Ice Pressure Ridges

One of the more interesting features outside of McMurdo Station is the Ice Pressure Ridges just outside Scott Base. This is the area where the shelf ice from a glacier is moving out and over the Ross Sea and the ice from the Ross Sea meet. The ridges are formed similarly to the way mountains are formed with techtonic plate movement. The when they meet they have only two ways to go, up or down. This is a view from Scott Base.

 Tours are offered now and then for people to walk on a marked path through a section of the pressure ridges. This is a closer view.

The formations include ice and snow. There is some ice here that has been moved to an upright position.

 Here I am next to a larger formation. It is an interesting time to watch where to step as there are inclines, ice and cracks. Slow is the way to go.

 Here is one of the cracks that we had to step over. The marked path is checked and remarked every other day as new cracks form all the time. Stepping into a crack is not a good thing as it could be really deep and one could get hurt.

 Here is one of the more interesting formations.

 As a result of holes being created in the pressure ridges, seals find a way out of the water and rest on top of the ice. There were three seals on our marked path so we had to carefully walk around them at about 50 ft away. We are not allowed to disturb them. If our presence makes them act differently, we are too close.

 Here is a place that the seals may have used to get out of the water.

 This seal was giving us a little show by rubbing his face and rubbing his hind flippers together.
We watched and took photos for at least 15 minutes here.

Another interesting formation at the pressure ridges.

Here is a video of one of the seals rolling its head.

Underwater Sea Ice Observatory Tube

I have to say this is very awesome! An underwater observation tube was installed in the sea ice just off Hut Point near one of the fishing huts. This is great for those of us who don't get to scuba dive to see what's in the water under the ice.

  The sea ice is about 8 feet thick. The two foot diameter tube has foot holds going along the inside so that one can climb down about 15 feet to the floor of the observation area.

 Nearby Fish Hut used for divers.

 Co-worker Chris. Visitors are allowed to visit the Observation Tube only if they have attended an Outdoor Field Safety lecture, go with another person, get the key from the firehouse dispatch, get the radio from the firehouse dispatch and return the key and radio when done. Safety first!

 Hut Point

 My feet standing on the Ross Sea Ice.

Below the Sea Ice looking up

The observation area is about three feet in diameter and about 6 ft high. It has windows all around. It is very peaceful inside. There is enough room for two people, but no red parkas! I had to leave mine outside tucked under the steel bar. I could see the bottom of the sea ice and the sea floor. There were many small translucent fish which looked like they were just floating in the water. They didn't move much. I also saw a small possible jellyfish. It was translucent as well. Others who have been in the tube have observed a seal, a penguin and more jellyfish.

Early Animal Appearances at McMurdo

 This Skua (a large bird) decided to plant itself in the middle of the road just outside the Galley entrance. It has a tendancy to dive bomb anyone holding a plate of food to try and get some freebies.

These Emperor penguins decided to visit the Ice Runway  a few weeks ago. They are about three feet tall. One of them talked to a pickup truck for half an hour!

Julie Barber - Marine Biologist

 Julie holding a quadrant which is used for counting clams

Julie in the Ice Hole ready to Dive

What is your work position title? 

I have a real job in Washington where I work as a shellfish biologist for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. I help them manage their shellfish populations. I am really interested in sustainable fisheries! My work here in Antarctica is not connected to my job back in Washington. I am a scientific diver here and I work on a project studying decadal changes in seafloor ecology.

When did you decide you wanted to be an engineer/scientist?

I was really young when my parents took me on my first whale watch off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I decided then (maybe I was 8 or 9?) that I wanted to be a marine biologist. I never looked back and I still love my job!

What kind of things did you like to do growing up that you think influenced your decision to go into science? 

I loved going to the beach and wandering around tidepools. My parents also sent me to camps for kids interested in marine biology - I think these were great ways to get started in my career. I also took as many science courses as I could in high school.

What kind of work do you do in Antarctica?

Most of the work I've done as a marine biologist has involved SCUBA diving. I have over 1000 dives logged in places like Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and yes, occasional warm spots like Indonesia and Australia. I came to Antarctica to work as a scientific diver. It is awesome to dive under the ice and see huge sponges, gorgeous anemones, and big sea stars.

