The Antarctic Sun, December 27, 1997

DECEMBER 27, 1997 Every Two Weeks

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

Antarctic Discovery! Bi-PolarConnections: Of Barbs and Antifreeze by Alexander Colhoun Linking the Arctic and Antarctic fireproof vault deep in the heart story and photo by Alexander Colhoun Aof the Smithsonian Museum lined with darkened rows of alcohol-filled jars erfect circles scribed at 66 degrees 33 in the Antarctic; the boundary of various holds the biological encyclopedia of the Pminutes on both ends of the earth treaties Ða political 60û in the Antarctic; or planet. Inside each jar is a holotype: the demark the Arctic and Antarctic circles. There, even by the temperature of the waterÐ the first captured and identified example of the earth tilts just enough to allow at least one Summer Isotherm circumscribes the Antarctic thousands of marine species known to full day a year without a sun set. at 50û. inhabit the seas of this planet. A map offers a different tale. Viewed from While definitions may be vague, one thing A catalogue of life, the shelves sel- above, each region might be defined by the about the polar caps is certain: half of each dom get new additions from the sub-zero limit of ice pack Ðswimming lazily above and year is dark and half of each year is light, and waters of the Antarctic. below 66û; the northern limit of the tree lineÐ that alone draws Todd Franson, a long-time In July, however, the Smithsonian got rising above 64û in the Arctic, but non-existent Antarctic Support Associates employee, to a new Antarctic specimen Ðthe barbled spend his days on the caps of plunder fish or Pogonophryne cerebro- the earth. ÒI havenÕt seen a lot pogon, a discovery made by ice veteran Seasons Greetings of darkness in the last ten Joe Eastman. from Antarctica years,Ó said Franson. ÒI like the daylight.Ó ...cont. on page 5 That may be the greatest understatement of polar living. Franson, like some 30 ASA INSIDE employees, alternates his home between the Arctic and NSTW 1998 National Science And Antarctic, passing the summer Technology Week highlights Arctic and in each location. Antarctic research carried out by the With the exception of days National Science Foundation. traveling between the two, Landing In A Milk Bottle Landing Franson spends most of his life under a shining sun, even when in a complete whiteout is like landing he sleeps. ÒI sleep with the in a bottle of milk Ðyou only know blinds open, the light on my youÕve landed when the wheels touch face,Ó says Franson. ÒIt just down. doesnÕt bother me.Ó Wasting Away in Antarctica The U.S. Franson came to the Antarctic Program retrogrades almost Antarctic from Denali National all of its waste to the continental Park in Alaska. In time the United States. The exception to this is, word has spread, and today a by necessity, waste water. flock of Denali seasonal workers have followed in his foot- Perspective Steve Munsell returns to steps. ÒWe used to call him the Antarctica after a sixteen-year absence Toddfather,Ó said Kathy Soutter. and reflects on the changes he sees in ÒAnd the rest of us were the the program. Denali mob.Ó Some come for employ- Profile Breaking barriers was never his ment, others for an adventure intention, but with Ed BurnetteÕs drive Despite being eleven thousand miles from their own kitchens in Denver, bigger than Alaska, but for Dr. and curiosity, it was inevitable. Colorado, Nancy Farrell, left, and her friend, Ellen Copeland, would not be deterred from making Christmas cookies. ...cont. on page 13 2 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

program produced by the National Science Foundation and supported by its corporate sponsors. Its mission is to engage the American public in the spirit of learning and Polar adventure that is the hallmark of science and engineering. NSTW pursues its mission through a wide variety of initia- Theme tives. The most popular is a packet of teaching activities (published in both English and Spanish) in sci- for ence, mathematics, and technology, designed to inspire the imagi- National Science nations of students, teachers, and parents. & Technology Week This year, the Polar Connections activity packet has story by Pat Olmert many educational activities rang- NSF, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs ing from Polar Opposites: Getting to Know the Arctic and the Antarctic to Polar Protection: How can two of the most isolated, forbid- How Do Polar Animals Survive in Such a ding places on Earth also be among its most Climate? School children can investigate What valuable sites for scientific research? Why do Color Is a Polar Bear? construct protective Participants are Ambassadors people the world over find the Arctic, with its sunglasses Ðfirst developed by Arctic Inuit to the U.S. Antarctic Program polar bears, and the Antarctic, with its pen- natives. Educators will find that the activities include everything from simulated research by Beth Gaston, guins, so endlessly fascinating? Yet when NSF, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs asked, ÔWhy is it polar bears donÕt eat pen- voyages to one-page kitchen-counter experi- ments. guins?Õ oftentimes the general public is ife in Antarctica is interesting and NSTW is also an opportunity for getting stumped. unique, providing us with opportuni- involved at the local level. ÒArctic and L Well here comes an opportunity to interact ties many people will never have. Because of Antarctic researchers along with many other with the public on polar subjects on a large this intrigue, the general public and news program participants in extreme weather scale. reporters are often interested in many aspects regions have an opportunity to share their Polar Connections: Exploring the of life, death, love and work on the ice. experiences and knowledge of a variety of WorldÕs Natural Laboratories is the theme The National Science Foundation (NSF) subjects with public audiences,Ó says Mary of the National Science FoundationÕs 1998 believes this publicity is a good thing. We are Bullock, NSFÕs Office of Legislative and National Science & Technology Week (NSTW, a taxpayer supported agency. Our bosses, Public Affairs. NSTW 1998 and Polar April 26th to May 2nd). The week will focus members of the public, deserve to know how Connections provides an opportunity for on Polar research and education, alerting the we are spending their money. And, in tough orchestrating local activities for public public to the excitement and adventure of sci- budget times such as these, well-known agen- involvement such as open houses; hands-on ence and engineering in both Arctic and cies generally fare better than those that are science and technology demonstrations; lec- Antarctic regions. Polar Connections will obscure. tures at libraries, museums, colleges, and uni- invite people of all ages to explore the worldÕs versities; or visits to elementary and secondary Antarctic Support Associates (ASA) also natural laboratories of science and technology classrooms by knowledgeable travelers to the supports this publicity. ÒOur aim is to create through events and activities designed for this ice. public awareness of the United States yearÕs outreach. Antarctic Program,Ó said Valerie Carroll, who ÒAt NSF, we believe it is important to nur- In its 14th year, National Science & manages public affairs for ASA. ÒASA ture the natural interests of children and the Technology Week is a major public outreach employees are always encouraged to interact child in all of us about the wonders of science with the public and the media. WeÕre lucky to S ANTARCT TE IC A P The Antarctic Sun, part of the United ST R and technology,Ó says Bullock. O D G E R T I A have such an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and N M States Antarctic Program, is funded by U ★ ★ To learn more about National Science & ★ ★ the National Science Foundation. ★ ★ responsible crew. We provide materials, fact- ★ ★ ★ ★ Opinions and conclusions expressed in Technology Week 1998: N A N checking, support and guidance for them as T O I IO T The Sun are not necessarily those of the N A A D L S UN ¥ Write: NSF Staff at NSTW, National CIENCE FO Foundation. they deal with the public and the media.Ó Science Foundation, Office of Legislative and Use: Reproduction and distribution is encouraged with Many of you are excited about being here, acknowledgement of source and author. Public Affairs, Rm. 1245, 4201 Wilson Blvd., what you do and what the program is all Editor: Alexander Colhoun Arlington, Virginia, 22230 or e-mail at about. There are many opportunities to share Publisher: Valerie Carroll, ASA [email protected]. Contributions are welcome. Contact The Sun at your experiences: talking to church or com- [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit our office in ¥ Check us out on the World Wide Web at: munity groups, visiting classrooms or retire- Building 155 or dial 2407. http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nstw/start.htm. ✹ Web address: http://www.asa.org ...cont. on page 7 The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 3

