What a great variety of shots from McMurdo you have given us. I really enjoyed the art pieces :) Sounds like you're getting a well-rounded look at life in Mac Town! I caught up on some of your journals and have some questions. First, the NASA balloons: How do they know where to retrieve the payloads-GPS? You said they travel around the world - from Antarctica? And, regarding the DOM, how will studying the DOM from the pristine conditions in the glacier help scientists study the the oceanic DOM? What exactly are they looking at? Keep up the excitement Sarah, you're doing great!! Happy New Year dear friend, Lollie

Sarah Diers

Happy Holidays Lollie!Thanks for reading up on my adventures. I am really getting to know my way around McMurdo and am very happy to call many wonderful people in this community, friends. The amount of "behind the scenes" work that goes into making science happen in Antarctica is astounding! The NASA long duration balloons do have a GPS unit attached to their payload. The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility maintains a website where you can see the path of the balloons as they travel around in the upper limits of Earth's atmosphere. .Understanding the chemical composition, and creation of DOM in a relatively simple environment like that found on the Cotton Glacier is like using the Rosetta stone to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. If scientists really understand the complexities of DOM in a system like the Cotton Glacier they can then begin to unravel the mysteries of DOM in messier systems, like that of the oceans. Scientists know so little about this huge source of organic carbon- as of right now, the largest source known on Earth- that it is very exciting to work with a team in the forefront of deciphering information about such a mysterious scientific topic.Enjoy the rest of your winter break. My 2nd webinar is on Jauary 6th at 10am PST. I hope you can join!Keep Cool, Sarah