What would you say to anyone thinking about going into science?

Pursue your dream! Stick through the tougher classes that you might not want to take....don't let one course that isn't interesting to you keep you from following your dream. Take some time off between undergraduate work and graduate school to work in your field of choice. I took two years off before going back to graduate school. I worked as a scientific diver for Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska - I learned great techniques and got practical experience that I could apply to my graduate work. I think I never would have done as well in graduate school had I not taken that time "off" from school to work.

What school did you go to and how long did it take you to get your degree? 

I went to the University of New Hampshire where I received a BS in Marine and Freshwater Biologiy with a minor in Environmental Science. I spent one out of the four years it took me to get my BS in Australia studying abroad. Take any opportunity you can to learn outside of America!! My received my MS in biology from the University of Rhode Island. I took three years to finish my MS research and thesis.

Happy Camper School - Spending the "Night" on a Glacier

Happy Camper School starts out in the Science Support Center for a couple hours of lectures on how to keep warm (food, exercise and water) and how to recognize the signs of cold injury - frostbite, hypothermia, chilblains and trench foot. The class had 20 participants and 3 trainers. Then we get a few minutes to go back to our dorms and bring anything that we may have forgotten in our packs. We bring all of our Extreme Cold Weather gear and anything else that might help us keep warm. I brought plenty of hand warmers and toe warmers. Someone in class asked about bringing a wool blanket to help sleep with. I decide that is a good idea and grab mine. We get our sack lunches and get in the delta vehicle for the ride outside of McMurdo to the area for Snow School which is about 8 miles from town. I eventually share a tent with the person wearing the blue hat. Her name is Mary too.

 This is my self portrait riding in the delta to camp.

 Once we have a bit of camp stove and vhf radio training in a quanset hut, we walk out to the shed containing all of the camp gear we need in addition to the sleep kits and our personal gear. I did lead everyone in a Hokey Pokey to keep us warm at one point. The sleep kits included a mummy sleeping bag rated to -40 degrees, two half inch thick foam pads, fleece cozy for inside the mummy bag, a plastic mug and spoon. Camp gear includes four camp stoves (think back packing), food, shovels, pick axes, flags, water, and tents. After the trainers let us know what we are to do as a group - including giving vhf radio for check in to the radio leader, they left us to go to their warm hut for the night about half a mile away.

 This is a photo of camp from half way to the outhouse.

 The tall wall houses the kitchen area. The wall is to protect the stoves from the wind. The wind can get pretty bluster out there. We were lucky to have about only a half an hour of really gusty winds which kicked up the snow from the hill behind us. We had to boil snow to make water for our water bottles, dinner packets and any warm drinks.

 The people in the photo above are working on digging trenches to sleep in. The trick to sleeping comfortably in a trench is to have an enclosed top. That seems to be the trickiest part, especially for newbies. I decided a tent would be just fine.

 This is trainer Julian showing how to correctly use a camp stove. Never pour fuel into the fuel bottle with only glove liners as that is a sure way to get frostbite if the fuel spills on your hands.

 This is a picture of Black Island which is about 25 miles away. The snow walls in the photo were what was left from previous camps. We used sleds to get some of these blocks for our kitchen and other wind blocks.

 This is me after a night out on the glacier. Happy to have made it through the night (about -15 degrees) without getting frostbite.

Once we broke camp and put the camp gear back where it belonged, we had a bit more training in the warm quanset hut. We learned how to use the HF radio and what to do if someone gets missing in a whiteout condition. We were back in town about 2:30 and after watching a video on how to approach and exit a helicoptor correctly and practice getting the different seat belts on for a helicopter, class was over.

Ice Mirage - Mirain

There is an effect on the ice of a kind of a mirage. The island shown behind the church is about twenty-five miles away. The bottom of the island looks a bit elongated, almost like there are shear cliffs along the entire length of the base. This is the illusion. I'm not sure of the correct spelling, but I've heard people call it a mirain.

This is another shot without the church to obscure the view. It only happens during the right weather conditions and position of the sun.