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The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, a Contradictory Place Where the Sun Causes Floods, Pools of Open Water Never Freeze and Footprints Can Last 50 Years

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The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, a Contradictory Place Where the Sun Causes Floods, Pools of Open Water Never Freeze and Footprints Can Last 50 Years Published during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for the United States Antarctic Program January 26, 2003 On an exceptional continent, they’re the exception to the rules life...soil...warmth...streams...and a lack of ice ne hundred years after O their discovery... in the en years after they Dry Valleys T became the focus of a Long-Term Ecological Research project... ne year after the O flood... his week The Antarctic T Sun explores the McMurdo Dry Valleys, a contradictory place where the sun causes floods, pools of open water never freeze and footprints can last 50 years. n a continent of ice, O this is the rebel patch of dirt, a landscape as often compared to Mars as anywhere on Earth. And yet in these misfit valleys scientists are gaining an understanding of the ecological processes driving more familiar and complex ecosystems. For a virtual boondoggle, helo ride not Photo by Kristan Hutchison/The Antarctic Sun included, turn to page 7. The Canada Glacier terminates in dirt, like all other glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Congressional delegation visits, praises program More money for research, sional delegation, with some members of researchers and support staff. saying the program may get a big increase The purpose of the three-day oversight construction may occur in funding during the next five years. trip was a first-hand evaluation of a pro- By Mark Sabbatini Seven members of the House Science gram with $1 billion worth of facilities Sun staff Committee observed science projects at and an annual budget of more than $250 The efficiency and enthusiasm of the U.S. stations and field camps, viewed con- million, said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R- U.S. Antarctic Program earned praise ear- struction at the new South Pole station, N.Y.), chairman of the House Science lier this month from a visiting congres- and discussed life on the Ice with a variety See Visit on page 22 INSIDE Quote of the Week Visions of green Collecting treasure “Once a fungus crosses that line from the heavens from the Ice to kill and mass murder can it Page 24 ever come back?” Page 3 - Scientist researching plant pathogens www.polar.org/antsun 2 • The Antarctic Sun January 26, 2003 Ross Island Chronicles By Chico Hey, what have we here? The scientists must have dropped this box. Cold, hard facts Antarctic penguins The longest studied Antarctic organism: Adelie penguin. Naw. I think they purposely Holy cow!!! What are Most abundant and widespread delivered it to us. They these things...ear muffs? Antarctic penguin: Adelie (80 per- wanted us to have it. cent of the bird biomass in the Southern Ocean). Average weight of an Adelie: 9 lbs. (4 kg.) in Jan. and 13-18 lbs. (6 to 8 kg.) in Oct. and Nov. Largest of the 17 penguin species: Emperor (average length of 45 inches (115 cm), or “waist high,” and an average weight of about Lookey here. It’s a pair of Air It’s moments like these that make 44 lbs. (20 kg.)) you wish you had a camera. Jordans. I wonder if it’s true Average height of Adelie: “About that they make you jump knee high.” higher? Average Adelie walking speed: 0.6- 1.2 mph (1-2 kph) Average Adelie swimming speed: 4-4.5 mph (7 to 8) kph. Source: American Scientist, David Ainley (penguin researcher) and nation- algeographic.com Katabatic Krosswords: When it’s time to leave The Antarctic Sun is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the United Across 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 4. The state most workers call home States Antarctic Program. Its pri- 1 2 5. For as little as $500 you can circle this after a season mary audience is U.S. Antarctic 8. Where departing Palmer residents start their travels 4 5 Program participants, their fami- 10. The country where ice researchers are likely to work 7 5 5 lies, and their friends. NSF during the “off-season.” 5 6 6 5 7 13. The currency most departees need first reviews and approves material 8 9 15. Wine bar a mere eight hours away from McMurdo, before publication, but opinions and conclu- according to ad in coffee shop 8 10 10 sions expressed in the Sun are not necessari- 18. This country is a mere $70 away, mate 10 11 ly those of the Foundation. 20. Where South Pole winter residents get to spend their 12 pre-winter “vacation.” Use: Reproduction and distribution are 11 13 14 encouraged with acknowledgment of source Down 13 and author. 