. It would take the guys over an hour to get the Pisten Bully and drive out to where we were. Of course, this was a great opportunity to take pictures. I was pleased to see that Mount Erebus was clear of clouds. I took a picture of the puffs of smoke coming out if the top. It really is an amazing site and one that I don't seem to tire of.

Francois took another of his long walks. As he got further and further away, it was clear just how far away the mountain peaks really were.

We were able to occupy ourselves while we waited for our rescue party. It definitely is nice that the sun is always up in the sky. The wait would not have been as pleasant in the dark.

Everyone made it back to the lab safe and sound. I did think that I was a bit of a jinx when it came to vehicles. After all, both of the vehicles I used had mechanical problems. The others said that they felt like I should always come along because even though we had problems, everything worked out without any real problems. It is always interesting how people can look at the same situation and read it so differently. Antarctica is a place where perspective is so important, both when dealing with the land and when looking at yourself. I am pleased that I am getting chance to see all sides.

Today's Polar Profile is of Toby Weisser. He works with the snowmobiles (is that coincidence or what?). Toby teaches everyone how to ride the vehicle and he also explains how to perform basic maintenance. He is very thorough and extremely patient. Toby is a young man who clearly loves what he does. He told me a saying that I thought was so appropriate. "If you love what you do for a living...you never have to work a day in your life." These are words that Toby lives by and that you should definitely consider for your own life.

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