riving toward Scott Base at 3:15am, DBill McCormick immediately noticed the sharp contrast of a heavy fog bank curled around Williams Field to the clear, bright sky Landing in a over McMurdo Station. He had been paged by search and rescue team (SAR) leader Steve Dunbar in response to a field mission. Milk Bottle Two LC-130s had been forced to land in story by Susie Brown the Whiteout Area, a crevasse-free landing field on the permanent ice shelf. Fog had vehicle is built to go practically anywhere, and Looking for the aircraft in such thick fog deterred them from landing on the plotted run- this one was equipped with technologically- was like searching for a needle in a haystack. way, and lack of fuel had prevented them from advanced marine radar equipment. ÒWe were on the aircraft before we saw it,Ó landing at the Siple Dome or Downstream ÒIt wasnÕt an official SAR function. It was McCormick said. ÒThe fog was so thick you Bravo project sites. more of a field safety navigation exercise,Ó couldnÕt see the sun, and I wasnÕt sure I was ÒIt was one of the thickest cloud layers said Dunbar. His team used GPS (global posi- seeing the aircraft at first or just spots in my IÕve seen in my life,Ó said VXE-6 pilot Lt. Joe tioning system), a military satellite navigation eyes.Ó Mohnacs. ÒThe weather was good until we got system, to locate the aircraft since the planes Dunbar and his team retrieved the passen- 100 miles out of McMurdo. Then observations had been able to relay their exact coordinates gers in the bogged-down plane from South went crappy quickly.Ó At that point, visibility to MAC Center communications. Had the air- Pole first, approximately six miles from went from unrestricted skies to one-sixteenth craft in the Whiteout Area not been able to Williams Field. The two HŠgglunds then of a mile above Williams Field. give their coordinates, the HŠgglundÕs radar ambled another 2 1/2 miles to the Mohnacs and his co-pilot, Lt. Ken technology (this time only tested, but able to Christchurch plane, and delivered 28 people to Hobman, each shot a precision approach, but pick up the Hercs in 200-foot visibility fog) Williams Field before returning for 16 more. there was no reference to the ground. After would have proved invaluable. From the time of landing at the Whiteout waving off two approaches to the invisible ÒA few years ago, no one would have Area to the time they arrived at Williams runway, and unable to see Pegasus runway gone anywhere in this kind of situation,Ó said Field, six hours had passed. McCormick said either, they radioed the other plane in the air. McCormick. ÒThis technology has opened up the passengers from Christchurch were a little The crews mapped out a plan to land in the great opportunities for rescue missions. Four more disoriented than the ones from the Pole. whiteout area, one plane in the southern por- years ago, a person was lost on the ice 20 ÒI happened to have a Newsweek reporter, and tion, the other in the northern portion. miles away; we had GPS, but no radar, a couple of Rocky Mountain News media peo- Mohnacs descended at a rate of about 200 enabling us to attempt a search, but not able to ple onboard,Ó said Mohnacs. ÒI told them they feet-per-minute. ÒMy first concern was ensur- pinpoint a stationary object like the new radar just received the five-star flight.Ó ✹ ing the other aircraft didnÕt land anywhere tracking system in the HŠgglund can do.Ó near us because they wouldnÕt be able to see us until they were on top of us,Ó he said. ÒMy second concern was the possibility of hitting drifting snow that could cause a propeller strike.Ó All VXE-6 flight crews undergo simula- tor training for whiteout approaches, and pilots must also perform a training landing in the Whiteout Area at the beginning of each season. You can abort a training landing, but this was for real. ÒIt was the first time I had never seen the ground,Ó said Mohnacs. ÒYou canÕt tell from the instruments exactly when youÕll land, so this time we didnÕt know till we felt the plane touch down.Ó ÒIt was a beautiful landing. We set down gently as if we were in the middle of a milk bottle,Ó said Eric Baker, a photographer returning from the South Pole on the same plane. Mohnacs taxied for about 10 minutes before the skis got stuck in the deep snow. The second plane touched down 10 minutes later after it, too, had aborted two approaches to Williams Field. Meanwhile, Dunbar and crew were en photo by Mike Neckerman route. It was their first opportunity to put a VXE-6 personnel dig-out the snow surrounding skis on one of two LC-130 Hercules aircraft that were forced to new $300,000 HŠgglund to use. The two-cab land in the Whiteout Area due to ground fog on the skiway. 4 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

Did You Know... Wasting Away in by Brenda Joyce A fox terrier traveled to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. A biography was written about Antarctica: ÔIglooÕ, the canine companion of Richard story and photo by Dave Breitenfeld Byrd. His tombstone in the Pine Ridge Cemetery for Small Animals in Dedham, a suburb of Boston, bears the inscription: ÒIGLOO. He was more than a friend.Ó

The Terra Nova, said to be the last whaler built in Dundee Scotland (1884), was leased in 1903 to sail with The Morning to McMurdo Sound to relieve ScottÕs Discovery expedition. Returning to sealing with Bowring Brothers, she was resold in November 1909, for ScottÕs second journey. In 1914 Bowring Brothers bought her again for work in Newfoundland and Labrador waters. Springing a leak 38 miles off Hollander Island, Greenland, she sank without loss of life on September 12, 1943.

Fifty-one U.S. aircraft have been lost in Antarctica since 1946.

The average annual precipitation in the interior of Antarctica is less than 2 inches, drier than the Sahara desert.

Nunataks are mountains that are buried so deeply in snow that only their tips peek above Rob Robbins, ASAÕs Dive Coordinator, assisted by Christian McDonald, prepares to dive in Winter Quarters Bay to inspect the waste water outfall. the ice.

ix hundred sixty-one thousand, six The exception to this is, by necessity, waste No rain has fallen in the Dry Valleys in Shundred gallons of waste water dump water generated at McMurdo Station, includ- approximately a million years and the occa- into Winter Quarters Bay every day. Situated ing sewage. sional traces of snow are quickly blown away. on the south side of McMurdo, this location Like any small town, McMurdo uses a lot also served as the McMurdo station dump of water. Salt water is pumped in and desali- Scott and his companions lugged 37 lbs. from 1956 to 1979. nated primarily by a process of reverse osmo- of geological samples all the way to their Throughout this 23-year period, the sis. This water cycles through McMurdo for deaths. seafloor was littered with derelict vehicles, drinking, cleaning, food preparation, and broken equipment, and other miscellaneous sewage disposal, and is too plentiful to make Apsley Cherry-Garrard, a member of garbage. Since 1980, however, things have retrograding practical. ScottÕs expedition, in The Worst Journey in the changed. Running through a spiderweb network of World wrote: ÒAnd I tell you, if you have the The United States Antarctic Program has above-ground pipes, waste water from every desire for knowledge and the power to give it cleaned up its act. As a result, Winter sink, shower, toilet and other drain intersects physical expression, go out and explore...You Quarters Bay, and many other U.S. Antarctic at one of two masticators. The masticators will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom Program sites are, while not ecologically pris- break up or ÒdelumpÓ any solid waste as it you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is tine, in far better condition than they were 20 passes through. This consists mostly of food worth a good deal. If you march your winter years ago. waste from the galley as well as human feces. journeys you will have your reward, so long as Adopting the backpacker philosophy of After mastication, the waste water contin- all you want is a penguinÕs egg.Ó Ôpack-it-in, pack-it-outÕ, the U.S. Antarctic ues through a pipe to its 10-inch diameter Program now retrogrades almost all waste outfall 180 feet into and 60 feet below the Herbert Pointing, ScottÕs photographer, from Antarctica to the continental United surface of Winter Quarters Bay. Positioned pulled a one-man sledge with 400 lbs. of pho- States for recycling, processing, or disposal. tographic and camping equipment. ...cont. on page 9 The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 5

