Published during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for the United States Antarctic Program

On the Web at http://www.asa.orgDecember 19, 1999

The great, smokymountain / Page 8

Greatest showgirlon Earth / Page 12

Cold classroom /Page 5

A New Zealand C-130 delivers a Bell 212 helicopter to the ice runway last week. The newarrival took the place of the Royal New Zealand Air Force helo used in the first part of theseason. Photo by Ed Bowen.

By Aaron SpitzerThe Antarctic Sun

Two pilots escaped injury Sundaywhen their Twin Otter aircraft crashedduring takeoff from an isolated landingsite in East Antarctica.

The plane, a deHavilland TwinOtter turboprop owned by Kenn BorekAir Ltd. and chartered to the U.S. Antarc-tic Program, was taking off around 3:15p.m. Sunday when it caught a ski in thesnow and tipped sideways. A wing hitthe ground and the plane sufferedextensive damage.

The accident occurred on a tempo-rary skiway at Automated GeophysicalObservatory 6, located in Wilkes Land,about 800 miles northwest of McMurdo.The pilots had flown to the site earlier inthe day from McMurdo Station to dropoff two runway groomers, who werepreparing the strip for the arrival of anLC-130 Hercules ski-plane.

On Monday afternoon, anotherKenn Borek Twin Otter, chartered to theItalian Antarctic Program at Terra NovaBay, flew to the site and retrieved the twopilots. They arrived safely back atMcMurdo early Tuesday morning.

According to National ScienceFoundation safety and health officerHarry Mahar, the U.S. Antarctic Programand the National Transportation SafetyBoard will be reviewing the cause of thecrash.

Tom Quinn, the USAP’s air opera-tions supervisor, said the wreck was thefirst Twin Otter accident in the U.S.Antarctic Program. The planes have been

Ski-planecrashes atAGO-6

Congratulations, it’s a helicopter!

See “Otter”—Page 6 See “Waters”—Page 4

New space at SouthPole / Page 2

Most scientists come to Antarctica because it gives them a chance to do theirwork in the most pristine conditions on Earth. Clive Evans is here for the oppositereason. He’s come to Ross Island to look at what he calls one of the most pollutedplaces in the world: Winter Quarters Bay—the area between the ice pier andMcMurdo Station.

Evans, a professor of developmental and cancer biology at the University ofAuckland, said the bay has one of the highest toxic concentrations of any body ofwater on Earth. It’s a result of oil, fuel and other contaminants the Navy dumpeddecades ago when it ran McMurdo.

“We come down here to keep an eye on things, to see how the water islooking,” said Evans. “There are all kinds of nasty things buried in the hill. Thepollution gets pushed down the hill and the various types of seepage ooze into thebay.”

Standing inside a multicolored tent on top of the ice on the bay, the odor of

Testing tainted watersBy Josh LandisThe Antarctic Sun

The Antarctic Sun2 December 19, 1999

To build a better stationBy Josh LandisThe Antarctic Sun

Jerry Marty has a vision. Standingin a temporary two-room constructionhut at the South Pole, he sweeps his handacross blueprints and artists’ conceptionsof what the station will look like inanother six years.

Outside the window, the motleycollection of buildings, Jamesway huts,cargo piles, snow berms and vehicles thatlitter the landscape will be gone.

“When you get here in 2005, theonly thing you will see is this,” theNational Science Foundation projectmanager said, pointing to a simple,efficient drawing looking like somethingout of a science fiction novel.

It’s the future of the $128 millionSouth Pole Station Modernization, yearsin the making.

“It will allow the continuation andgrowth of the science program,” engi-neering projects manager Frank Briersaid. “Without new facilities the stationwould be closed in 10 to 15 years.”

Keeping it safe and habitable wouldbecome difficult long before that.

Amundsen-Scott Station, con-structed in the mid-1970s, was designedto last 20 to 25 years with far feweroccupants than it has had in recentseasons. Originally intended to house a

summer population of 30 men, thenumber has risen to more than 200 menand women, thanks to Jamesway hutsand other temporary shelters. This wintera record 50 people will spend the longpolar night.

In addition, the NSF’s work tomodernize the station has contributed tothe population boom. Constructionworkers have been pushing the envelopeas far as materials transport and resourceslike water and housing are concerned.

“We’re really busy here, practicallybursting at the seams,” Marty said.

Upon completion, the new stationwill be able to house 110 people. Of thatnumber, slightly less than 50 percent willbe scientists. The rest will be support

sweeping across the polar plateau fromburying the dome and other buildings.The new structure will stand on aframework of supports, keeping it up inthe air to minimize drift buildup. If thesnow ever gets as high as the stilts, theentire structure can be raised.

“It will be a high-quality facilitythat will support the U.S. AntarcticProgram for the next 25 to 40 years,” Briersaid.

“The only remaining design activityis the computer and communicationsystem,” he said. Designers will tacklethat challenge starting next year, and thesystems will be installed as the buildinggoes up.

Though the people will be living

personnel.The elevated structure will be

modular and, depending on scienceneeds, can be expanded to accommodate150 people. In addition to housing, it willhold the galley, store, laundry facilities,library, recreation room, medical office,greenhouse, emergency water and powersupplies, and heated storage areas.

Current research facilities like thespace and clean air observatories willremain where they are.

