O[[![}ynr!N}}rqv{ntv}{!n{q aw}!zr{!qvr!nstrr T{s}rzntv}{!`rptv}{!rr}rtn{vzrq snyy!v{t}!prrvnssr Two employees of ITT/Antarctic Serv- ices, Inc. (ITT/ANS), the National Sci- To improve the ability of the Division agency and international coordination of ence Foundation antarctic support con- of Polar Programs to respond to Presi- antarctic programs, managing specimen tractor, were killed on 23 November 1986 dential and Congressional mandates in and data collections, developing and de- while hiking about 2 mile northeast of the Arctic and Antarctic, the Polar Coor- fending the public's interest in inter- McMurdo Station. Along with another dination and Information Section was re- agency and international forums, and ITT/ANS employee, Thomas J . Powell, organized in November 1986. The sec- administering U.S. laws and regulations the two men, Matthew M. Kaz, 25, of San tion is now composed of two groups, one in Antarctica. They also will continue to Carlos, California, and John E. Smith, focusing on antarctic policy and informa- be responsible for the division's ant- 44, of Portland, Oregon, were returning tion projects and the other on arctic arctic-related publications and an infor- to McMurdo Station from Castle Rock, policy. mation program. an outcrop about 3 miles from the sta- Succeeding Joseph Bennett as head of The arctic staff under the direction of tion. They had deviated from the flagged the section is John B. Talmadge, who Jerry Brown will lead government-wide route to go to nearby Scott Base, the New joined the division in 1985 to coordinate coordination and communication ac- Zealand station on Ross Island. the Foundation's activities under the tivities with emphasis on implementing The two victims fell approximately 70 Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984. the arctic 5-year plan. They will focus on feet into the crevasse. The third man, Anton Inderbitzen, who was DPP's asso- an arctic information network, interna- Thomas Powell, went to McMurdo Sta- ciate chief scientist, is head of the ant- tional cooperation, U.S. arctic research tion to get help, and a rescue team was arctic staff. This group will be responsi- logistics capabilities, and coordination of dispatched to the site immediately. The ble for gathering, compiling, and analyz- Greenland research. Dr. Brown came to men were extracted from the crevasse ing information about U.S. and foreign DPP from the U.S. Army's Cold Regions but were unconscious when they activities in Antarctica, improving inter- Research and Engineering Laboratory in reached the surface. They were taken to 1985. the medical facility at McMurdo Station where they were pronounced dead. Their bodies were flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, and on- ward to their hometowns in the United States. Their deaths has prompted the National Science Foundation to establish a special committee to review safety pro- cedures in Antarctica. These two fatalities are the first to oc- cur in the U.S. Antarctic Program since February 1982, when a Navy enlisted man was killed while assisting in unload- ing USNS Southern Cross, the annual supply ship. Since 1946, 49 Americans Nurrr{ts4!wntrr!qunyvty4!o}tt}z (including these two men) have died in Antarctica while participating in the U.S. srqvzr{ts4!n{q!ontuyzrtry!v{!XpXurq} Antarctic Program. `}u{q!{rnr!XpXurq}!`tntv}{ At the request of ITT/Antarctic Serv- pods erected over holes in the sea ice.- in figure 2, are similar to previous tide ices Inc., Raytheon Service Company Bottom pressure was monitored at the measurements taken in this area by Mac- performed a water quality study in 14-meter station with an Aanderaa Donald and Burrows (1959) and by McMurdo Sound in November and De- WLR-5 gage. During this period, water Heath (1971). Their analyses indicate that cember 1982. We were evaluating poten- samples were collected with 2 liter Kem- the range variations result from interac- tial locations for the seawater intake for a merer bottles, and bottom sediments tion of the Ki (luni-solar) and 01 (prin- replacement desalination unit, which were sampled with a 0.003 cubic-meter cipal lunar) declinational components was installed at McMurdo Station. In this Ponar grab at the stations shown in fig- which have periods of 23.93 hours and article we present data on currents, water ure 1. Water depth was measured with 26.87 hours, respectively, and cause a quality, bottom sediments, and an Elac LAZ 100 depth sounder through 360° phase shift every 13 days. bathymetry, which may be of interest to holes drilled in the ice at 55 locations Currents recorded during the study researchers conducting projects in distributed throughout the study area. exhibited two speed maxima every 25 McMurdo Sound adjacent to the station. The diurnal tide in McMurdo Sound hours, one peak corresponding to tidal Figure 1 shows where we collected strongly influences currents. The tidal flood and the other to tidal ebb. The tide samples and took measurements. We range, which averaged 0.8 meters dur- floods in a southeasterly direction and monitored currents from 24 November ing the 29 days that we recorded, ex- ebbs toward the west and northwest. De- to 23 December 1982 at five locations hibited a marked variation in range over pending on the location, either the flood identified by depth. We deployed En- a 13-day cycle. The spring range was 1.1 or ebb predominated in terms of flow deco Model 105 current meters at mid- to 1.5 meters, whereas the neap range speed and duration. Maximum current depth on moorings suspended from tri- was 0.2 to 0.7 meters. The results, shown speeds ranged from 15 to 30 centimeters 12 Antarctic Journal.