Fish Antifreeze ...cont. from page 1 Only one taxonomic group, the notothe- ÒWithout them, the fish fauna here would be nioids, adapted to the cooling period that fol- scanty and the whole ecosystem would be Hauled-up from the icy depths by a net lowed and persists today. These hardy fish did quite different. An important chink of the food trawled behind the Nathaniel B. Palmer (an more than adapt, however, they flourished, web would be missing.Ó icebreaker and research vessel owned by the and today make up 95 percent of the fish bio- In recent months, the DevriesÕ have traced National Science Foundation) last summer, it mass in most southern parts of the Antarctic the molecular history of this anti-freeze pro- wasnÕt until a Sunday morning in February Ocean. In a community with just 274 species tein back to a point between five and fourteen that Eastman first questioned what he had of fish (there are 25,000 species world-wide), million years ago, a time that jibes with found. thatÕs saying something. oceanographersÕ estimates of ocean cooling Using a standard taxinomical key, The mechanism that allowed the in Antarctica, as the continent shifted to its Eastman discovered he was unable to identify notothenioids to pull off this Houdini-like isolated position. the fish. ÒI was certain this fish had already feat is the life-work of a husband and Beyond anti-freeze, the fish have modi- been documented,Ó said Eastman with a per- wife team, Art and Chris Devries, fied other aspects of their anatomy to make plexed look. ÒI even cut off the barb to do marine biologists from the University life easier on themselves. Gone are the heavy tests on it.Ó of Illinois; and it begins with anti- bone structures normally associated with fish Hours later, after discussions with a col- freeze. of this type. Instead, notothenioids have league in Maine, Eastman found himself Joining her research team on developed lighter cartilage based infra- reconnecting the barb with an underwater their last night of fishing for this structures and fat sacs (as opposed to superglue. ÒYou can hardly tell it was off,Ó season, Chris Devries piles into swim bladders found in most fish), both said Eastman, who proceeded to register the a Spryte and heads out across of which allow the fish to move effortless- new species in an elaborate process that ended frozen McMurdo Sound to go ly within the water column, and hence in an alcohol-filled jar at the Smithsonian. fishing. Not an eccentric find food where it is available. EastmanÕs discovery, the result of a single hobby, Devries is fishing In time, the notothenioids have thirty-minute trawl across the ocean floor for science, and accomplished what Eastman describes revealed how little is known about these hopes to catch a as an adaptive radiation. Typically a waters. ÒThe Ross Sea fauna is not as well Mawsoni, better fish group will isolate to a single known as we thought it was,Ó said Eastman, known as niche. In Antarctica, the who explained that 19 additional species came Antarctic Cod. notothenioids are everywhere. up in that historical trawl Ðnearly half of the Twenty minutes later, They occupy all sectors of the 50 species known to exist in the Southern inside fish hut number three water column, from top to bottom. Ross Sea. This season Eastman will make (built by her husband nearly In this way, Antarctic fish have another trawl, with hopes of gathering further 20 years ago) all eyes unusual links with species in data. watch with expectation as other remote corners of the world, Discovery of the barbled plunder fish is the metal fishing line reels including DarwinÕs finches of the the latest in a string of icthyological revela- up from the floor of the Galapagos, sculpin fish of Lake tions that have come out of AntarcticaÕs ocean sound. In time, a lead weight Baikal in Russia and cichlid fish in depths in the last quarter centu- the great lakes of East Africa. ry. It is the oceans themselves, Like the notothenioids, these however, that have paved the In July, the Smithsonian Museum species have radiated from a single way for adaptations among got a new Antarctic specimen ancestor, and occupy particular niches marine fauna unlike any other Ðthe barbled plunder fish or in each of their respective environ- species on the planet. Pogonophryne cerebropogon, ments. And like the Antarctic environ- a discovery made by ice veteran Joe Eastman likens Antarctic ment, each of these regions has been iso- Joe Eastman. It is the first of its oceans to an ancient lake. lated from outside intervention by other kind ever caught. The fish was Separated from other land mass- species. hauled up in a net pulled behind es by vast distances and low ÒAntarctica has much to offer as a a research vessel. water temperatures, Antarctica is hotbed of evolution,Ó said Eastman. isolated from the rest of the ÒWhen people think of mainstream evolu- world, much as an inland lake. These condi- tionary biology, we want them to think of comes into view Ðthe team has tions make it impossible for non-native fishes Antarctica for its unique adaptations and been skunked. to simply swim here and survive. depth-related diversification of fish.Ó Fortunately, the rest of the season yield- It hasnÕt always been so inhospitable. All of which revolves back to AntarcticaÕs ed more than 70 specimens, the pancreas of Thirty-eight million years ago Antarctica was secluded geographic location. Surrounded by which were extracted to gather a protein sub- much closer to its neighbors, Australia and moats of cold water and far from encroaching stance not unlike antifreeze used in cars. South America. Fossil records on Seymour continents, Antarctica ocean species were left Attaching itself to tiny ice crystals in water Island in the Weddell Sea, east of the to adapt and survive on their own, which lead swallowed by the fish, this substance prevents Antarctic Peninsula, indicate what Eastman in turn to natureÕs version of antifreeze and crystals from growing larger and killing the describes as a cosmopolitan fauna of sharks, the domination of Antarctic waters by notothe- fish. catfish, rays, billfish and cod. In sharp con- nioids. ✹ trast, none of these species exist in Antarctic ÒThese anti-freeze proteins are important waters today. to the entire ecosystem,Ó said Chris Devries. 6 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