One of the biggest challenges ofmaintaining the current station is pre-venting the snow that’s constantly

and working while elevated, a network ofsub-snow facilities will be essential to thestation’s operation.

The old garage shop arch will becompletely covered by snow. It will stillbe used, however, for storage, wastemanagement and cargo. Buried on eitherside of it will be the new garage shop andnew power plant—all of it churningaway, out of the wind and out of the wayof drifting snow.

Amundsen-Scott Station will be afar different sight than it is now.

An artist’s conception of the new South Pole Station. Lines in the upper left corner indicate subsurface areas. Drawing by T. Vaughan

3December 19, 1999The Antarctic Sun

The Antarctic Sun, part of the UnitedStates Antarctic Program, is funded bythe National Science Foundation.Opinions and conclusions expressedin the Sun are not necessarily those of

the Foundation.Use: Reproduction and distribution are encouragedwith acknowledgment of source and author.Publisher: Valerie Carroll, Antarctic Support Associates.Editors: Jeff Inglis

Josh LandisAaron Spitzer

Contributions are welcome. Contact the Sun atsun_news@mcmurdo.gov. In McMurdo, visit ouroffice in Building 155 or dial 2407.Web address: http://www.asa.org

The week in weather

Tourist season gearing upThe Ross Sea tourist season is under

way, with last week’s departure of thevessel Kapitan Khlebnikov from Lyttleton,New Zealand.

The Khlebnikov, which set sailWednesday, will be joined in the Ross Seathis summer by three other tourist ships,the Marco Polo, the Akademic Shokalskiyand the Lyubov Orlova.

The Khlebnikov is scheduled to visitthe McMurdo Sound area on December 27,but will not actually stop at McMurdoStation until January 20. It will anchoroffshore and its 112 passengers will betransferred to land via Zodiac boats andhelicopters.

The Shokalskiy plans to arrive inMacTown the next day with 48 tourists onboard.

The next docking at McMurdoStation is set for February 11-12, when the

Marco Polo should arrive with between450-550 passengers. The Shokalskiy willmake a return visit February 16, again with48 visitors on board.

The Khlebnikov is operated byAmerican-based Quark Expeditions andZeghram Expeditions, while the Polo isrun by the U.S.-owned Orient Lines. NewZealand’s Heritage Expeditions operatesthe Shokalskiy, while the Lyubov Orlova isrun by Marine Expeditions of Canada.

Life in subglacial lake?Scientists have uncovered a wealth

of microbial life in the ice above the surfaceof the continent’s largest known subglaciallake, shedding light on the environment ofthe lake itself.

According to an article published inthe December 10 issue of Science maga-zine, ice cores extracted near the surface ofLake Vostok have revealed a range ofbacterial colonies cut off from the outsideworld for millions of years.

Lake Vostok is situated more than

It’s the week before ChristmasAnd the Store has new thingsHop to it and play SantaBefore you know itIt’ll be spring!

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* Operation Deep Freeze polos* Operation Deep Freeze polos* Operation Deep Freeze polos* Operation Deep Freeze polos* Operation Deep Freeze polos and T-shirts and T-shirts and T-shirts and T-shirts and T-shirts* 2 new styles of T-shirts* 2 new styles of T-shirts* 2 new styles of T-shirts* 2 new styles of T-shirts* 2 new styles of T-shirts* A new hat* A new hat* A new hat* A new hat* A new hat* New books:* New books:* New books:* New books:* New books: -Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler -Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler -Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler -Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler -Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler -Penguins by Jonathan Chester -Penguins by Jonathan Chester -Penguins by Jonathan Chester -Penguins by Jonathan Chester -Penguins by Jonathan Chester

New in the Store:

Thanks from Weddell WorldFor the past three seasons,

Weddell World was built and supportedby many wonderful individuals fromAntarctic Support Associates and theNational Science Foundation. We thankall of those who contributed directly tosupporting us, as well as those whocontributed indirectly by making ourtime at McMurdo Station so pleasurable.

All the best to all of you for ahappy holiday season and a wonderfulnew millennium, from the beakers ofWeddell World.

—Lee Fuiman

Letter to the editors

In brief two miles under the East Antarctic IceSheet, directly beneath Russia’s VostokStation. The body of water is approxi-mately the size of Lake Ontario, and wasdiscovered through radar and seismicstudies three years ago.

The microbial samples were found incores taken about 400 feet above the lake,in “accreted” ice, or ice thought to berefrozen lake water.

According to the article, co-authoredby researchers John Priscu and David Karl,the bacteria are biologically similar toknown organisms. Their presence in the iceraises questions about how life can exist insuch a dark, cold, isolated environment.

It is unclear whether the samemicrobes, or even more diverse species,exist in the liquid lake itself. Researchersfrom around the world gathered inEngland this September to discuss meth-ods of probing the lake without contami-nating it.

See “Briefs”—Page 10

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•

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McMurdoH/ 39 FL/ 16 FMin Wind Chill: -13 FMax Wind: 20 mph

South PoleH/ -18 FL/ -31 FMin Wind Chill: -63 FMax Wind: 21 mph

PalmerH/ 43 FL/ 28 FMin Wind Chill: -2 FMax Wind: 55 mph

The Antarctic Sun4 December 19, 1999

New Zealand graduate student Glenn Lurman hoists a fish pen to the surface ofWinter Quarters Bay. Lurman and his professor, Clive Evans, are studying theeffects of pollution on the fish. Photo by Aaron Spitzer.

