News Item -- Monday 29 October 2012 -- Puzzle Of The Week
Question:
A C-17 transport plane could not land on Oct 15 the sea-ice on McMurdo because the sea-ice was too thin. A little over a week later, when Laurie and Anthony were flying in the sea ice has thickened enough so the US Air Force started landing on the Sea Ice Runway. How is it possible that the sea ice is still thickening even though the days are getting longer and the air is warming? The wind chill also decreases as the region enters the Austral summer.
Answer:...
News Item -- Friday 26 October 2012 -- Starting Our 2012/13 Season
It has been a long haul for us to prepare for our work on the ice. We started in mid-summer sending off our cargo shipments. Throughout the summer, we were busy with a prolonged series of medical and dental qualification exams. We finally got our medical clearance only a couple of weeks prior to our deployment and flights were booked only with five days notice. Hubert was the first one to arrive on Oct 10, so he could properly train up for the diving. Laurie and Anthony arrived on...
News Item -- Thursday 01 November 2012 -- Dive Safety in McMurdo
There are risks when diving under the ice, with only one small hole to get out of the water and diving without a tether at water temperatures below Zero C. Divers must take these risks very seriously. Dive Masters Steve Rupp and Rob Robbins are the local Dive Safety Officers who are in charge of the McMurdo Dive Operations. They take an active role in training new divers, they maintain equipment and the make sure everybody is safe down here. Here are some thoughts on...
News Item -- Monday 19 November 2012 -- Puzzle Of The Week
Question:
There is a very curious place in Antarctica where the wind always comes from the North. Where is it?
Answer:
This curious place is the South Pole. It is so far away from the North pole that any direction you choose will bring you to the North Pole. For the same reason any wind at the South pole comes from the North, even if it comes from the opposite direction it blew a day ago. Check it out on a globe!