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> More Snow???, November 24, 2005
Dena_Rosenberger
post Nov 25 2005, 06:58 AM
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More Snow?
24 November, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

Where’s Rosenberger?
At Pony Lake on Ross Island in Antarctica

It is a two hour Pisten Bully ride from MacTown (McMurdo) to Pony Lake across the sea ice. This is a long and bumpy ride. My field clothes are really nasty since I have been wearing them for three days straight and doing hard labor! I guess I’ll wash them today.
We pass several islands on the way to pony lake: Inaccessible Island (used for lot’s of Search and Rescue (SAR) training), Tent Island, and Little and Big Razorback. After the sea ice melts in December or January, these will be islands off the coast of Antarctica! We had to stop and check a few of the larger cracks in the ice to make sure the ice can hold the weight of the Pisten Bully. The Pisten Bully was full with all of our packs and ECW gear along with four helpers to help us shovel and dig.
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We stopped on the way home and got some more pictures of the beautiful Barnes Glacier. It is approximately 300 feet high!
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Our lead scientist, or PI (Principal Investiator), Christine Foreman, has set up a private tour with New Zealand’s Antarctic Heritage Trust, an historical organization that is restoring Ernest Shackelton’s hut at Pony Lake. They are camped near this hut for the entire summer. We are very lucky to get Neville Ritchie as our guide. He is the lead archeologist on the restoration and very knowledgeable on the history of the race to claim the South Pole a century ago. He also has several people helping him piece together the history of the conditions under which Shackelton lived during his expedition. They examine everything found in and around the hut, from their canned food supply to the trash dump over the hill to the dog houses. After Shackelton’s party finished building this hut, six of his men attempted to summit Mt. Erebus. Five of them summitted the 12,448 ft active volcano to make the first ascent of an Antarctic Peak. One turned back due to frostbite and has his big toe amputated. Ernest Shackelton used Manchurian ponies to haul sledges on his South Pole attempt in 1909 and because of this, named the lake here Pony Lake.
> Shackelton's Hut at Pony Lake:
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> Neville Ritchie, lead archeologist
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On day three at Pony Lake, we arrived at the pit that we had spent two days digging out and found that it had partially filled with snow from the light snow that had fallen the night before. Apparently the moderate winds had blown it over our wall and dumped it into the pit. Everyone was disheartened but we grabbed shovels and sleds and started digging. We had to clear a spot down to the frozen lake surface so that Christine can get ice cores for analysis.

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Because we do not want to dig our pit out every time there is a snow flurry, we built another wall to the south of the pit and about 10 meters away. Since the wind comes from the south, this should cause the snow to build a drift behind the wall and NOT in our pit. We’ll see next time we go out on Sunday if this plan worked.
> My block snow wall with the penguin rookery in the background:
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We were able to get three ice cores to bring back to the lab. A non-motorized ice corer must be used so as not to disturb the penguins.
> Christine gets an ice core:
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There are about 2000 nesting pairs at Cape Royds, which is where Pony Lake is.

> Penguins with the Royal Society Range in the background:
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Many of the penguin pairs have built a nest of rocks and laid an egg, which they are guarding carefully. Unfortunately, the skuas are very aggressive and will grab an egg whenever they can.
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The ice cores must be transported back to the lab in an ice chest so they don’t begin to melt. Once back in the lab, they were put in our walk-in freezer at a temperature of – 20 degrees C! Can you calculate that in Fahrenheit? C = (5/9) (F – 32)

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The cores will be separated into three sections: The upper layer with the fewest organisms; the middle layer, with a higher concentration of organisms; and, the bottom layer, which is at the benthic area in the lake (right at the soil level) and very concentrated with organisms.

> The pit at the end of the day:
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McMurdo celebrates Thansgiving on Saturday with a big dinner. There is a 5K Turkey Trot Saturday morning which I will be running (or walking).

Did you know?
The depth of ice in the middle of the Antarctic continent is about 9000 feet yet it seldom snows!

Current Conditions at McMurdo Station
Improving conditions over the next two days as a high pressure ridge builds onto the continent.

Right now:
Mostly cloudy with some snow flurries
Weak esterly winds
Pressure: 29.140 inHg
Temperature: 25 oF/ - 4 oC with a wind chill factor bringing it to -11 oF
Pressure: 29.315 inHg
Sunset: February 20 at 1:38 am
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Lisa Weber
post Dec 30 2005, 06:47 PM
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Did you know that my sister was in your class four years ago when you went to the North Pole?? Maybe in four more years when you have my brother you'll go somwhere else! Maybe... somewhere in the middle??!
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Dena_Rosenberger
post Dec 31 2005, 06:57 AM
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Hi Lisa:
I totally forgot she was in my class for the North Pole! That is pretty funny...I guess your family is my good luck charms. Hmm....where could I go next?

See you soon!
Happy New Year!

Ms. R



QUOTE(Lisa Weber @ Dec 30 2005, 06:47 PM)
Did you know that my sister was in your class four years ago when you went to the North Pole??  Maybe in four more years when you have my brother you'll go somwhere else!  Maybe... somewhere in the middle??!
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Posts in this topic
Dena_Rosenberger   More Snow???   Nov 25 2005, 06:58 AM
sloth   For those ice climbs with questionable pro, I reco...   Nov 25 2005, 08:32 PM
Guest   Wow Rosen - some of those shots are truly beautifu...   Nov 27 2005, 09:03 PM
Heather Lockwood   Hey Rosen, I didnt know you had one ...   Nov 28 2005, 04:21 AM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Heather! Of course, you have orange font. ...   Nov 29 2005, 01:54 AM
Jessica Darlington   Hi Ms. Rosenburger!!! Oh my gosh, the...   Nov 29 2005, 04:35 AM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Jessica! It's so nice to hear from you...   Nov 30 2005, 05:02 AM
Chuck   Mr. Graham Is a dork and he made me come here. :l...   Dec 8 2005, 03:46 PM
aimee vigil   hey chuck, i dont know you and im sorry but im ...   Dec 14 2005, 03:16 AM
The Lockwoods   [FONT=Times][SIZE=7]Hey Rosen, Its Heather, Sithea...   Dec 26 2005, 12:27 AM
Lisa Weber   Hey Rosen! You have the most beautiful pictur...   Dec 28 2005, 07:48 PM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Lisa! Thanks for the photo compliment. It...   Dec 29 2005, 08:38 PM
Lisa Weber   Did you know that my sister was in your class four...   Dec 30 2005, 06:47 PM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Lisa: I totally forgot she was in my class for ...   Dec 31 2005, 06:57 AM


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