Polluted Quarters

By Josh LandisThe AntarcticSun

Most scientistscome toAntarcticabecause itgives them achance to dotheir work inthe mostpristineconditions onEarth. CliveEvans is herefor the oppositereason. He’scome to RossIsland to look atwhat he callsone of the mostpolluted placesin the world:WinterQuarters Bay-the area between the ice pierand McMurdo Station.Evans, a professor ofdevelopmental and cancerbiology at the University ofAuckland, says the bay hasone of the highest toxicconcentrations of any body ofwater on Earth. It’s a result ofoil, fuel and other

“Waters—from Page 1

that seepage, and the sewage outfallfrom the station contrast sharply withthe clean air sweeping across McMurdoSound. There is an oily sheen visible ontop of the icy water in the hole.

“OK, let’s go!”Evans calls out toGlenn Lurman, agraduate student intoxicology. Momentslater, Lurman andEvans haul up a cagemade of plastictubing surroundedby a mesh material,with ten fish flop-ping at the bottom.

Water sam-pling can quantifythe pollutionproblem, but there isonly one way to findout how harmful it isto organisms livingin the area: catch andexamine them. Evansfocuses on fish,using Trematomusbernacchi as aquaticcanaries.

First Evanswent fishing offCape Royds, wherethe water is pristine,and caught 40 fish.Twenty he put underthe ice in WintersQuarters Bay, theother 20 he kept as acontrol group, at aclean site near CapeArmitage.

After twoweeks, he pulled tenfrom each group outof the water. The control group “lookedexcellent, pristine,” according to Evans.

Of the ten he pulled from WinterQuarters Bay, two had liver tumors andone had what he calls “X-cell disease.”It’s a condition that causes the gills toexpand and develop a foamy consis-tency, interfering with the animal’sability to breathe. The remaining sevenfish are being examined for otherailments.

“I’m surprised he saw such achange in the fish after just twoweeks,” environmental scientist ChuckKennicutt said. “Usually tumor growthis the last in a series of reactions to

toxins.”Kennicutt and his team are

sampling sites in and around McMurdoto assess the level of human impact inthe area. Winter Quarters Bay has beenhit the hardest. A polychlorinated

biphenyl (PCB) count of 6 parts permillion has been recorded there. That’s6,000 times higher than most scientistsconsider even marginally acceptable.

He said the reason the levels areso high has to do with the shape of thebay’s floor. It’s a natural catch basin,concentrating decades of toxins at thevery bottom. While it makes thepollutants stronger in the bay, it’s ablessing because it keeps them fromspreading.

It also makes the prospect of cleanup very complicated.

“The likelihood is, if you stir upsediments they could be redistributed

over a larger area,” said Kennicutt.Microbial remediation—the use of

microorganisms to degrade the pollut-ants—won’t work because the climateis too cold.

The plan so far has been to leaveit in place, and not do anykind of cleanup.

“But that was basedon the assumption that thetoxins were contained,”said Kennicutt.

If fish could poten-tially transport the con-taminants up the foodchain, it may change theway the situation isviewed.

Evans and Lurmanaim to shed more light onthe situation by repeatingtheir transplant experi-ment.

“At this point,whether the [tumors are]attributable to the fishbeing in Winter QuartersBay we can’t really say,”Lurman said.

Hydrocarbons andPCBs may be most harmfulto fish, but there’s anotherpollutant they have to dealwith: the raw sewagechurned out by McMurdoStation, which is pumpedinto the bay. Again, theunderwater topography ofthe bay keeps the wastefrom traveling.

The biggest threatfrom the sewage, accord-ing to Kennicutt, is a risein microbial life, which candrive a process thatultimately lowers the

amount of oxygen in the water.As for the effect of the effluvia, it

doesn’t seem to harm the fish. In fact,Evans said, they’ve come up with anadaptive approach to dealing with thewaste: they eat it.

It’s something he didn’t expectwhen he sampled fish living near thedischarge pipe.

“When I opened up their stom-achs they were filled with peas andcorn and carrots,” Evans said. “It wasquite a surprise to find out they were,shall we say, vegetarian.”

5December 19, 1999The Antarctic Sun

“I was born in the wrong century to be a pioneer,” saidJean Roberts, a high school science teacher from Fresno, Cali-fornia. And yet she is an explorer, one of only eight U.S. teach-ers in this year’s Teachers Experiencing Antarctica program.

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, TEA isa way for information about the polar regions to make its wayto America’s schools.

Teachers apply to come to Antarctica. Those who are se-lected, sometimes after multiple tries, are matched with re-search teams in the U.S. Antarctic Program.

The teachers then become part of the team, performingregular duties for thelength of the project’sstay on the Ice.

Bruce Smith, ahigh school chemistryteacher from Appleton,Wisconsin, said heworks 4-10 hours perday in the lab, as part ofthe Cape RobertsProject. But he getsaround town a lot,checking out variousplaces so he can e-mail adaily journal entry, an-other requirement of be-ing in TEA.