The main objective during this NBP97-8 Christchurch, NZ by Brian Stone Process IV cruise was to gather time-series The Air National Guard (ANG) will be data on the turnover and flux of carbon in the leaving four LC-130 aircraft in Christchurch Ross Sea. The NBP was the platform used to over the holiday season. To save costs and obtain exciting results form the SeaWIFS reduce wear and tear on the aircraft, the air- fromAntarctic stationsand ships imagery and the pumping SeaSoar systems. craft are left on the USAP ramp in the two- With completion of this cruise, scientists from week gap between Air National Guard (ANG) NBP97-8 disembarked while scientists for deployments. The air crews and maintenance NBP97-9, ROAVERRS embarked. A success- personnel will re-deploy to the United States McMurdo Station by Stan Wisneski ful and cost-effective ice-edge transfer of sci- by commercial aircraft, leaving the aircraft for The New York Air National Guard entists, staff, and cargo took place. NBP97-9, the next rotation of ANG personnel to fly (NYANG) redeployed 17 December 1997 and ROAVERRS began research aboard the NBP south in January. will return on 7 January 1998. Two VXE-6 December 21 and they plan to examine the The R/V ROGER REVELLE will be aircraft were forced to land in the white-out ice and ocean response to the strong offshore arriving at Port Lyttelton on 03 January for landing area near Williams Field due to fog. winds that emanate from the Ross Ice Shelf. her third JGOFS port call of the season. The The aircraft landed safely with no damage to The cruise participants will service and rede- ship will be in port until 08 January when she the aircraft or injuries to the passengers or ploy current meter moorings, which will be departs on the JGOFS Survey II cruise. crew. needed to quantify the ocean response to the The two-day Christmas holiday was wind forcing, make wind observations, and provide a basic description of the hydrogra- R/V Abel-J enjoyed by all personnel. Festivities started on by Dawn Scarboro Christmas Eve with the annual Christmas phy. The ABEL-J continued to Òisland hopÓ in party at the VMF. On Christmas day there support of researchers (S-087 and S-097). was another outstanding meal prepared for the R/V Laurence M. Gould The research involves recording GPS data and community by the Galley staff and many vol- by Ron Koger seismic techniquest, respectively, to obtain unteers. On Christmas Day the R/V Laurence M. information relating to the tectonics of the Gould got underway from Louisiana on its Scotia Arc at Elephant Island, Low and/or South Pole Station by David Fischer 22-25 day journey to Punta Arenas, Chili to Smith Island, Deception Island, and other Peak population of 196 people has been go on Charter it will pass through the Panama sites along the Antarctic Peninsula coast. The reached. This represents a constant challenge Canal. The LMGÕs first science project will ABEL-J has also served to transport scien- to manage the population, accomplish our be the multi-year Long Term Ecological tists, staff, and cargo to Palmer Station. Plans tasking and planned science support, and also Research Project in the Palmer area. are for the ABEL-J to continue work for monitor the impact of larger populations on NSF/ASA until the LMG comes on-line. the station. R/V Roger Revelle by Poly Penhale In tandem to science support, we are in ASA, Denver by Ron Koger the midst of several construction projects A two-ship operation is supporting the Happy Holiday Wishes to all of the par- including the rings for the new garage arch, JGOFS (Joint Global Ocean Flux Study) pro- ticipants in the U.S. Antarctic Program. snow-clearing, movement of the summer ject in the Southern Ocean this season. Please know that the work you do is appreci- camp and numerous demolition projects. Joining the NBP is the R/V Roger Revelle, a ated and a vital link in the chain-of-events research ship from Scripps Institution of that occur each busy austral summer. Oceanography, University of California, San Palmer Station by Ron Nugent The M/V GreenWave is scheduled to Diego. The M/V Explorer arrived last week and begin loading at Port Hueneme on 4 January. delivered three USAP researchers and the new The ship is currently operating at about 64 Jackie Samuel at Port Hueneme continues the NSF Representative, Dr. Sonia Ortega. Also degrees South, supporting a cruise focusing stow planning Ðtrying to find space to load on board were 60 tourists who visited the sta- on the biological and physical oceanography everything awaiting shipment. tion. of the region. The ship, which was built in Four members of the Argentinian 1996, is owned by the U.S. Navy and operat- National Science Foundation Antarctic Program also visited last week. ed under charter to Scripps through the Office of Naval Research. by Guy Guthridge They were diving and collecting water sam- Can you top these? NSF has just listed 10 The Southern Ocean JGOFS program is ples near the wreck of the Argentine ship, Antarctic discoveries made the last five years: jointly supported at NSF by the Office of Bahia Paraiso. The ship ran aground and A meteorite contains possible evidence of life Polar Programs and the Division of Ocean sank a few miles from Palmer in 1989. on Mars. Ozone depletion hit a low in 1993. Sciences. Broadly viewed, JGOFS aims to The station will most likely choose to Increased UV through the ozone hole reduced monitor and predict the response of the take Christmas Day and the day after as holi- marine primary production and damaged fish. Southern Ocean to global climate change. days and then work through the following West Antarctic ice streams are changing Other national Antarctic programs, such as weekend due to the scheduled arrival of the velocity. The Vostok ice core spans 400,000 those of the United Kingdom, France, Japan, R/V Abel-J on 27 December. Merry years. The southern ocean removes lots of Germany, Australia and New Zealand have Christmas! carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The conducted JGOFS cruises in other areas of the Antarctic Peninsula region warmed signifi- Southern Ocean. Chief Scientist Richard R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cantly. El Ni–o may drive a four-year pattern Barber (Duke University) reports that six sta- by Dawn Scarboro in weather and sea ice around Antarctica. tions have been completed, with successful The JGOFS-AESOPS process study in the Antarctic winter water could disappear quick- sampling all around. He notes that Òthe R/V Ross Sea successfully completed their ly, reducing global circulation of Antarctic Roger Revelle is a great platform for research for this portion of their studies in bottom water. Neutrinos have been detected oceanography.Ó mid-December. using the ice sheet as the medium. ✹ The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 7

Ambassadors ...cont. from page 2 support waste management Ð ment homes, and showing photos to your friends and family. Sort your Trash Talking to reporters is another way to reach a broad audience. ItÕs neat for your friends and family back home to see you quoted in articles. However, there are some things to remember when talking to any audience. ¥ Because of the nature of news, reporters are often looking for things that are dramatic, quirky, new or tragic. There is also a human tendency to share the more dramatic moments, rather than talking about walking from the dorms to the galley every day. ItÕs more interesting to discuss what that the trip was like during condition one. However, it is important to provide context. For the uninitiated, a story about one unusual event can easily seem like the norm. ¥ When talking to reporters or the general public, explain complicated subjects in simple terms. Most news outlets are limited in time or Starts at Noon, January 1st space. If your explanations are too complicat- All acts are welcome! ed, either your material will not be used or it Contact Kendra, at MWR, with the name, will be simplified for you. type of act, and contact personÕs phone and email address. ¥ If you are not sure about something, say so Donations will go toward band equipment. and direct the questioner to someone who does know the facts. Chapel ¥ And finally, be clear about whether you are of the speaking on your own behalf or as an official Snows of ASA or NSF. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free Sundays: Catholic Service 9:30 AM to contact Valerie Carroll at ASA, Lynn Simarski at Protestant Service 11:00 AM NSF, or the NSF representative at your station. ✹ Wednesdays: Prayer and Praise at 7:30 PM

-- EDITORIALS -- Here at The Sun we enjoy compliments and appreciate the support and interest of our readers. We welcome your thoughts at The Antarctic Sun.

To the staff of The Antarctic Sun: My compliments for a job well done...! The Sun is looking like a real hometown paper! As a science writer for The New York Times I've been down to the ice five times since 1974 (when sledding down the brand- new South Pole dome and visits to Old Pole Station were still permitted) and made more lifelong friends than I can count. The Sun I see (via the internet) lets me keep up with the changes, the science and the gossip on the ice, and it's the next best thing to being there! All the best, Malcolm W. Browne The New York Times 8 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

teachers Convention. But the greatest impact may be right in his classroom, where Jones Teachers Experience Antarctica hopes to integrate his Antarctic experiences story by Alexander Colhoun into everyday lessons. While teaching is his job, proving that Jones made the anything is possible is his legacy. grade on both counts. Having par- ÒThe Dry Valleys are as close to Mars as taken in Foundation IÕll ever get,Ó said Jones with a twinkle in his courses ranging from eye. With his penchant for latching onto a visit to the adventure, however, no one will be surprised Stanford Linear to see Jones strapped into the Space Shuttle, ✹ Accelerator to sail- headed off on another grand experience. ing a three-masted schooner from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, In SipleÕs he was well-suited for this Antarctic Footsteps: adventure. Today, A Girl Scout in Antarctica photo by Alexander Colhoun photo by Jones finds himself story by Zee Evans Paul Jones hunts nematodes and studies glacial melt in Antarctica when heÕs not transplanted to anoth- teaching science in Montezuma, Iowa. er world: AntarcticaÕs he typical image of a Girl Scout, a 12- Dry Valleys. eÕs a living, breathing Walter Mitty. Tyear-old selling cookies door to door, HHunting for dinosaur bones, sailing For one month Jones will be stationed in isnÕt necessarily complete. Hannah Thomas, a through the North Sea and flying by helicopter the Dry Valleys, working with several different 19-year old Girl Scout, breaks the mold and through AntarcticaÕs Dry Valleys sound more research groups within the Long Term asks you to think again. like the dreams of James ThurberÕs character Ecological Research project. The projects Every three years a Girl or Boy Scout is than the real life experiences of an Iowa include the nematode hunters (a team of chosen to come to Antarctica, continuing a tra- school teacher. That may be Paul JonesÕ mes- researchers hunting for microscopic worms) dition that began with Paul Siple, a Boy Scout sage: with determination and a pinch of luck, and a group studying glacial melt run-off. chosen to join Richard Evelyn ByrdÕs 1928-30 the world is your oyster. Research is the easy part for Jones; living Antarctic expedition. This program allows 18- ÒIÕm not a big-shot teacher,Ó said Jones, a in a remote field camp tent is something else. 20 year-old scouts to travel to Antarctica for one-man science department. ÒIÕm out in the ÒWeÕre always cleaning. ThereÕs dirt every- ten weeks to assist with research projects. trenches.Ó For the last 36 years Jones has where,Ó said Jones. ÒBut thatÕs the lesson. In 1997, 55 Girl Scouts applied for the taught biology, chemistry and physics to the People can live, and live comfortably, in Antarctic Research Project co-sponsored by 240 students enrolled in the Montezuma extreme situations. IÕve used less than a gallon the National Science Foundation and the Girl Community School in central Iowa. of water per day for many days.Ó Scouts. Thomas received an application in the Jones began his Antarctic adventure with a When heÕs not working, Jones stays busy mail from her local Council and jumped at the mere thirty-two cent investment in a postage keeping in contact with his students back ...cont. on page 9 stamp. With it, he sent in his application for home via the internet. In the National Science FoundationÕs Teachers the field, Jones sends his Experiencing Antarctica (TEA) Program. notes back to McMurdo with the helo pilots on a Teachers Experiencing Antarctica is a five- computer disc. Later, this year-old National Science Foundation program material is entered into a originally designed to bring students to the home page maintained Antarctic. In time, this program shifted empha- by Rice University sis from bringing students to bringing teachers, (www.glacier.rice.edu). whose long-term impact in the classroom is greater. Keeping in contact with students and spread- ÒI saw the advertisement in Science ing the word about Teacher Magazine,Ó said Jones. ÒIt sounded Antarctica are the only interesting so I applied.Ó Jones makes it sound requirements of the TEA simple, but both entry guidelines and competi- program. For his part, tion are tough. All applicants must have com- Jones hopes to make a pleted at least one National Science presentation at the Iowa Foundation science enrichment course and,

