Antarctica: Pressure Ridges

Photos from a tour of the pressure ridges out in front of the NZ base. These ridges are formed by constant heating and cooling of cracks in the ice, causing ice to expand and force its way out.

A good example of a pressure ridge

Scott's Base (NZ base)

Me in front of some ridges

Cool ice formation

A massive ridge called the Cathedral

Antarctica: The Adventure Continues

Here are some more pictures I took while out at the airfields.

This photo captures a commonly sighted phenomenon down here known as a "sun dog." According to Wikipedia "it is an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds."
The crane on the back of the truck is hoisting a payload for a long duration balloon launch.

Filling the balloon with helium, the design and size of the balloon allows it to fly for over a 100 days.

Me wrapping my mitt around the balloon

A successful launch

Stoked to be riding the snowmobile

A little less stoked after this unfortunate accident - thankfully I didn't tip it all the way into the ocean.

C-130 Hercules coming in for some fuel

C-17 Globemaster III much much bigger than the C-130

Ice Parties

Life outside of work on the ice is good as long as we don't run out of beer. Here's a bunch of random shots from various gatherings offering a glimpse into what were up to during our downtime.

Good ol'fashion blue grass at our Freezing Man Party. Shane and I - both a bit surprised

Me and Owen - I'm a bit more excited then him at this point

Danny in his best dress raising funds for the Rugby Club, and contracting hypothermia in the process (minutes later he was at the medical center - watch the video)

Shane playing Kenny G

Owen returning to his primate roots

Porn Spill, funk at its best

A pyramid of Fuelies

Fuelies taking a ride on the iron whale

Matt showing off how to "back it up" southern style

Shane and Tarin, Wisconsin long hairs

Around the Base

I haven't travelled to any new places outside of the McMurdo area so I don't have too many new scenery photos, but here are a few new ones just around the town.

McMurdo Town shot from the top of Ob Hill.

The helo pad at McMurdo 2 A-stars up in the front, 3 Bell-212s in the back (the one on the far right is the New Zealander's helicopter)

Due to the strong winds and cold temperatures the best way to work on a chopper is to take off the main rotor blade, and wheel it into the hanger.

Aside from penguins, seals, and orcas, Antarctica, is home to skuas. These evil birds are a pest at best, hovering around our town swooping down on unsuspecting folks in the hopes of stealing a bite from those walking from the galley with hands laden with trays of food. They lack fear perhaps due to knowledge that they are classified as "untouchables" under the Antarctic Treaty, whatever the case they won't bat an eye at puncturing your flesh with their beaks, or robbing you of an entire tray of food.

A silouette of a demon

Our radar site

Down at the ice edge you can see pressure ridges forming, caused by sheets of ice colliding as the sea moves.

Another pic of McMurdo

Antarctica: Willy Field

Here are some random shots that I've taken while at Willy Airfield fueling aircraft.

C-131 preparing for a South Pole flight. We usually fill five of these big boys a day, and most of them are heading to the South Pole.

The beautiful Basler in the foreground and the little Twin Otter in the background. These smaller aircraft are used for support missions to various field camps.

Me on Delta Scharen, a fat chick with lots of attitude and fuel. This monster truck is what we fuelies drive to fuel off-base buildings and camps. Her back half articulates, which considering her size makes her fairly easy to steer.

This guy swaggered into Willy Field out of no where. While its common to run into small adelie penguins around the McMurdo area, the emperor penguins are a rare site, especially out in the Willy Field area which is further from the sea than McMurdo. Doing the belly slide - a much faster way to travel considering their slow awkward gait

Antarctica: The Ice Cave

For ten years the ice cave near Cape Evans (2 hours to the west of McMurdo) has been closed, but this year the ice was determined safe enough for entry, and the cave was reopened for exploration. I quickly signed up for the opportunity to check out the cave.

The cave is basically a crack formed where the glacial ice meets the sea ice.

The entry point

To reach the cave you must first take a ride on an ice slide

The shades of blue inside the cave are incredible

A proud man

A wild ice swirl

Me hanging outside the entrance

Antarctica: My new home

The final big day of training involved heading out onto the sea ice to check out and identify ice cracks and measure ice depth. All of this is very important when traveling across the ice to remote field camps, because swimming around here is no fun.

McMurdo from afar

The Dry Valleys southwest of McMurdo across the sea ice. Piston bullys, the best way to travel

Me an a big ol' ice drill. I have a meter bit on, but you can continuously add bits dependent on how thick the ice is. The United States Antarctic Program declares that the ice must be at least 30 inches thick before foot or vehicle travel is allowed.

An iceberg trapped in the sea ice

Me demonstrating my Ti Chi capabilities as I balance on my water bottle.

A straight edge crack heading right up to an iceberg

Discovery Hut, this is the original shack used in Robert Scott's 1901 exploration of Antarctica. It was prefabricated in Australia based on the houses used in the Outback. This was a very bad design to model the hut after, because typical Outback houses are made to shield one from the heat not insulate one from the cold. Aside from basic design flaws the Discovery Hut was insufficiently insulated with felt, making the structure so cold that the explorers all slept on the boat. It was used primarily as a storage shed and theater. McMurdo base is right next to the hut, and so I took a guided tour of the grounds.
Oldtime vittles

Me in the hut

The Meat locker

Vince's cross, erected in memory of George Vince, a member of Robert Scott's crew who died in an accident during their exploration of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest and driest place on earth - the best way to combat this harsh environment is to kick back in a warm humid greenhouse every now and then.