“I’ve been trying to hit as many departments as I can,”Smith said. He is working on introducing students back inthe U.S. to life around McMurdo Station, as well as to the sci-ence.

Sharon Harris, a high school teacher from Cincinnati,Ohio, has a “question of the day” in her journal. Each day shegives the answer to the previous day’s question. She also pe-riodically profiles people around the sta-tion, talking about who they are and whatthey do.

Different reasonsFor Roberts, it’s exhilarating to come

to the Ice.“Just coming to Antarctica has always

been a dream,” she said.Smith too wanted to visit the conti-

nent, but held out little hope for being se-lected. “I didn’t think I’d ever get here,” hesaid.

Harris felt a bit differently.“I knew where it was, but I really

didn’t know anything else about it,” shesaid. But this remote place has found its

place in her heart, too.“When we finally landed, I cried,” Harris said.According to Roberts, TEA really isn’t about teachers,

it’s about the kids. “Whatever I learn I pass on to them,” shesaid.

This is the aim of the program. Teachers come to Ant-arctica and absorb as much as they can. Upon their return tothe world, they share their new learning with teachers, stu-dents and community groups.

This even begins before they depart. Smith visited 20schools around his home before coming to the Ice. Robertshas contacted her local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs as well as amuseum near herhome.

Ice time reflectionsRoberts has

been largely a gen-eral assistant onMount Erebus, help-ing the research atthe Mount ErebusVolcano Observa-tory.

“They will bemoving stationsaround, download-ing data, setting upantennas,” she said.“I’m a pair of hands.”

She realizes, though, that she’s a representative for TEAall the time. She doesn’t want to give the program a bad nameamong researchers, who can choose to have a teacher alongor not.

“I didn’t want to be a burden to them. I wanted to be aworking member of the team,” she said. She does have a steeplearning curve, with new vocabulary and equipment to learn

about.Smith is also outside his usual field.

A chemist in a palynology lab, he’s hadto really think his way through makingthis experience apply directly to his class-room.

“It made me stretch,” he said. It alsomade him understand more of what theprofessional and academic worlds expectof scientists, helping him be a better men-tor for science students in the future.

He has been around a number ofhigh-powered scientists involved withthe Cape Roberts Project. All of them areimportant researchers back home, but

Lessons at low latitudesBy Jeff Inglis and Aaron SpitzerThe Antarctic Sun

See “Teachers”—Page 7

Sharon Harris

Bruce Smith

Jean Roberts

The Antarctic Sun6 December 19, 1999

What are you doing to celebratethe holidays?

Faceson

Our Antarctic Week

If you have an item for the weekly calendar, e-mail us atsun_news@mcmurdo.gov, call 2407, or drop by our officein Building 155.

TodayRoss Island Art Show, 1:30-4:30 p.m., GalleyCrary Lab tour, 2 p.m., Crary LabSunday Science Lecture: Dr. Chuck Kennicutt,

“Environmental Monitoring in Antarctica,” 8:30p.m., Galley

MondaySlide show: Alan Stone, “Winter in Antarctica,” 8:30

p.m., Galley

TuesdayCrary Lab tour, 8:30 a.m., Crary. Scheduled for night

workers.

WednesdayChristmas Bingo, 8:30 p.m., Gallagher’s. Get your

picture taken with Santa!

ThursdayChristmas movie, Coffee House, 8 p.m. Grinch, 8:30

p.m. movie TBA

FridayChristmas Party, 7:30 p.m., Heavy Shop (VMF). Choir,

live band.

SaturdayChristmas dinner in the GalleyChristmas dance, 8-10 p.m., Gym

SundaySki from Pegasus to Williams Field, 11:00 a.m. Sign up

on Monday.

“I’m spending the holidays inKaikoura and remembering myspecial friends at McMurdo.”Lee FuimanWeddell seal beaker

in use on the Ice at least since the 1980s, he said.Though the Twin Otter was one of only two such aircraft based in

McMurdo, Quinn said the accident will not cause a significant disrup-tion to the summer field research season. Twin Otters are used to reachregions inaccessible to the much larger LC-130s.

Another Twin Otter is being sent from Kenn Borek’s headquartersin Calgary, Alberta, Quinn said. If weather is favorable, that plane couldarrive by December 26, after flying across North and South America, theDrake Passage and West Antarctica.

Until then, helicopters and the Italian Twin Otter are picking upthe slack, he said. The Italian plane will soon be retrieving two Ameri-can researchers working on the summit of Mount Moulton near the FordRanges.

“We’re managing to take care of all the things we had scheduled,”Quinn said. “Nobody’s hurting because of it. It’s getting done.”

He said the Italians and Americans often share aviation resources.The U.S. program regularly uses the Italian Twin Otter at the beginningof the summer and the Italians borrow the American-chartered planes atthe end of the season, he said.

The Italian plane is the only other Kenn Borek Twin Otter on theIce, Quinn said.

“Otter”—from Page 1

Delivering cookies and Fanta, and singingcarols.“Fanta Claus,” Victoria Miles, FrancineOliver, GumbyRecreation staff

A Kenn Borek Twin Otter turboprop stops at the South Pole earlier thisseason. Photo by Cassandra Graber.