Science Teachers Alexander Colhoun photo by like all United States Antarctic Program partic- Convention, and later at Following in Antarctic explorer Paul SipleÕs footsteps, Hannah Thomas, a Girl ipants, must pass a stringent physical exam. the National Science Scout from New York, joins researchers in Antarctica. The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 9

Before mastication, 280,000 gallons of Girl Scout ...cont. from page 8 ...cont. from page 4 Wasting Away sea water are added to the total outfall every opportunity to apply. When the call came where passing currents can pick up and begin day from the aquarium where live marine informing her that she had been accepted to diluting the pollutants, most of the lighter specimens are contained. Further diluting this 1997 Project Scholarship, Thomas was and less dense particles form a plume that is is a daily total of 264,000 gallons of brine ecstatic. ÒI whooped and hollered and could constantly dissipating. Some of the denser that comes from the reverse osmosis units. hardly wait to tell my friends,Ó she said. pieces sink and form a mound of debris Totalling approximately 16.5 million gallons Science has always been a dream of referred to as Òthe corn pile,Ó or ÒCharmin annually, most of the outflow consists of un- ThomasÕs. Both her parents are geologists, MountainÓ by divers who conduct underwa- contaminated sea water. leading to her early dreams of becoming a ter research and specimen collection in the Joe Seibert, resident ASA environmental park ranger or a nature center director. area. technician, tests contaminant parameters After taking a class in geology at Mount One group of divers has established a three times a year. Levels of contamination Holyoke College in Massachusetts, howev- benthic ecology study to determine effects of remain within acceptable standards as set by er, she decided to follow in her parents the outfall on the flora and fauna of the bay. the Antarctic Treaty. In fact, some results footsteps. To date, negative effects appear minimal and could even be considered beneficial to the Thomas is a member of the Adirondack are not widespread. marine life of the bay. ÒWeÕre putting nutri- Girl Scout Council in Queensbury, N.Y. ÒThe plume is really localized,Ó said Rob ents into the water resulting in a larger algal ÒGirl Scouting has really prepared me for Robbins, dive coordinator, as he prepared population,Ó said Seibert. this trip,Ó said Thomas, with a gleam in her himself for a dive into the 28.4 degree In the future, McMurdo may build its eyes. ÒIÕm really excited about the opportu- Fahrenheit water to place equipment for the own sewage plant to process the human nity to do scientific research and the inde- study. Concerned with contacting or even waste generated in town, as well as the hun- pendence of interacting with scientists in ingesting small amounts of waste water near dreds of thousands of pounds of grey water, what I hope will be my field when I finish the outfall, the divers must wear masks that urine, and feces that must be collected in college.Ó cover their entire face and connect to their containers at field camps and retrograded to Thomas has been a Girl Scout for 14 dry suit. the U.S. For now, however, the sea will have years. She received the Girl Scouts highest Though pumping over 72,000 gallons of to incorporate our waste, and it is up to us to honor, the Gold Award, along with many town waste water a day into Winter Quarters watch what we dump down drains and flush other badges and honors including the Bay may seem like a less-than-ideal situation down toilets. ✹ Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award and in environmental terms, actual pollutants the Senior Girl Scout Challenge. comprise a remarkably low percentage of the Thomas arrived in Antarctica in late outfall. October and will be here through January. In the last few weeks Thomas has assisted as a dive tender; traveled to the South Pole to release balloons that measure the ozone; helped tag Adelie penguins at Cape Royds, Cape Bird and Cape Crozier; and visited Siple Dome to assist with core drillings of the snow. ÒIÕve been very lucky to have been given this chance to go to Antarctica, especially since this kind of opportunity has not always been available to women,Ó said Thomas. Throughout ThomasÕ adventures, sheÕs kept in contact with her friends and fellow Girl Scouts via the Girl Scouts Of America web site. Her trip to the ice and her stay while she is in Antarctica is funded by the National Science Foundation. Her local chapter of Girl Scouts funds her stay in Christchurch while she is en route. ÒEverything will have a lasting impression,Ó said Thomas of her experiences thus far. ÒBut when I leave, I know I will miss the wonderful people here.Ó✹ Visit Hannah ThomasÕ web site: photo by Alexander Colhoun photo by (www.gsusa.org/girls/go/hannah/antarcti.htm) Making his way through a foot and a half of fresh powder that fell on Ross Island two weeks ago, Scott Jones earns his turns for a ski down the hill below Castle Rock. 10 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

also the time of year you ÒreplayÓ it in your mind. Actually, when seasonal depres- grieving, regretting, resenting, or keeping Ask sion is most prevalent. bitter memories of the past alive will only Be it family of ori- maintain a bridge to an unhappy past. AuntArctica gin issues, remember- Instead, focus on what you would like ...advice for staying healthy on the Ice ing a lost relationship, this time of year to mean to you. Create ritu- Aunt Arctica is written by a clinical psychotherapist or the absence of als for yourself that bring a new purpose and from Washington state with eight years experience working in individual counseling, specializing in cogni- friends, it can be a understanding to what the holidays signify tive and transpersonal psychologies for personal time for many of feel- for you personally. growth. Please write with any questions you may have. You need not include your name. All queries will be ing alone and more There may be pieces of your past that confidential. isolated than at any did work for you: incorporate these into the other time of year. It can also be a time of new scenario. Family may not hold for you Question: I am in need of being reminded assessing what is absent in your life. now, or in the future, the ability to meet your what this season means. As a child, the long Our culture, focusing on materialism as expectations. With that in mind, consider anticipated Christmas morning thing was a a means to happiness, underscores this with how you can build a Òfamily of choiceÓ that huge let down. My father started drinking a message of what we ought to have in our will bring you a greater sense of belonging. earlier in the day each year while my mother lives if we are to be happy. Take this opportunity of being removed ran around frantically providing an air of The childhood scenario you describe is from home, here on the ice, to reinvent what festivity. As an adult, the whole thing seems wrought with these messages and others this time of year can mean. Allow yourself to me like an expensive and tedious waste of including expectations of the ÒidealÓ; disap- to relinquish expectations based on the past, time. I see joy and generosity on the faces of pointments in what life has dealt you; and and let your new experience of the holidays folks around me, but feel like an outsider in disillusionment that it will ever be different. unfold and happen. a strange land. Am I destined to always feel The remedy for this lies in our ability to A good way to get started is by writing a this way about the holidays? live fully and productively in the present. wish list of what you would have liked the The way we choose to view and use the past past to have been, then create a ritual of The ÒmagicÓ of this time of year to me in our present lives ultimately effects the throwing it away and letting it go. has always been in its ability to regress and extent to which we are depression-prone. transport each one of us into the past. It is The past cannot be relived or changed as

