Journal

Time to Take a Break

After an exciting week going in the Ob Tube, conducting water quality measurements, helping out with another biology project and collecting sediment samples near a penguin colony, I was relieved to have a day to just relax. I spent the morning talking to my family on the phone and eating a lovely brunch in the cafeteria.

Spending Time with Friends

I feel so lucky to be returning to Antarctica. One of the perks, along with already knowing the lay of the land, is running into old friends here. After brunch, I spent time with Bob Melville and Andy Stillinger, whom I worked with in 2011.

Another friend that I will hopefully have time to visit with is Shuttle Bob. In 2011, as soon as I stepped off the C17 plane onto the sea ice, I met Bob Lewis, warmly referred to by many in McMurdo Station as "Shuttle Bob". Shuttle Bob drives many impressive transport vehicles around McMurdo Station, including Ivan the Terra bus.

Shuttle Bob
Shuttle Bob stands by a giant transport vehicle after picking up scientists and staff from an airplane.

This year I ran into Shuttle Bob as he was dropping off scientists and staff in a giant vehicle made by Kress. As you can see, it is quite a large vehicle!

Michelle Brown and the Kress vehicle
Michelle Brown stands in front of the Kress transport vehicle outside the chalet in McMurdo Station.

Movie Time!

After lunch, Terry Palmer, Steve Sweet and I watched television through the local network here. The station runs sports programs and movies on a few channels here, letting us enjoy some of the comforts of home. I thought you all might enjoy a film too! Check out the video below showing some of the sea life from my Ob Tube visit.

Details
Author
Michelle Brown
Date
Location
McMurdo Station
Expedition
Human Impacts in Antarctica 2015
Weather Summary
Partly cloudy
Temperature
10 F
Wind Speed
12 knots to 21 knots
Wind Chill
5 F

View Comments

Comments

Tue, 11/17/2015 - 12:27

Calista B

What do you hope to explore next in the great wonders of Antarctica?Out of all the years you have visited Antarctica, what has been the most incredible piece of information, or data from your research you have discovered?
What is the most unique organism you and your team has found while diving or in the Ob tube?
How many different samples of sediment are you and your team planning on collecting?
What are some adaptations the sea urchin larvae have in order to survive in the cold water versus the warm water?

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 07:03

Hannah O'Connor

1. What year, out of the many that you have been to Antarctica, would you say has held the most promise as far as advancing scientifically on such matters that you study there?
2. In Antarctica, what feature, whether it be climate related, scientifically related, or scenically related, would you and your team consider your favorite?

3. Fully known as it is by many that you study sediment specimens, what would you say has been, in your opinion, the sediment sample that has proved to be most beneficial in information as well as unique traits?

4. Who do you think you are most like, out of all the previously mentioned(on your blog) explorers who have made serious advances in terms of information about Antarctica in general?

5. What would you say is what you are most hoping for in the years to follow post 2015 as far as development and progression in sediments in Antarctica goes?

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 11:58

Lily N

How many researchers are currently in Antarctica?What information could you gather from the organisms under the ice from the video?
Why do the wheels on Ivan the Terra bus need to be so big?
Why were you collecting sediment samples near a penguin colony?
How long are Antarctic days in November?

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 12:50

Cameron

1) What is an ob tube?2) How do you feel working in Antarctica?
3) What activities do you go through each day?
4) What are some of your favorite experiments you have done out there?
5) What is the climate like in Antarctica and how long are you staying there for?

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 14:00

Nick

How did you get the Kress transport vehicle to Antarctica?

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 19:19

Michelle Brown

status: 1Hi Hannah and Connor! Thank you for all the great questions. Here are my
answers:

1. This is an important question because it gets at the point of our study.
My research team has been coming to Antarctic for 15 years (I have only
come here twice now, but Andrew has come here for 15 years). The team is
collecting sediment samples to monitor the levels of pollutants in the
ground. The more data over time that they collect, the better they can see
trends. Therefore, the more recent years have held the most promise, since
a trend of data is starting to be visible.