“I’m going to walk the Castle Rockloop and have a beer.”Toby WoodCarp shop

7December 19, 1999The Antarctic Sun

Check out the Sun websites of the week:www.adventuroustraveler.com

Has a long list of rare books and photographson Antarctica as well as other locations.www.antarcticconnection.com

Books, maps, videos, gifts, clothing and more.

www.allpointsnorth.comwww.maziejane.com

Products with images by photographers whohave been part of the U.S. Antarctic Program.

The Sun does not endorse the products or services traded by these businesses, and has not received any compensation for listing them here.

Palmer StationBy Bob Farrell

When the R/V Laurence M. Gouldcalled on Palmer Station on December 8and 9, the station received its first load offresh fruits and vegetables.

During the port call the stationhosted members of the British AntarcticSurvey. The RRS James Clark Ross hadbeen unable to reach Rothera Station dueto heavy sea ice and came to Palmer totransfer some passengers. Four BAS TwinOtters flew from Rothera to pick up thepassengers. They landed on the glacierbehind Palmer Station. This was anunprecedented visit, bringing two shipsand four aircraft to the station.

Later in the week the cruise shipM/V Explorer visited the station. Theirpassengers toured the station and enjoyedrefreshments in the dining room. Thetourism season is just beginning here andit promises to be a very busy one.

Members of the station sciencecommunity remain busy in the watersaround the station. The Adelie penguinchicks in the area have begun hatching, sothe researchers will be very busy follow-ing their progress.

South Pole StationBy Tracy Sheeley

The South Pole populationremains at a record high while ourtemperatures continue to break recordlows. Station population has beenhovering around 200. Out of the first 15days of December, nine broke lowtemperature records. Our summerprogress continues both in constructionand scientific projects.

Construction on the DASI tele-scope was completed by December 14and a ceremony was held to acknowl-edge the efforts and cooperation ofconstruction, engineering and science.The telescope has been handed off tothe scientists for calibration, wiring andfine tuning to be completed by theonset of the winter season. Stunningdata is predicted one to two monthsinto winter.

The garage shop was dedicatedwith a ribbon cutting ceremony at anall-hands meeting on December 11. Acertificate of occupancy has been issuedand mechanics will be moving intotheir new home soon.

The first two weeks of Decemberhave also been dedicated to an annual“snow stake” project, which measuressnow accumulation on the polarplateau. This project was initiated in1992, though measurements have beentaken since 1957.

Stakes were placed in the snow,extending out 12 and a half miles in sixdirections. They are measured eachyear by Polies in groups of two, who goout on snowmobile or tracked vehiclein full ECW gear to measure theaccumulation.

Many other fields of researchdepend on this contribution for theirown studies.

Our solar-heated ski shack hasbeen installed about two miles awayfrom the station for those with a littleextra energy or the desire to see theSouth Pole Station from a new perspec-tive. Holiday preparations are in fullswing, with a decorated galley in place,and plans being laid for the “RaceAround the World” and the ushering inof the new year.

“Teachers”—from Page 5

they operate as equals in Antarctica.“It’s like having all these chiefs in one room,” he said.

“I’m just kind of in the middle there.”Harris’s work has involved analyzing gases collected in

field samples. She spent 14 years as a microbiologist beforebecoming a teacher, and is using those lab skills again now.

Like most researchers, Harris works long hours but alsogets time to relax. Her journey in Antarctica has been veryclose to her heart.

“It’s so personal that it’s hard to describe,” she said. “Iwill go back a changed person.”

Onward and homewardAfter they leave the Ice their work is not done. All of

them will continue their outreach efforts, as well as integrat-ing their experiences into the classroom.

“I’m also responsible for writing some curriculum,” Rob-erts said.

Beyond hugging her 12-year-old son, Harris isn’t sure

what will happen when she goes home. She’s gained an in-sight into perspective here, though. She’s studying microor-ganisms living within sight of glaciers.

“Everything is either really big or really small,” she said.Smith is also motivated to learn more after he goes home,

about the science and about the people.“There’s kind of a subculture here that the rest of the

world is oblivious to, and vice versa,” he said. “I didn’t an-ticipate the people that would be here.”

He’s been warned that thinking he only will come toAntarctica once is a common error. Many of the people he’smet and worked with had that same thought, years and yearsago.

The intensity of the experience is both rewarding andtough.

“It’s probably going to make me a better teacher,” Smithsaid.

Harris echoed that sentiment, and still wants more. “Iwish that I had more time to get out and experience things,”she said.

Station and Vessel updates

The Antarctic Sun8 December 19, 1999

“Give me Erebus for my friend,”wrote Heroic-Age explorer ApsleyCherry-Garrard, who for two yearslived in its loomingshadow. “He is themost restful mountainin the world.”

VolcanologistPhilip Kyle would bothagree and disagree.

Mount Erebus isAntarctica’s legendarypeak, the Fuji of thiscold continent. AndKyle—a rangy, black-bearded, mischievousex-Kiwi—is themountain’s best friend.He has spent a quarter-century of summers onits upper slopes.

But Kyle be-friended Erebusbecause the peak isrestless, not restful. Itis, after all, the mostactive volcano inAntarctica.

As friendships go,it’s been rocky at times.

Twice, minoreruptions knockedKyle unconsciouswhile he worked in thesteaming crater of thevolcano. Both times heawoke quickly andscrambled out of thecaldera to safety.

