Anna McKee

The weather station at WAIS is monitored several times a day to determine wind speed & direction, temperature, pressure and ceiling hieght. Sometimes a weather balloon is launched to confirm the cloud ceiling for aviation.

Weather drives everything in the United States Antarctic Program; flights happen or don’t, camps get re-supplied or don’t, work progresses or doesn’t. Even moderate winds in sub-freezing temperatures can make outdoor work difficult or impossible. Of course knowing weather conditions would make planning that much easier. But predicting the weather here is more complicated, and less precise than I realized.

Most of us are used to “double doppler” radar and other advanced technology to help us plan our day. Though weather becomes difficult to predict more than several days in advance, we can usually rely on the 48 hour forecast. But there is far less satellite coverage and monitoring in Antarctia than almost anywhere else in the world. I spoke with Mike Carmody the head of meteorology for Raytheon in support of the USAP, who, lucky for me, was stationed at WAIS to learn a bit about how weather observations and forecasts are made.

There are two centers in the United States that monitor conditions here. First is the Antarctic Meteorological Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They collect and distribute the data from approximately 140 automated weather stations installed around the continent (to compare, the US has weather monitoring every 40 miles or so) and manned stations operated by the US and other nations.  The other is the Navy’s Space Warfare Center, a civilian naval facility in Charleston that takes this data, plus satellite and ground observations from several locations to forecast the weather for aviation.

Like all weather forecasting, a model is used to predict conditions in the future. But here is the thing to remember, models used to predict weather in the United States are informed by over 100 years of continous weather data. Antarctica has only been continously occupied for 50 years, and only in a few locations. So the model that is used to predict weather here is based on very scant data.  Plus there is the added complication of conflicting information between satellite and ground observations. The satellite picture gives a broad sweep, but cannot see under the clouds to determine visibility, etc. The ground observer can describe current conditions accurately, but cannot see beyond that. So operations has to weigh all of this information before sending planes into the sky risking that they might not be able to land in poor visibility and flat light.

Watercolor sketch of my beloved "Big Red"

It really drove home for me another important goal of the ice core being acquired at the WAIS Divide. Data from the core will give very accurate information for annual temperatures and atmospheric conditions for the past 10,000 years. This will be added to the weather models to improve predictions. In the meantime, I don’t ever go anywhere in Antarctica without my Big Red (the high loft, very warm coat issued to all participants in the USAP)!

uh-oh!  The day of my flight, there is ground fog!  It is a bit hard to see in this photo, but look at that swath of purplish-blue between the mountains and the sea ice.  I am not due to go out until 14:15, so maybe this will burn off, but I suspect it is not quite like the early morning fog in Seattle.  The fog is pouring in from the south, where I am told the worst weather comes from.  It has been so mild and calm here, that it is interesting to see a change.  Too bad it comes at an inconvenient time.

Yesterday, I ran around getting my gear together, but also had time to join a tour to Discovery Hut.  This is Scott’s hut just on the edge of McMurdo, at Hut Point.  I can walk out there any time, but must join an official tour to see inside.

It turns out, this is just fine with me; the place is a dump!  Super smelly carcasses hanging everywhere and tattered clothes; guys are such slobs! ;-)  I really appreciate my EWC (extreme weather clothing).  Its quite an improvement from 100 years ago.

On the walk back to town, I reflected on the processes of historic accretion.  We know more about Scott’s and Shackleton’s expeditions in part due to the artifacts they left behind.  Roald Amundson, on the other hand, traveled light and left very little behind, aside from a tent at the pole – long buried in the ice.

Our current ethics dictate that we also leave no trace on the continent, or at least minimize our trace as much as possible.  So I think it is ironic that one of the best planners and stewards (whether that was his goal or not) of the heroic age is the least well known.  I suppose this is an obvious truth about the preservation of stories, but it felt particularly poinant as I wandered through Scott’s tailings.

Now I am off to make last minute preparations before my flight.  You will know if I got out soon. – Ciao from The Ice!

The next day, I awoke early, so got the whisperlite stoves going and soon we had hot water for cocoa, instant coffee and oatmeal – yummy.  The rest of the morning went by quickly.  We broke camp and then practiced calling MacOps (radio into headquarters).  “MacOps, MacOps, MacOps – this is Happy Camper, do you copy?” The photo looks like I am searching the sky for an answer, but I am simply following directions from my instructor.

After fun with the UHF radio, we donned buckets and tried to find our instructor outside, to simulate searching for a person in a white out.  I had seen this scenario in Herzog’s movie Encounters at the End of The World, but couldn’t imagine how completely turned around one can become.  Fortunately, I had a skilled team member in the lead and he actually found the instructor.