Snow Jobs by Ben Mann

photo by Alexander Colhoun

Every season New Zealand Defense Forces personnel perform a Haka for the residents of McMurdo. This is a traditional ceremony originally used by native New Zealand Maori warriors. The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 11

personnel are provided for at the Southern Lights restaurant, known fondly as DotÕs for MILITARY NEWS: Dot Russell who runs the place. ItÕs a Morale, Welfare and Recreation restaurant, club and movie theater in one. The Little Command That Could Whether it is deployment season or not, by Chief Jacqueline Kiel NASUÕs communications division is always in the Christchurch manned. According to Petty Officer 2nd Class community, exten- Wayne McLeod, a NASU radioman, all sively supporting Department of Defense (DoD) traffic goes charitable activi- through the communications office. ÒWe act as ties. New Zealand a communication hub for various commands Toys for Tots, the that are here in Christchurch,Ó he said. Cholmondley Those commands include Antarctic Home (an extend- Development Squadron Six, the U.S. Air ed care home for Force, and the New York Air National Guard. children), and New NASU also cares for American civilian Zealand Special government employees. ÒWe take care of the Olympics have all household goods for all DoD folks in New benefited from Zealand, including embassy defense attache SailorsÕ time and personnel and military retirees to New energy. Zealand,Ó Stotz said. ÒWe also take care of NASU Sailors their school administration.Ó also honored New While March marks the end of much of ZealandÕs veterans the USAP activity on the ice, NASU employ- and war victims by ees would typically be still hard at work. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Dave Lippman Photo by Petty Officer marching in a ÒAntarctic cargo comes in year-round,Ó NASU sailors honored New ZealandÕs fallen warriors on April 25th, 1997 by march- dawn parade ing in the annual ANZAC Day Parade in Papanui, a Christchurch neighborhood. said Stotz. ÒWe stage it for winter flight opera- Navy Sailors have supported the parade for many years. through downtown tions and for the regular season.Ó Christchurch on he command is small and getting The off-season work will continue as usual ANZAC Day. The holiday, which falls on and next season will roll around come the Tsmaller all the time, but the job is big April 25th, is the Australian and New Zealand and quite important to the U.S. Antarctic August time frame, only sadly, NASU will not version of Memorial Day. ✹ Program (USAP). be involved. New Zealanders have fought along side Someone has to transport, billet, feed and Americans in every war the United States has provide entertainment for all the USAP folks fought since WWI, thus American participa- who pass through New Zealand. That respon- tion in these parades is quite meaningful. sibility falls to the U.S. Naval Antarctic For now, though, the work continues. Support Unit, Christchurch (NASU) and the Scientists and support personnel pass through ASA team based in Christchurch. YourTurnÐ Christchurch on their way to and from While the name has changed several times, Antarctica via Terminal Operations personnel. NASU has in fact been in existence since Your questions and comments are welcome here. ÒDuring the summer season we will transport WeÕll publish responses in each issue. Contact us at 1962, always with the same role: support and 3,700 passengers to and from Antarctica and [email protected]. liaison. ship approximately three million pounds of Question: Our salaries are based on Denver Everyone who goes through New Zealand cargo,Ó said Army Maj. Paul Giovino, incomes, or so they say. Yet a two room comes into contact with NASU personnel. Terminal Operations Officer for NASU. ÒWe apartment in Denver rents for $1,000 per ÒWe serve as an advance staging base for pas- also assist with the New Zealand program, the month. It seems incongruent. My point is sengers and cargo bound for Antarctica,Ó said Italian program and the Russian Vostok pro- this: if our salaries are based on a Denver pay scale, why are our salaries so low? I Cdr. John Stotz, commanding officer of gram with passengers and all air cargo.Ó NASU. make $400 a week. It would be TOUGH to Loading and unloading the re-supply ves- survive on that cash in Denver. Sadly, the command will be closing its sel, M/V GreenWave when it transits through doors soon, and the mission will be passed on Lyttelton, New Zealand, on its way to and Our salaries are based on a number of vari- to Detachment 13 of the New York Air from Antarctica is another Terminal ables, focusing on the market value for com- National Guard and to civilian contractors. Operations task. parable positions in the Denver metro area. NASU will formally close its doors in NASU also continues the billeting opera- Most ASA employees take many factors into March 1998, but will have a disestablishment tion, using up to 120 rooms in four hotels, consideration before signing employment ceremony on Feb. 20, 1998, ending a 35-year- housing all transient military and DoD civil- agreements: the room and board, gear, recre- relationship between the command and New ians, according to Luisa Magalhaes, billeting ational activities, transportation, the comple- Zealanders. Many of NASUÕs civilian employ- head clerk. ÒAbout 25 people per day go tion bonus, and the opportunity to travel. ees are Kiwis. through billeting, Magalhaes said. ÒWe aver- Debbie Norris This connection has been enhanced by age 5,000 to 6,000 bed-nights per month.Ó Human Resource Manager, ASA NASUÕs military members who are very active Food and entertainment needs for USAP 12 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

WEATHER by George Howard, MAC Weather Open-Water McMurdo Station, Antarctica in McMurdo Sound? or many of us, itÕs difficult to think of FMcMurdo Sound as a body of open water. More often we view it as a place to conduct scientific research or land aircraft. ThatÕs not surprising considering that for most of the summer season the soundÕs waters lie under a thick sheet of solid ice. Colder than normal weather during sea ice formation this year contributed to higher than average ice thickness in McMurdo Sound. The ice, however, covers less of the sound than normal due to strong winds generated by storms early in the season. This combination of thicker ice covering less area suggests weÕll see a nearly normal transition from ice to open water. As 1997 comes to a close, the U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker, Polar Star, will make its way through the land-fast ice of McMurdo Sound, cutting a channel through which resupply ves- sels can navigate. This will speed the natural process of clearing the sound of ice. Small

areas of open water will be visible almost Steven Kottmeier photo by Dr. immediately. Larger areas will appear as the The R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, a research ship leased by the National Science Foundation, visited the ice days pass, until the last land-fast ice at Hut edge just a few miles outside of McMurdo last week. The vessel exchanged workers and reseachers Point disappears in mid-February. before heading out on another cruise. The ship is due back in McMurdo on January 10, 1998. For those of us living and working in McMurdo until seasonÕs end and beyond, expect an astounding transformation as the vista to our west changes from pale ice to a deep liquid blue.

