THE PUBLICATION OF THE NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Vol 32, No. 1, 2014 32, No. Vol RRP $15.95 Neutrinos messengers of the universe Vol 32, No. 1, 2014 Issue 227 www.antarctic.org.nz Contents The IceCube Laboratory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station Image courtesy Sven Lidstrom, IceCube/NSF is published quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Society Inc. ISSN 0003-5327 The New Zealand Antarctic Society is a Registered Charity CC27118 Please address all publication enquiries to: PUBLISHER: Gusto P.O. Box 11994, Manners Street, Wellington Tel (04) 499 9150, Fax (04) 499 9140 Email: [email protected] EDITOR: Natalie Cadenhead P.O. Box 404, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand Email: [email protected] INDEXER: Mike Wing 6 PRINTED BY: Format Print, Wellington This publication is printed using vegetable NEWS Antarctic Round Up 1 -based inks onto Sumo Matt, which is a stock sourced from sustainable forests with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and ISO SCIENCE Geological features on Mercury named for accreditations. Antarctic is distributed in Antarctic research and expedition vessels 2 flow biowrap. Computer model predicts vastly different ecosystem in Antarctica’s Ross Sea in the coming century 4 ‘Tiger stripes’ underneath Antarctic glaciers Patron of the New Zealand Antarctic Society: Patron: Professor Peter Barrett, 2008. slow the flow 5 Immediate Past Patron: Sir Edmund Hillary. Cosmic finding ushers in ‘new age of astronomy’ 6 NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Volcano discovered smoldering under a LIFE MEMBERS The Society recognises with life membership, kilometre of ice in West Antarctica 8 those people who excel in furthering the A biology teacher too cool for school in Antarctica 10 aims and objectives of the Society or who have given outstanding service in Antarctica. National Science Foundation plan to guide They are elected by vote at the Annual General Meeting and are restricted to development of McMurdo Station 11 15 life members at any time. TRIBUTE Philip (Phil) M. Smith 12 Current Life Members by the year elected: 1. Bernard Stonehouse (UK), 1966 Barrie (Barry) Clayton Waterhouse 13 2. John Claydon (Canterbury), 1980 3. Jim Lowery (Wellington), 1982 BOOK REVIEW A Story of Antarctic Co-operation 14 4. Robin Ormerod (Wellington), 1996 5. Baden Norris (Canterbury), 2003 Antarctic Adventure 15 6. Bill Cranfield (Canterbury), 2003 7. Randal Heke (Wellington), 2003 EVENTS New Zealand IceFest is Bringing 8. Bill Hopper (Wellington), 2004 Antarctica to the World… 16 9. Malcolm Laird (Canterbury), 2006 10. Arnold Heine (Wellington), 2006 BACK COVER Poetry 11. Margaret Bradshaw (Canterbury), 2006 12. Ray Dibble (Wellington), 2008 13. Norman Hardie (Canterbury), 2008 Cover photo: 14. Vacant This is the highest energy neutrino ever observed, with an estimated energy of 1.14 PeV. It was detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole on Jan. 3, 2012. IceCube physicists named it “Ernie.” They named the second highest-energy neutrino 15. Vacant ever observed “Bert”. Image courtesy, IceCube Collaboration. ii Issue 227 NEWS Antarctic Round Up February 2014 resume in the future. Over the year, An enthusiastic and energetic team I have represented the Society on the of Antarctic Society members spent a Antarctic Heritage Trust Board (AHT) few hours shifting the collections of and at Ministry of Foreign Affairs journals, furniture, artefacts and odds and Trade (MFAT) meetings about and sods from its temporary storage the Convention on the Conservation to new shelving at the Canterbury of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Cultural Collections Recovery Centre at (CCAMLR) fishing marine protected the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. area proposals. The AHT Board have The shelving was purchased through made me feel most welcome and funds received from the Four Winds are also keen to collaborate on events The NZAS collection almost stored in its new home. Foundation. NZAS are very grateful and ventures that may be of mutual Image courtesy Sue Stubenvol to the Foundation for these funds to benefit. I have been appointed to the AHT Audit Committee. purchase this specific industrial strength As a small group of volunteers, shelving suitable to store the heavy I personally thank Linda Kestle and we should congratulate ourselves on collection items. Nicola Jackson for their work over the achieving what we do. A very grateful thanks goes to all years as they resign from the positions the volunteers who helped. of National Secretary and North Island This year, we will take our work- Vice President (respectively) this year. shopping inputs to the next stage and Update