2. Carl says the scenery is his favorite. Andrew and Steve think the
ability to work on science that protects the Antarctic environment is their
favorite aspect -- it makes it special. Michelle agrees with Andrew and
Steve, but also finds looking out the window and seeing an expanse of ice
breathtaking!

3. There are sediment samples from the seafloor at Winter Quarters Bay (an
area that was once heavily polluted) that are now showing slight
improvement in toxicity level over time. This has been an interesting
finding.

4. Hmm.. this is a great question and difficult to answer. My favorite
historic explorer is Ernest Shackleton, however I would say we were more
like Robert F. Scott's group, since they were (in my opinion) the most
dedicated to investigating scientific aspects of Antarctica.

5. We would hope to see the concentrations of contaminants in sediments
decrease over time.

Great job asking some thoughtful questions! Keep reading and asking
questions!

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 20:19

Michelle Brown

status: 1Hi Lily,

There are 4,000 people in Antarctica in the summer. It is hard to figure
out how many of those people are scientists and how many are support staff.
I would say at least 50%, probably more, are support staff, so less than
2000 people are scientists. (I will try to follow up with exact numbers for
you!)
From talking to biologists about the videos I took, I learned quite a bit
about the organisms I filmed. There are a bunch of larval fish under the
sea ice. There are also ctenophora -- a strange organisms that has
tentacles. The type of ctenophora is mertensiid ctenophora, which have
sticky structures that capture copepods and other organisms. I also saw a
Weddell Seal, which a biologist informed me was a male, approximately 5 -
10 years old, since he didn't have many cuts and scrapes from fighting on
him yet. I think the wheels on the Ivan the Terra bus need to be big
because of weight dispersion--the big tires spread out the weight over more
space. I'll check with some folks! We were collecting sediments near a
penguin category because the land there was similar to the land at McMurdo
Station, but unlike McMurdo Station, there wasn't a history of pollution
and human impact there. Antarctic days in November are LONG! The sun never
sets! That means you have to check your watch to know when it is time to go
to sleep and use an alarm clock to wake up!

Thank you for such thoughtful questions!

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 20:19

Michelle Brown

status: 1Hi Cameron,

Below are answers to your questions--thanks for writing!
1) An Ob Tube is a big metal tube that has been stuck into the sea ice with
a viewing room at the bottom (it's really, really small). It allows people
to see organisms swimming in the ocean under the sea ice.
2) I feel so lucky to be able to work here in Antarctica! Although I miss
my family sometimes, I feel as though the work I am doing here is important
and it is the experience of a lifetime to work and live at the bottom of
the world!
3) Every day here is different! There are activities we do for work and
then there are things we can do for fun. The best way to get a sense of
life down here is to read my journals every day. Some times we are out on
the ice, collecting sea floor samples, sometimes we are on land, sometimes
we are in the lab office getting ready for another sampling site. We also
have lots of fun in our free time. There are trips to Scott Base, the New
Zealand station, you can take hikes around the island, you can rent videos
and watch them in lounges here. Stay tuned to see what other activities we
do here!
4) The work I am doing now is to collect sediment samples. The research
team will test the samples for pollutants once they are back in Texas. It
is exciting to see what they pull up from the seafloor. Today our team
pulled out a giant sea star, whose tissue we will look at to see if there
are pollutants in it. I also get to observe and sometimes participate in
other research groups' experiments, which are fun. For example, I was able
to help a researcher record the respiration rates of sea urchin larvae!
5) The climate is COLD! It is sunny 24 hours a day, windy and temperatures
are typically between 10 - 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is especially cold
when it is windy! It is even colder at the South Pole and beyond--when I
was there in 2011, it was -30 degrees F.

Thanks for some really great questions!

Mon, 11/16/2015 - 20:19

Michelle Brown

status: 1Everything that comes to McMurdo Station does so via a huge cargo ship that
arrives in January or in C-17 and other planes that arrive from New
Zealand. The Kress vehicle is so heavy, I would think it came down on the
cargo ship, but I will double check!