Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 12/15/2012 - 20:36
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Antarctic Sub Glacial Lake and Stream Studies

On your December 3rd entry I examined the pictures. I noticed that you could see a lot farther on November 11 than on December 3 and that the wind was blowing the flags in different directions. Does the weather in Antarctica always change like this from month to month?

I noticed that in a lot of your entries you talked about many other experiments going on at the same time as the WISSARD project. Which project was the most interesting to you?

Thu, 12/20/2012 - 17:14

Mike LeBaron

Great eye! You are very observant.The two pictures probably do show different weather. In Antarctica the weather can change very quickly - in just a few hours. When there are not any storms or clouds, the air is very clear and you can see an amazing distance. Sometimes though, just like anywhere else, it can get cloudy and the visibility drops. Wind all so affects it because when the snow starts to blow it really cuts the visibility. Most storms come from the South - off of the continent. They bring cold air and high winds.
When the wind is from the North, it tends to be better weather. Just like anywhere else on Earth, winds are the result of differences in air pressure. Wind always blows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, so when the wind shifts, it's the result of a change in air pressure.
Of all the projects I saw or heard about (other than mine, of course), It was fun to hear about the penguin researchers because, face it, who doesn't like penguins? Another one that really kept my attention was one that another PolarTREC teacher was on. It looked at the geology of the Dry Valleys. See Jackie Hamms journal entries for more on that one.
Thanks for sending in your questions. If you think of more, Ask the Team.