Family Reunion in Christchurch
My PolarTREC adventure is coming to a close. My family flew into Christchurch today and we had a happy reunion at the airport. We are going to spend a few days together in New Zealand before…
Inside a C-17
Delays? Of course there are. Our plane was scheduled to leave New Zealand this morning at 9:00. In typical Antarctic fashion we woke up to a four hour weather delay. At 1:00 PM there was another…
Castle Rock and Mount Erebus
The routine has been broken. Our typical McMurdo schedule of long days in the lab has come to a close. We spent a day and a half cleaning up the lab in preparation for lab checkout. The lab is now…
Dr. Chu Teaching at Arrival Heights
We were invited to visit the Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) facility on Arrival Heights by Xinzhao Chu today. Arrival Heights is an important place for atmospheric research. LIDAR is just one of…
Hello everyone. This is just a quick post about today's PolarConnect event. Byron and I had a great time visiting with you and we were impressed by all of the great questions. I will update this post…
Helicopter in Virginia Valley
Today was the last time that I will be able to go out in the field to collect samples and I couldn't ask for a better way to end the season. Andy Thompson, Ashley Shaw, and I went to Virginia Valley…
Broadcasting from McMurdo
Hello everyone. Today's blog is going to be short. I just wanted everyone to know that Byron Adams and I are going to be broadcasting live from McMurdo on Tuesday, January 24th. The webcast will be…
Discovery Hut
Discovery Hut in 2017 has been painstakingly restored to its condition when it was built by Robert Falcon Scott in 1902. The hut was only used for a few years by early Antarctic explorers. Discovery…
Ross Virginia and Diana Wall
"Our First Year of Big Science" Ross Virginia wrote in the Lake Hoare camp log book in January 1990. 27 years later and it can definitively be said that Ross Virginia and Diana Wall have indeed done…
Bdelloid Rotifer
There are three major types of animals that are found in the Dry Valley Soils: Nematodes, Tardigrades and Rotifers. Nematodes were discussed in the 5 Jan. 2017 post, Tardigrades were discussed in the…
McMurdo Station
I get lots of questions about food in McMurdo so here is a blog about food. The galley (cafeteria) is located in building 155 which is the big blue building in the middle of town. Building 155 is…
The Polar Star
The big news in McMurdo today is the arrival of the Polar Star. The Polar Star is operated by the United States Coast Guard and it is the US's only polar-class heavy icebreaker. The ship moves very…