Journal

Sadly, we have left the Dry Valleys for McMurdo Station. That first shower was SO NICE! Since then, we have spent our time resting, unpacking gear and returning it. It has been warm (ok, warm-ER) and sunny, and we hope to do a little cross-country ski after work today!

I also have been busy making a couple of videos for you! Here is one of them:

Details
Author
Lucy Coleman
Date
Location
McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Expedition
Microbial Interactions in Antarctic Lakes
Weather Summary
Sunny and calm
Temperature
28°F
Wind Chill
18°F

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Comments

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 07:28

Tommy kirkland

HI, can you Reply hello if you do my teacher will give a piece of candy.

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 15:18

Elaine

I love the video! Super informative and interesting. I am wondering if the pandemic caused a gap in data collection? Will that affect prediction results?

Wed, 12/07/2022 - 11:33

Lucy Coleman

Great question!!

Unfortunately, the pandemic really did limit the amount of data that could be collected in 2020-2022. There was SOME data still being collected by autonomous devices, and there were a small handful of teams that were still allowed to come down and collect data. Fortunately, there is still a relatively large amount of data from before and after that will allow scientists to analyze big trends over long periods of time.

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 20:07

Anonymous

Hi in Antarctica. Did you see any penguins there?

Wed, 12/07/2022 - 11:34

Lucy Coleman

We did see some adelie penguins as we crossed the sea ice by helicopter as we made our way back to McMurdo Station. They were scurrying into the water and we flew by so fast, I didn't get a good photo of them.

Mon, 12/05/2022 - 20:10

Lily Vesper

Hi. How's Antarctica? Are there orcas in the water there?

Wed, 12/07/2022 - 11:36

Lucy Coleman

Hi Lily! We did see some orcas from the helicopter as we crossed McMurdo Sound, headed back to McMurdo Station! I didn't get a great photo....

Wed, 12/07/2022 - 18:52

isaac shafer

Hi Lucy! I have two questions...
1. how are there saltwater and freshwater? I always thought the ice and snow in Antarctica is from the lakes and other water bodies that used to be there.
2. whenever I think of Antarctica, I think of huge downy coats and very warm clothes, it seems like you guys are only wearing a normal winter coat, is this because your coats are specially made, or is it not as cold as normally portrayed through the media?

Fri, 12/09/2022 - 09:15

Lucy Coleman

Hi Isaac-

Wow- nice questions!
1. These lakes are special in that they aren't far from McMurdo Sound and the ocean, and in fact were once connected to the ocean thousands of years ago. Eventually, they got cut off, but the water was salty from that previous connection. As the ecosystem became dry, some of the water evaporated, leaving a higher concentration of salt that is still in these lakes today.
2. Don't let the clothes fool you- it is VERY cold here!! When we began our field season, we experienced wind chill of -27°F at the coldest. That was in November, but December is the beginning of "summer" here with 24 hours of daylight, which means that temperatures have risen to be 25°F at times, allowing us to wear fewer layers. But also keep in mind that the videos are filmed during rare times when the wind isn't blowing, so that might also be giving you the false impression that its not as cold here.