The Polar Star will break through 16 miles of land-fast sea ice to reach McMurdo's ice pier. (December 17, 1997 DMSP satellite image. Resolution: one quarter mile.) The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 13

Bi-Polar ...cont. from page 1

Chris Cheng Devries, the objective is Arctic and Antarctic ice provide what summers in Antarctica and North American research. Devries and her husband, Art, have Gow considers the most accurate and acces- summers in Denali National Park. spent a quarter century studying a protein sible climactic histories available on the ÒAlaska is seen as the last frontier,Ó said anti-freeze found in Antarctic and Arctic planet. ÒBi-polar comparisons are synchro- Needham. ÒThe people who come to Alaska fishes. nous across two hemispheres,Ó said Gow. live outside the boundaries of the norm and That fish on opposite ends of the earth ÒThe ice record is extremely rich. Ice cores establish their identity through that.Ó It is have independently developed the exact will give [a record] to you on a year-by-year only logical then, that Needham would same protein leaves search for the next step, and Chris Devries in won- thatÕs where Antarctica fits der. the bill. ÒThere is a lot of ÒIt takes a certain kind of creativity in inventing person to go to these places,Ó something to serve the said Jerry Pratt, a world-trav- same function,Ó said eling power plant technician. Devries. ÒYou really ÒMany of them are very inde- donÕt see another sys- pendent, they are loners. They tem like this anywhere like themselves and are com- on earth. It is a very fortable with who they are. innovative system.Ó You have to be to work here.Ó Innovation and As independent as many adaptation are the cor- bi-polar workers and nerstones of bi-polar researchers may be, they are living for humans and at the same time inextricably animals alike. At the linked to the small communi- South Pole, the newest ties (often less than one or two basis. No other record is that precise. By buildings are elevated off the surface to hundred people) in which they live. Andy making bi-polar comparisons the climates of decrease snow build-up; while Weddell seal Young has traveled between 60û North and the past can be used to understand the cli- pups have adapted to survive when delivered 60û South for the last 15 years. ÒWe depend mate of the future.Ó from their motherÕs womb, nearly 100 on each other and we know each other,Ó said degrees above zero, into an unforgiving Joining Gow in his quest for bi-polar Young. ÒIt is that old time feeling of a vil- world far below freezing. understanding are no less than 17 major sci- lage.Ó ence projects, all with connections to both Stark and extreme, life In time, the communities that Young tog- in the polar regions is gles between have become his defined by its lack of home. They are where he, and complexity. Few many others like him, find a species of animals are sense of belonging. ÒItÕs true, hardy enough to survive adventure brought me here,Ó the intense cold, not to said Young. ÒBut the problem mention the long winter with adventure is that it only nights. ÒThereÕs a lot happens once. Something less interference,Ó said besides adventure pulls peo- Tom Gelatt, a wildlife ple back. Maybe they donÕt biologist working in the know it, but I think it is com- Arctic and Antarctic. munity.Ó ÒIn the tropics you have A mix of community, everything from research and adventure drive microbes to vertebrates people like Young and and everything in Needham, Devries and Gelatt, between. Here [in and Franson and Soutter to Antarctica] krill feed on phytoplankton and build their lives between the polar extremes. hemispheres. Some researchers are studying whales feed on krill. ThatÕs the food web in In these remote corners of the planet they polar oceanography, others are interested in three steps.Ó find meaning in their lives. the super-clean air found in polar regions, These austere environments have drawn In turn, these modern day explorers ful- and all of them are searching for similarities Tony Gow to the polar extremes for yet fill dreams of the multitudes who live their and differences in these two geographically another reason: purity. Gow has worked the adventures vicariously through the chal- distinct yet parallel ecosystems. high latitudes for more than 40 years, lenges and rewards experienced by the brave Dawn Needham, a bi-polar veteran, has drilling ice cores in both regions in search of few who live in a bi-polar world. ✹ developed a keen awareness for these simi- undisturbed climatological records. larities and differences, spending Austral 14 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

third in a five-part series by Guy G. Guthridge Manager, Antarctic Information 1957-1958: National Science Foundation, Polar Programs

Forty years ago, 60,000 scientists from 66 nations took Heartbeat of part in what has been called the greatest peacetime activity in manÕs historyÑthe International Geophysical Year, from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958. One of the IGYÕs most prominent achievements was the opening of Antarctica to the IGY IGY+40 modern science.

ith the NavyÕs completion of Deep set up a small station called South Ice between Like today, the U.S. Antarctic IGY relied WFreeze II at the end of the 1956- Shackleton Base on the coast and the South on sealift to deliver fuel and most cargo to the 1957 season, operational preparation for the Pole, adding to another nine coastal stations. continent, and airlift from McMurdo to supply IGY had been carried out. When the last The Soviets added Vostok at the geomagnetic South Pole, although tractor trains, not air- ships and planes left in February and March pole, and Oasis in an ice-free area of the Knox planes, supplied Byrd Station in West 1957, 317 Americans remained behind at the Coast, to existing stations at Mirnyy and Antarctica. seven U.S. Antarctic stationsÑfive coastal Pionerskaya. Argentina and Chile were active Traverses were used extensively for sci- and two inland. in the peninsula area, and Australia had a sta- ence, mainly for sounding the ice sheet and its On July 1, 1957, the IGY program began tion on the coast. Norway and Japan each underlying topography. They covered an on schedule. A few days before, the sun began built a station, as did Belgium. New Zealand amazing amount of territory in the 1957-1958 to show signs of interesting activity. Telltale set up Scott Base on Ross Island and shared and 1958-1959 summers. Traverses moved spots on its surface indicated numerous gigan- Hallett with the Americans in northern throughout West Antarctica and the Ross Ice tic explosions. The IGY started during one of Victoria Land. South Africa had a subantarc- Shelf (U.S.); across the Filchner Ice Shelf and the greatest of recorded magnetic storms, and tic base. All told, the 12 nationsÕ wintering across Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to scientists all over the world were ready. populations were close to a thousand, and in Scott Base (U.K.); inland from Mirnyy to The Americans were far from alone in summer it exceeded 5,000. Vostok and to the middle of East Antarctica Antarctica. The French established a base, Philip Law, who directed AustraliaÕs IGY (USSR); and inland from Mawson (Australia) Charcot, near the south magnetic pole in addi- efforts in Antarctica, estimated the total cost and Dumont dÕUrville (France). tion to Dumont dÕUrville. The British to all nations at $280-million, over $1.1-bil- In addition, Soviet airplanes made 48 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition lion in todayÕs buying power. landings for geophysics and ice soundings on coastal areas of East Antarctica, covering nearly 180¡ of longitude. Each Antarctic station and traverse had goals spe- cific to its location but complementary to others, and most were populated by their own nationals. Even so, international cooperation was a strong component. Weather Central at Little America V, a U.S. station, collected reports from bases and ships throughout the southern hemisphere and radioed forecasts to all stations. The staff included representatives from Argentina, New Zealand, the USSR, Australia, France, and South Africa. This and other collabora- tive efforts truly put the I in the IGY and led to political and scientific develop- photo by Frank Kazukaitis ments undreamed of by Sled dogs pass in front of a Super Constellation aircraft somewhere in Antarctica, circa 1958. Sled Dogs were popularly used for long IGY planners. ✹ and short traverses across the ice in the early years of Antarctic exploration. The Antarctic Sun December 27, 1997 15