The time went by very fast and soon enough we were headed back to town.  I had a quick shower and then joined a tour of the pressure ridges.  This is an area next to Scott Base where the pressure from tides and the transition of sea ice to land has caused the sea ice to uplift.  It is spectacular; though I was tired from the past two days, I was glad I went.  We walked along the ridges for about a kilometer, all of us snapping our cameras.  Near the end of the walk, we came upon a female seal and her pup.  The wildlife is very cute here.

The days at McMurdo have been very busy and full.  I spend an inordinate amount of time simply keeping track of my gear.  Between organizing gear, attending trainings and touring the area by foot, I have not had much spare time to go through photos and create a slide show.  Tomorrow I fly out to the WAIS field camp, when my real work begins.  I will also have a bit more time to process my photos.  If my flight goes as scheduled, I will have time for one more post.  Otherwise, I fly out at 6:15am, and will be out of range for all but plain text.  My descriptions will have to suffice until I get back to the comforts of McMurdo around the new year.

I am slowly getting used to the layout and pace of the station.  I have been walking around jetlagged and sleep deprived, so all of the new information is going in slowly, most of it dropping all around me.  The folks who work here know this and remind me to take it easy.  There is a wonderful spirit of kindness here.  Though the USAP staff can’t make the weather cooperate, they do everything else in their power to get grantees what they need to accomplish their project.  For me that means coordinating all of my training, helping me gather the necessary gear for field camp and getting me to the middle of West Antarctica at the WAIS deep field camp.

Yesterday I had time to draw for a few hours, a very grounding experience.  I also took a short walk around the base and finally got a full nights sleep so am much sharper today.  Discovery Hut is on the edge of “town”, down one of the dirt roads that crisscross (higglety pigglety comes to mind) the collection of buildings that comprise McMurdo Station.  It was nice to get away to Hut Point; it is kept unaltered from the days it was occupied by the Scott and Shackleton expeditions.  It is corny, but I felt a bit spooked – my overly active imagination “felt” their presence – a product of too much explorer reading, no doubt.

It was about 10pm and the sun was low in the southeast.  McMurdo sits at approximately 77° S, 166°E, so the sun turns around us, rising higher during the day and lower at “night”.  I haven’t allowed myself to stay up late to see how low it gets.  As I am a short-timer in McMurdo, my dorm is interior in the building, with no windows.  It’s convenient for sleeping, but disorienting.  Tomorrow I go out onto the Ross Ice Shelf to attend the two day Happy Camper Course.  I will no doubt stay up late then and get a better sense of the light.

Here is a shot looking almost directly south.  Observation Hill is on the left and in the distance is the edge of Black Island.

I am offline for two days while out on the ice at school.  See you on Sunday (Saturday in the USA).

December 4th, I will begin a long journey to the most inaccessible, remote location I could dream of ever reaching – the West Antarctic Ice Sheet .  I am going there to document the WAIS Divide Ice Core Project with support from the National Science Foundation Artists and Writers Program.

Scientist are drilling a 3.5 kilometer ice core (that’s almost 19 Space Needles!) in order to gain a more detailed understanding of climate change for the past 100,000 years or so.  For me, the core represents a profound record of time and memory.  The earth saves its history for us and the scientists are the augers of this knowledge.  I am humbled by the opportunity to document this field work in images and words.

During the past two months, I have worked with my very helpful program manager at The US Antarctic Program to schedule flights, equipment and training.  There was also a gauntlet of medical and dental tests to endure (physically and monetarily).  I am now packing and making last minute arrangements.

From Seattle, I fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, where I will be outfitted with extreme weather gear (EWG) from the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC).  I will then take a C-17 transport plane to the McMurdo Base to spend a week learning how to live and work safely on the continent.  This includes Happy Camper School, an overnight camping on the ice shelf near McMurdo.  Word has it that the night you spend in your own show shelter will be the coldest of your life.  I have been assured that the tent I stay in while on the plateau will be “warm” in comparison.

Above is a schematic map highlighting my trip from New Zealand to the WAIS Field Camp.  Once at WAIS, I will spend most of my time drawing, taking photos and helping with tasks around the camp.  A priority will be to draw outside whenever the weather allows.  Even on a calm day, I will likely be battling 10knot winds.  Due to these extremes, I am keeping my gear light and relatively small.  Drawings will be done on 1/4 sheets (15″x11″) with pencils.  I am taking a field watercolor set for painting indoors.  I have several snow activities planned, including taking rubbings of a snow pit, creating ice time capsules to photograph and skiing on the plateau.

Once underway, I plan to post daily, as internet access allows, to chronicle my trip.  Check back and send warm thoughts my way!