And just thisyear, blizzards pinneddown a party of hisresearchers for fivedays at Fang Glacier onErebus’ northern flank.

But the mountain has also beengood to Kyle, disclosing secrets to himthat many volcanoes refuse to reveal.Despite its prodigious height—12,448feet—and isolated location—only 800miles from the South Pole—themountain is surprisingly cooperative.

According to Rick Aster, a fellowscientist who has worked with Kylefor the last several years, “This

volcano is an easy one to get close to.It’s an excellent natural laboratory forvolcanology.”

That’s why Kyle, Aster and their

graduate students, all from the NewMexico Institute of Mining andTechnology, are spending late Novem-ber and December at the top of thebottom of the world.

Ancient myth long held it thatthe poles were openings to the innerEarth. And so, on Erebus, they are.

Back in Cherry-Garrard’s day,

explorers sometimes saw a red glowin the clouds above Erebus andsuspected that a pool of lava burbledin the mountain’s mouth.

But Kyle was thefirst volcano expert toconfirm that suspicion.In 1971 he ascended themountain and peeredover the rim. The craterwas a quarter-mile wideand an eighth of a miledeep. Inside, simmeringat around 1,800 degreesFahrenheit, was a lake ofmolten rock nearly 50feet wide.

“This makes it afairly unique volcano,”Kyle said. Most volca-noes either erupt or dryup, but Erebus’ lava lakehas been more or less instasis for at least 100years. “It’s sitting inequilibrium,” he said.

The work Kyle’sgroup is doing thissummer is two-pronged,with a focus both on thevolcano’s seismicactivity and its gasemissions.

On solid rockaround Erebus’ crownthey have installed eightbroadband seismom-eters, which perceivemotions in the Earth assubtle as a few mil-lionths of a meter.

Every time thevolcano quivers, theseismometers know.According to Kyle, theirdata will help map the

plumbing system of Erebus andexplain the mechanisms by which themountain expels gas and rock. Ineffect, it permits a peek inside themountain, making a kind of CAT scanof Erebus.

The seismometers, powered bytwo-watt solar cells, run for up to twomonths and log their data on disk.

See “Erebus”—Page 9

On top of old smokyBy Aaron SpitzerThe Antarctic Sun

Volcanologist Philip Kyle stands before a fumarole named “Harry’s Dream.”Formed by frozen steam venting from the slopes of Mount Erebus, somefumaroles can grow up to 15 feet high. Photo by Bjorn Johns.

9December 19, 1999The Antarctic Sun

Before winter sets in and the slopesbecome inaccessible, the devices willbe collected and their data retrieved.

The team is also gathering gassamples, both from the crater andfrom vents ringing the mountaintop.

“We’re very interested in whatthe environmental effect of Erebus is,”Kyle said. “How much gas doesErebus put into the atmosphere?”

He’s particularly concerned withcarbon dioxide—a chemical com-pound widely implicated in theoriesof global warming. To determine thehuman contribution of CO2 to theatmosphere, scientists must first findout how much is given off in nature.Volcanoes like Erebus are potentiallymajor sources of such emissions, Kylesaid.

Another gas of interest is lead,which has been found laced throughthe snows of East Antarctica. Itspresence was attributed to the burningof lead-based fuels at lower latitudes,but Kyle suspects the mountain’semissions are a more likely culprit.

Using both portable and helicop-ter-rigged monitors, Kyle’s team willbe sampling Erebus’ plume. “What wewant to do is get to those gasses andfingerprint them,” he said.

To accomplish all this work,Kyle and his team are staged out ofLower Erebus Camp: a collection oftents and Ski-Doos huddled around aJamesway and a squat wooden hut,11,000 feet up the north face of thepeak.

The buildings are nestled in adepression amid a moonscape offrozen lava flows. Yards away, a vistareveals the sweep of the ice-chokedRoss Sea and mountains 100 milesdistant.

The temperatures at camp areusually below zero Fahrenheit, andthe winds are unforgiving, keepingthe camp’s New Mexico state flagsnapping atop its pole.

Living on the shoulders of

Erebus, it’s hard to forget “home” is avolcano. When the wind is right, thesmell of sulfur sweeps over the camp.Even minor explosions at the rim echomiles away. And almost always, like asmoking gun, a plume of steamescapes the caldera, a reminder thatthe mountain is alive.

Between two and six times a day,a blast rocks the rim of the crater asgas and molten stone shoot from thelava pool.

One recent eruption caughtmaster’s student Jesse Crain off-guardas she worked near the edge of thecaldera. “We heard a large boom andthen the bombs were flying all overthe place,” she said.

In this instance, the phonolitic“bombs” posed no danger. As in mostcases, the glassy masses of semi-molten rock shot straight up andplunged right back down.

Sometimes, though, the volcanolobs bombs out onto the rim. Andevery so often, Erebus really acts up.

On September 13, 1984, the

“Erebus”—from Page 8

mountain suddenly became energized,throwing bombs up to a mile-and-a-half from the caldera. Many of theboulders were refrigerator-sized, andsome measured up to 30 feet long.

The Upper Erebus Hut, 300 feetbelow the crater rim and in use sincethe late 1970s, was deemed toodangerous to occupy. Kyle and hisresearchers retreated to the present,lower camp.

