Don
Back to
Index Ever OnwardsSpring has arrived! Yippee!! Winter went out with a real bang. We have been stuck inside for the last 18 days. We have been outside twice for two fifteen-minute runs.
TWO BLIZZARDS
We had two big blizzards this week. On Thursday night the wind was
200 km per hour and there was zero visibility. During the day
Margie and I attempted a short trip outside to film for the
documentary we are making. When we opened the door to step outside
the drift snow poured in all around the edges of the door as if it
were water entering a sinking ship. The annexe was flooded with
snow. During the confusion, and we were only outside for about 10
minutes, Margie lost the hood of her down jacket. It got ripped off
in the wind. It's a real problem. We have now stitched the one
remaining hood onto my jacket. She will use one of our other
jackets. Fortunately we have a few spares for just such an
emergency. The visibility was impossible. It was like trying to
film a polar bear in a blizzard. The camera wouldn't focus and
there was snow and drift blowing around everywhere.
OUR BATTERIES ARE COMPLAINING
There has been no sun for ages so we aren't getting any solar
energy for the batteries. The batteries froze. I missed two radio
interviews this week because of the battery problem. In trying to
solve the battery problem I found out that I have been doing the
wrong thing by heating them when they are standing on end. It
separates the gel and some fluid which ultimately effects their
life and reduces their capacity. I can fix the problem by reheating
them after charging when they are flat on the floor.
STATISTICS
We are now into our 34th week in Antarctica only four months to go.
It is really unbelievable. Last January and February seem like they
were a very long time ago when we think about what we were doing
back then. The total sun for August was 78 hours which is a bit
better than Mawson who only experienced 50. The coldest temperature
this month was minus 26.7 degrees Celsius and the warmest was one
degree above zero. That is incredibly warm for August in
Antarctica. The strongest wind was 120 knots (220 km. per
hour).
SEA ICE IS GONE
The sea-ice I mentioned last week finally broke up one night during
a blizzard. It was quite a shock the next morning. We wanted to go
for a walk, a really big walk and it was gone. Just the day before
I spent about ten minutes walking on that ice. I walked out a few
hundred metres, now the ocean is there where I walked. During the
blizzard there were waves crashing on the front edge of the ice
which sent spray about 15 feet in the air. It was quite
spectacular. I guess now the penguins will be able to swim
back.
MYSTERIOUS NOISE EXPLAINED?
We received a fax from Rod Ledingham, the Field Training Officer at
Australia's Antarctic Division in Hobart. He said, "Read you last
newsletter with interest, especially the bit about the loud
cracking noises you heard during the gale. There may be an
explanation -- natural phenomena. At Mawson [Base] in the mountains
it is not uncommon to hear a whipcrack noise as a strong gale tears
over the ridge." "I have heard it at Heard Island as I was standing
by myself below a cliff in Atlas Cove. A crack above me made me run
thinking that a chunk of the cliff had come away. It gave me a real
fright. I stayed there listening to the noises for quite a while."
"I think Professor Don Adamson wrote something about the
phenomena...occurring in violent gales. Maybe that explains
it."
THE ANTARCTIC DIVISION
If you or your classmates want any information from Australia's
Antarctic Division regarding their activities in Antarctica you can
contact the Education Division whose telephone number is Australia
(002) 323-209. Their address is Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania
7050. The "Aurora Australis" has returned to Hobart and will now be
preparing to load all the equipment and supplies necessary to
resupply the Australian bases during the coming months.
PENGUIN RETURN CONTEST
Your class might like to organise your own competition to guess the
date and time that the first penguins return to Commonwealth Bay.
You could also guess how many penguins will be in the first group
that arrives here. We will be recording all this information for
our Adelie penguin survey. We have given you some hints about the
return of the penguins...so good luck. We will announce the return
of the penguins as soon as we spot the first one so get your
competition going soon. The funniest part of the week was trying to
walk outside in the blizzard when we couldn't even see our feet.
The worst part of the week was the roar of the blizzard during the
night. Celebration occasion of the week: We had our operations, one
year ago today. Mary Ann filmed in the operating theatre when I had
my appendix out. Margie had hers out too. We didn't want to have to
deal with that sort of preventable emergency down here and the diet
that we are eating is rough on one's appendix.
Keep warm,
Don
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