from Council, March 2014 Linda has made a sterling contribution aim to produce a draft Constitution prepared for the 2014 National AGM 2013 was not without its challenges to the running of the Society and but we are making steady progress in will continue to be on Council and ask for membership growth 2014. representing the Auckland Branch. initiatives to be a concerted focus for all The challenges came in being Nicola has been instrumental in Branches. It can be as simple as bringing able to get our group of busy Council the completion of the first stage of a friend to a branch meeting! volunteers all together, to work the Society’s Assets and Archives Thank you for your continued assessment. through some of the projects we have support and best wishes for forthcoming I would also like to thanks our identified. Over 2013, Council met events in your areas. three times (more frequently than in other hard-working members of the previous years), with two meetings Council and special officers for their Dr Jud Fretter focused on work-shopping specific work over the year. issues: revisions to the Constitution and • Malcolm, for maintaining the President, NZAS strategic planning. Strategic planning website, expanding the digitised was challenging – the Society needs records (with the aid of Mike to have one eye on the future, moving Wing’s indexing) and exploring to increased usage of online social opportunities to develop this networking and electronic publications presence further. Clarification – Janet Bray – and also one eye to our membership • Natalie, for managing to still In the last issue of Antarctic the who appreciate the hard copy produce excellent publications Editor reported that Janet Bray had publication and the social aspects of whilst also working on the Assets resigned as Assistant Editor of the gatherings. and Archives group and resolving journal. Janet sends this clarification: The Council has recognised that our storage needs in Christchurch. “In recent years others have done the our highest priority is serving our • Lester, for his sound financial majority of the editing of the articles existing membership and growing the management and advice over the year that have appeared in Antarctic, and membership – this is the key to ensuring • Margaret, for her continuing I have had infrequent involvement that the NZAS is sustainable for the dedication to manage the Oral with the publication. I very much next 80 years plus. Histories project and for coming back enjoyed helping out with the There was no Scott Base Volunteer onto the Council as South Island VP. publication from time to time, and Programme (SBVP) running this • In absentia, John Parsloe for I now step aside. I wish Natalie and year but we will be working with the working on the Assets and Archives future editors all the best with their new CE of Antarctica New Zealand group and for helping with the continued work for Antarctic.”. (AntNZ) to see if the scheme can relocation of NZAS stores. Vol 32, No. 1, 2014 1 SCIENCE Geological features on Mercury named for Antarctic research and expedition vessels Article based on National Science Foundation news release. The R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, an ice-capable Antarctic research vessel chartered for the National Science Foundation (NSF), has routinely braved some of the world’s most hostile waters in support of the science carried out by the United States Antarctic Program. Now, a geological feature on one of the inhospitable planets in the solar system bears the ship’s name. he International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently Of the solar system’s four terrestrial planets, Mercury is the approved a proposal from NASA’s Mercury Surface, smallest, the densest, has the oldest surface, is the one with the TSpace Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging largest daily variations in surface temperature and is the least (MESSENGER) science team to assign names to 10 “rupes,” explored. MESSENGER studies Mercury to develop a better long, cliff-like escarpments that formed over major geological scientific understanding of how the planets in the solar system faults on the planet Mercury. One is now called the Palmer Rupe. formed and evolved. 140° 130° 150° 120° D u y B e f e k t h i e o v ā l m i k n e ° V n 1 60 1 1 0° u ok Eit R u p e s 0° 10 17 0° S Bartók ayat-N o l va Rū Gogo mī es up R er alm P 0° 9 18 0° ° -21 -21 ° n an tm up Ha n Ma o t t iss . M i l e . Ive s Isa tad Us S u r i k o v Lessin . g ō h . Bas -3 0° shi 0 -3 ayo ° Tak ma Bar Del acroix Ca rd ucc i . M i c h Shell e l a ey n g e l o - 0° us 40 -4 Sib eli ° i j k s v e Ha o wtho s t rne o D Sū r Dā s Hals Vincente . -50 0° Po Rie -5 u ° rq m u en o sc i- hneid P a er s R upes H d e .