Three months later, the moun-tain settled down again, and hascontinued its lazy ways ever since.

According to the researchers,Antarctica’s southernmost activevolcano poses no danger to theMcMurdo and Scott research stationsthat have grown up on its flanks.

“It’s not a threat,” Kyle said.“You can tell what a volcano is goingto do from its past.” And on grandscale, Erebus hasn’t done much. Themost recent major eruption seems tohave been 30,000 years ago, when themountain scattered volcanic ashnearly 200 miles away.

Outside of Lower Erebus Camp, an A-Star helicopter lifts off for a trip up to the caldera ofMount Erebus, 1,500 feet above. Photo by Aaron Spitzer.

Contribute to McMurdo’s Millennium Time Capsule!Contribute to McMurdo’s Millennium Time Capsule!Contribute to McMurdo’s Millennium Time Capsule!Contribute to McMurdo’s Millennium Time Capsule!Contribute to McMurdo’s Millennium Time Capsule!Seeking small mementos, images, journal entries, etc., to commemorate the

millennium and to be opened in 25 years. Bring to the McMurdo Historical Societymeetings, Sundays at 6:30 p.m. in the Library, or contact Ed Anderson atandersed@mcmurdo.gov. Deadline is January 20.

The Antarctic Sun10 December 19, 1999

Ross Island Chroniclesby Richard Perales

Claire Carpenter juggles as part of her performance at theMcMurdo Women’s Soiree last Saturday night. Over 200 peopleattended the event, which raised over $1,000 for the ChristchurchWomen’s Refuge. Photo by Jeff Inglis.

Scientists from NASA are taking a special interest in plans for aprobe, seeing Lake Vostok as a test bed for potential exploration of theice-covered ocean believed to exist on Europa, one of Jupiter’s majormoons.

Found: One explorer’s walletIn a surprise discovery, members of the Christchurch-based

Antarctic Heritage Trust found a wallet while doing restoration workat the Cape Evans hut.

Located between two bunks, the wallet held four tram tickets anda workman’s ferry pass, all from Sydney, Australia.

The ferry pass is dated November 21, 1914, indicating the wallet’sowner was part of Shackleton’s Imperial Transantarctic Expedition.One of the expedition’s ships, the Aurora, docked in Sydney on its wayto the Ross Sea.

Also in the wallet were several photographs, which may provideclues to the owner’s identity. Personal items are rarely found in thehuts, as they usually went home with their owners at the end of theexpedition.

The Trust suspects that either Rev. Spencer-Smith or VictorHayward may have been the owner of the wallet. They both used thebunk closest to the wallet’s location.

Both men, members of the marooned Ross Sea party, died duringthe expedition, which increases the likelihood that their personal effectsmight have been left behind in the hut.

The Trust will contact known descendents of the expeditionmembers to see if any of them recognize the photographs. Conserva-tors will work to preserve the wallet prior to determining its storagelocation.

The last time a new artifact was discovered in the hut was aboutfive years ago, according to Trust curator Sheridan Easdale. It was aglass-plate photographic negative, also from Shackleton’s Ross Seashore party.

Looks like it landed ina seal hole.

Talk about luck.

Great day for agame of golf.

Nice Shot!!!

“Briefs”— from Page 3

11December 19, 1999The Antarctic Sun

Perspectives

By Jess BarrSpecial to the Sun

One day.One day’s warning to prepare

myself for the East Antarctic plateau. Iguess they don’t want to give you moretime, lest you change your mind on goingout into that great, white, frozen abyss.

In excitement, though, I trans-formed overnight from a small unworthyGA into a scary looking, down-clad

Michelin woman. From saunas andbowling alleys to tents and ice-walledcrappers. From 20 F to minus 40 F. Andfrom the great big Ob Hill to, uh, not asingle thing.

My job was to build a one-timerunway using a Ski-Doo and groomer asmy modes of packed destruction. Big airoff snow berms is awesome! Until thegroomer catches and sends you flyinginto the dash.

So, why all this work? You see,these AGOs (Automated GeophysicalObservatories) record data 12 monthsunattended. But when that time is up,some lucky souls must waddle in and fireit up for another year. The Twin Otters

can get you in, but there’s no way outuntil the Hercules can deliver the big fuelresupply.

Life is simple there. ... Well, at leastfor the grunts like myself. You crawl outof your frosty sleeping bag, cover everypossible inch of your flesh with about fiveinches of goose feathers, empty your peebottle, melt snow for the day’s water (ofcourse not from where you emptied yourpee bottle), eat some fat, stuff your bootsand mittens with handwarmers and then

hop on for the Ski-Doo rodeo. Yee haw!At AGO 3, this wasn’t an entirely

seamless mission. The first runwaybuilder was evacuated for frostbite, thenext broke two snow machines, and thenmy partner Ed and I came in for the thirdrelief.

We were quickly successful,prompted by our anxious engineers Annaand Remy—to get them the heck outtathere! I think the secret to our success waseating a lot of chocolate and bacon from acan.

So, would I go back? Oh, I think I’dlet everyone get their turn before I bulliedmy way back in. Just being nice.