1. Government shorthand for standby flight status 15 16 Senior Editor: Kristan Hutchison 2. U.S. stopover for $70 for returning workers Editors: Melanie Conner 3. Do the Australia option and you’ll probably start here 17 Mark Sabbatini 6. A high-altitude favorite of the highly active 7. A Christchurch bar famous for its Antarctic connections 18 Copy Editors: Liz Connell, Wendy Kober 9. What hiking is called in Nepal 19 18 16 Publisher: Valerie Carroll, 11. First country for most departees Communications manager, RPSC 12. Where most can do some nearby island hopping 20 Contributions are welcome. Contact the 14. The city where travel begins for most departees 17 16. The first U.S. city most returning workers land in Sun at [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit 17. What hiking is called in New Zealand our office in Building 155 or dial 2407. 19. The low-budget lodging of choice in Christchurch 19 Web address: www.polar.org/antsun Solution on page 6 Squares too small? No pencil to erase your mistakes? Try our interactive online puzzle at www.polar.org/antsun January 26, 2003 The Antarctic Sun • 3 Treasure from the heavens By Mark Sabbatini Sun staff Nearly 1,000 space rocks are on their way from one of the harshest environ- ments on Earth to a place where they will be treated with infinite care and respect. The Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) program wrapped up its 26th season earlier this month, collecting 924 fragments from asteroids and other space bodies. The 12 researchers explored a familiar region in-depth, scouted another area for future trips and gathered infor- mation about work habits that may be used for planning space travel. More than 14,000 meteorites have been collected by ANSMET teams since 1976, said John Schutt, lead mountaineer and science leader for the four-member team that conducted this year’s scouting Photo by Mark Sabbatini/The Antarctic Sun mission. He said scientists keep going Steve Presher, left, a chef at McMurdo Station, inspects a meteorite recovered by the back because “these specimens are some Antarctic Search for Meteorites team this season. of the most accessible and also some of the best-preserved specimens" on Earth. orites from the two areas. The day they gram officials as the National “It’s the front end to a very large thought might be their last turned out to Aeronautics and Space Administration group of individuals studying meteorites be the most productive. They set out hop- (NASA) provided enough funding to all over the world,” he said during a pre- ing to find 40 meteorites so they would allow three years of reconnaissance sentation at McMurdo Station highlight- have a season-end total of 500. By the searches. Among them was Dean Eppler, ing this season’s accomplishments. “This end of a 10-hour workday they had col- a scientist whose company works with collection is actually not a U.S. collec- lected 113 meteorites and wound up col- the Johnson Space Center in Houston. tion; it’s a U.S.-sponsored collection lecting for another half day to search the He gathered information on work and effort. It’s a collection for the world.” rest of the area before departing. living habits in the field that may assist The reconnaissance team flew about Also of note were about 60 meteorites with determining how efficient astro- 250 miles from the South Pole to explore found with a metal detector brought by nauts can be on missions such as stays on the west end of the Transantarctic Dante Lauretta, the first on an ANSMET the International Space Station and Mountains “where West Antarctica is hunt since the mid-1980s. Previous flights to Mars. sort of pasted onto East Antarctica,” detectors were often ineffective because Eppler said he needs to conduct a Schutt said. He said they collected 317 rock types in the Antarctic moraines pro- detailed analysis of his 60 to 70 pages of meteorites during the season, scouting duced a response similar to that of a notes, detailed to the quarter-hour, to out several icefields in a region with a meteorite, but newer technology features analyze worker efficiency, but his initial considerable amount of hard “blue ice,” a "ground balance" that cancels out the impressions are about what he expected. considered an ideal surface to look for dominant background rock, he noted in “You get a normal workday, maybe a specimens since little else can be found. the group’s online journal. little less, doing science,” he said. “Basically then every rock you find is Nearly all meteorites – often distin- The next step is sending the frozen a meteorite,” said Nancy Chabot, lead guishable from rocks by a black “crust” meteorites by ship to the United States, field scientist for the second meteorite- caused by heat when they enter the said Linda Welzenbach, the Smithsonian gathering team. atmosphere – come from the asteroid belt Institution’s National Museum of The objective of the reconnaissance between Mars and Jupiter, and are classi- Natural History’s meteorite collection team was to cover areas relatively quick- fied as chondrites.
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