oming back to the Antarctic this year ArtÕs project was an opportunity to get Chas been like completing a great cir- out and we became a major tourist attraction. cle in my life. The Antarctic affects us all in We had a busy schedule of folks who wanted Perspectives profound ways and I was fortunate to have an to get out and we felt a bit like tour guides. Antarctic experience that allowed me to get We had to be sure people brought the right outdoors. I think most folks hope to experi- clothing and answered a lot of the same ques- ence the environment of Antarctica in some tions about our work. Still we were commit- way. That was harder when I first came ted to it because it was a way of giving some- down. Thankfully, things are different for the thing back to the community. Out of community now. In town, things were not as friendly as From 1981-1984 I spent four summers they might have been, and the community felt working as a field assistant for Art DevriesÕ pretty divided into the different work groups. project on the Freezing Avoidance of But the fish hut was a great equalizer: people were out of their work environment, it was Antarctic Fishes. We spent a lot of time out Townby Steve Munsell on the sea ice fishing for the big, 75-pound more person to person. Over the years we Antarctic Cod (D. Mawsoni) for his experi- saw everyone from distinguished visitors and remember one guy stole a new ambulance ments. the media to regular Navy enlisted guys. It and parked it in a snowbank. Art had a real commitment to sharing the was great for us because we got to know peo- Now, some 16 years later, I think the pro- fishing experience with the community as an ple and learned a lot from everyone. Most gram has evolved a lot. Life in town is dra- approved way to get people off station and importantly, we got people out. matically improved. ItÕs far from perfect, of out into the Antarctic environment. Then, as I felt risks in McMurdo were managed by course, and there are still some gray areas. It now, people came down wanting to experi- trying to minimize everyoneÕs exposure to the is still easy to get in trouble if you do the ence this great white desert. environment. It was an understandable wrong thing. People still need to get out but now there is more opportunity for that. People wanted to get out. They found approach but the resultant restrictions had an magic staring down into the deep black of the impact on peopleÕs physical and emotional Now the outdoor recreation issue is sound through the blue-green light of the ice health. People had to sneak off to get out into addressed in a formal manner and a system in the darkened hut. Back then, life on station the great white and I was certainly guilty of has been created to let people get outside if was quite a bit more regulated with respect to that in a major way. they want to. The Outdoor Safety Lecture the travel and recreation. You certainly couldnÕt Since outdoor pursuits were not encour- Berg Field Center does along with the video, ride a mountain bike and people kept their aged, there was more focus on social events provides people an excellent briefing on the skis pretty low profile. The sea ice was offi- and activities on station. There were more hazards out there and the precautions to take cially off limits. There wasnÕt much of a bars then and more focus on alcohol as a pas- to travel safely. It is a good system because sanctioned recreation program that allowed time. I think one kind of problem was traded the National Science Foundation cannot people to get out of town. for another. assume that participants are going to have previous outdoor experience or know the Outdoor local hazards. safety issues were traded for The search and rescue element is quite a urban safety bit more sophisticated and professional. The issues. There whole recreation program is an investment in were a lot of peopleÕs well being and now the outdoors is problems and included. You can see this new attitude in the incidents that work centers as well. There is a conscious had alcohol as a effort to get people into the field on work- contributing related projects. factor. A safety The gender balance on station is now concern of the quite natural and there appears to be much day was drunks less sexism. Sexism and sexual harassment passing out on were a part of the cultural landscape in my the way home memory. IÕm glad thatÕs over. Now if you or curling up in look around you see a lot of really competent a snowbank and women in key positions. They make things freezing. happen throughout this program. People would I feel fortunate to have a chance to return steal trucks and and see how the whole program has evolved wreck them. Art and matured. There will always be room to would never let improve and things to work on but todayÕs us leave the environment is a healthier one to live and photo by Alexander Colhoun photo by keys in the work in. We still take people out to the fish Steve Munsell takes a break from ice fishing for Mawsoni, better known as Antarctic Spryte on a house, but it is no longer the only game in cod. Munsell, an instructor at Prescott College in Arizona, first came to Antarctica Saturday night. I town. ✹ 16 years ago. 16 December 27, 1997 The Antarctic Sun

was not a good year for McMurdoÕs communications station, 1972Americans in Vietnam, Burnette, methodically diagnosed problems in including Ed Burnette. While most Americans the back-up generator system. fought their way out of the war-torn nation, Taking a moment to wet his fingers, Burnette found himself fighting to get back Burnette slaps his thumb and forefinger in. Profile across two poles, testing the circuit for juice. His wife and child were there, and he was ÒTwo ten [volts] is nothing,Ó said Burnette, determined to bring them home. flashing a perfect set of pearly white teeth. ÒI Arriving in Bangkok from Singapore got hit with 4,160 volts and IÕm one of the where he was working, Burnette talked few to live to tell about it. Someone upstairs his way onto one of the last commer- Around the likes me.Ó cial flights into Saigon Ða Cathay That may be true. Or it could be Pacific flight. No sooner had he plain good luck. Either way, stepped off the plane onto the Burnette, like his great-grandmother humid tarmac in Saigon, than World on a who educated him, has never been he turned to see the plane one to sit on his laurels. wheeling away. The airport Gaining a top-flight education was empty, abandoned, and he Generator and a well before the American Civil hurried to his wifeÕs family Rights movement gained momen- home. tum, Burnette is an American ÒArenÕt you go mistah?Ó Prayer anomaly. He graduated from inquired the Vietnamese locals as Rochester Institute of Technology as he made his way through the story and photo by Alexander Colhoun an electrical engineer only two years streets. After gathering up his family, after the landmark Brown versus Board he headed for the of Education case that American embassy com- invalidated the Òseparate pound, and found it sur- but equalÓ distinction in rounded by a mob. American schools. Battling his way None of this, however, inward, Burnette finally seems to occur to Burnette slipped through the gates as he describes his life. to explain his family situa- Despite a past that maps tion and show papers to Black Americans struggle guards, but not before his for equality, Burnette sel- wife passed their son over dom indulges in race com- the fence. ÒHe scratched parisons. ÒIt doesnÕt make a his bare little bottom on difference what color you the Concertina wire,Ó said are,Ó said Burnette. Burnette. ÒPrejudice is just a crutch to Three weeks later, with get along. That goes for his wife and child settled blacks and whites. I see it in Hawaii, Burnette on both sides.Ó returned to Indonesia to Open as he is to new continue his job with experience, Burnette made Union Oil. He had work to To watch Ed Burnette repair a generator is to watch a master at work. A certified expatriate, history of his own without do and a family to support. Burnette has traveled the world with his trade. ÒIÕve been around the world both ways,Ó said ever intending to. Burnette Burnette.Ó BurnetteÕs family his- wintered at the South Pole tory tracks unwittingly with AmericaÕs great To say Ed Burnette has itchy feet is to in 1987-88 season, and conflicts. Between his great-grandmother, a call Antarctica cold. He simply cannot stay though unconfirmed, believes he may well be slave born just after the Civil War; his father, put. ÒIÕve been around the world both ways,Ó the first black man to do so. killed in World War II in France; and his own said Burnette ÒIÕve lived most of my life Mild mannered and at ease with himself, experience in Vietnam, Burnette has weath- overseas.Ó Working as a master electrician Burnette would have been an ideal winter- ered AmericaÕs greatest tragedies and tri- and power plant expert, BurnetteÕs trade has over candidate. Perhaps it is his Southern umphs. taken him as far as Saudi Arabia and Baptist upbringing, or maybe 30 years of Speaking with Ed Burnette over a glass of Cambodia. world travel, that give him strength of charac- wine at the Coffee House youÕd never know Watching Burnette repair a generator is to ter. Either way, BurnetteÕs sixty-one years of it. What you will discover is a man passionate watch a master at work. In McMurdo life experience have taught him the value of about travel and unlikely to spend more than Burnette keeps a close eye on more than 20 patience. ÒAnd these things too shall come to 18 months (enough time to be tax-exempt generators which are the lifeblood of the pass,Ó says Burnette. ÒThatÕs an expression I working abroad) in any one place. entire station. On a recent visit to T-site, live by.Ó ✹ What do you think?

This seasonÕs Antarctic Sun has been an experiment by NSF and ASA to see if a summertime U.S. Antarctic Program newspaper is worthwhile. We have not decided how it should look next year, or how frequently it should be published, or even if it should be done at all. Your comments will be valuable in helping NSF and ASA plan what to do next season. After all, if the intended readers don't like it, why publish it? We will greatly value your comments on this seasonÕs issues. You may make them anonymously or not, as you choose, but please com- ment NOW. ¥ Readers Ôon the iceÕ can complete this form, detach it, give it to your manager or drop it by The Sun office (if youÕre in McMurdo). Your input will be forwarded to ASA in Denver, Colorado. ¥ Internet readers can send an e-mail (numbering your responses) to [email protected]. Your input is most important to us. Valerie Carroll, publisher, The Antarctic Sun

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