A trip to AGO(ny) 3

CCCCCOLDOLDOLDOLDOLD H H H H HARDARDARDARDARD

FFFFFACTSACTSACTSACTSACTSCompiled by Jeff Inglis

Ski-equipped airplanesLC-130H

• 4,300 horsepower per engine• 97 feet, 9 inches long; 38 feet, 3

inches high; wingspan 132 feet, 7 inches• McMurdo-Christchuch max speed

316 mphTwin Otter DH-6

• 620 horsepower per engine• 49 feet long; wingspan 56 feet• cruising speed 178 mph• range without extra tanks: 600

miles

Wheeled airplanesC-141B

• 20,250 pounds thrust per engine• 168 feet, 4 inches long; 39 feet, 3

inches high; wingspan 160 feet• max speed 500 mph• range 2,500 miles

C-17• 40,900 pounds thrust per engine• 173 feet, 11 inches long; 55 feet, 1

inch high; wingspan 170 feet, 9 inches• max speed 500 mph• max cargo load 170,900 pounds

New Zealand C-130• 4,910 horsepower per engine• max payload 45,000 pounds• range 2,393 miles

HelicoptersBell 212

• max sling load 3,000 pounds• top speed 138 mph• carrying capacity 5 passengers,

750 pounds of cargo• range 98 miles• endurance 1 hour, 42 minutes

A-Star (AS-350 B2)•carrying capacity 900 pounds of

fuel, 600 pounds internal cargo, 530pounds external cargo

• range 147 miles• endurance 2 hours, 20 minutes

Coast Guard HH-65A “Dolphin”•carrying capacity 1,200 pounds in-

ternal cargo with full fuel load• max sling load 2,000 pounds• max speed 190 mph• range 345 miles•endurance 3 hours, 30 minutes

The Antarctic Sun12 December 19, 1999

Profile

By Aaron SpitzerThe Antarctic Sun

Growing up, most everyone dreams of running away andjoining the circus. But one McMurdo electrician really did it.

“I just have such wonderful memories of the circus,” saysIrma Hale, a bright-eyed46-year-old Floridianspending her first seasonon the Ice.

These days, aCarhartt-clad, utility-belted Hale can be mostoften seen mending theintricate wiring systemsthat keep McMurdo litand powered.

But for a year of herlife, she earned her livinghigh above a bedazzledcrowd, dangling from anankle or an arm, wearingan elaborate sequin- andrhinestone-studdedcostume in “the GreatestShow on Earth.”

It was the mid-1970s, and Hale was inthe middle of her collegecareer, training to becomea classical pianist.

The Ringling Bros.and Barnum & Bailey Circus had come to town, and she foundherself seated in the stands, daydreaming about joining theshowpeople and living on the open road.

“And then I thought to myself, ‘Either do it or shut up,’”she said.

That evening she tracked down the circus’ performancedirector, who offered her an audition the next day. When sheshowed up, he pulled down a rope and asked if she could climbit. Hale had no idea, but she scurried up and was offered a jobon the spot.

She would have signed on immediately, but the pleas ofher parents prevailed. Hale stayed in college, earned her degree,and then—two years later, this time after numerous auditions—was given a role as an aerialist and showgirl in the most famouscircus in the world.

For more than a century, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus had been wowing ladies and gentlemen andchildren of all ages. The show was a stupendous operation,comprising a cast of 150, including comical clowns, charismaticringmasters, death-defying acrobats and iron-hearted animaltrainers, including famous tiger-tamer Gunther Gebel-Williams.

Backing them all up was an army of roadies and techni-cians, wardrobe workers, make-up artists, accountants and

managers.No circus would be complete without a magnificent

menagerie, and Ringling had it all: dogs, chimpanzees, horses,zebras, lions, tigers, bears and a herd of 30 elephants.

Hale and her fellow performers traveled aboard the circus’own train, a mile and a half long, riding the rails across America.

One of her happiestmemories, she says, waswaking up early, pouringa cup of coffee, openingthe train car vestibuleand dangling her legsover the side as the worldwhizzed by.

The train wouldstop at little towns andlarge cities, whereverthere was an arena bigenough to serve as amodern-day big top.After a few days or aweek’s worth of shows,they would parade theanimals back throughtown to the rail yard andpull out for the nextdestination.

Hale played arange of roles in theshow—from doing dancenumbers, to riding on thebacks of horses and

elephants, to dangling perilously from a rope far above thecrowd.

Every night she wore four different costumes, each morefantastic than the next. Encrusted with rhinestones, the heaviestweighed 40 pounds and was so constricting that if she fell downshe couldn’t stand up on her own.

Once, during the opening act, she tumbled over and wasstranded in the path of the oncoming elephants. The animals,ever wary of where they stepped, carefully avoided her, but thecrowd went wild with excitement.

Hale’s fondest memories of that year in the circus were ofher co-workers. “They were wonderful people, really wonderfulpeople,” she said. “In a sense it was like being down here ... Ifanyone was ever in trouble you had 300 people to back you up.”

Many of the performers hailed from exotic corners of theworld. Some were only short-timers like her, but others werecircus folk for life, living permanently aboard the train, passingdown their acts to their children.

Hale remains in contact with many of them, and sheregrets that it only lasted for a year. “In hindsight I should havestayed longer,” she said wistfully. “It was one of the best jobs Iever had.”

From the big top to the bottom of the world