Ready to go

November 29th, 2007 andrea

ready to go Unfortunately, despite our enthusiasm to make it to the ice as soon as possible, the weather at McMurdo didn’t cooperate and our flight was delayed until early tomorrow morning (call time – 5AM).

Tia’s report: “We are pretty socked in with weather here. I awoke this morning to find large slow snow flakes falling to the ground. It’s beautiful. If this snow stays on the ground, MacTown may look dreamy for your arrival. *grin*”

Meanwhile I took the opportunity to record a typical Christchurch park in the morning, it’s a binaural recording, so headphones are recommended for a more immersive listen.

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Interview with Dr. Wolfgang Rack

November 29th, 2007 andrea

Dr. Wolfgang Rack and a model of CryosatToday I visited Gateway Antarctica at The University of Canterbury in Christchurch, a wonderful interdisciplinary department that brings students to Antarctica every year to do science and to make art. I had the pleasure of speaking with glaciologist and remote systems specialist Dr. Wolfgang Rack. Dr. Rack analyzes satellite data of the cryosphere and has worked in the field in Antarctica measuring glacial movement.

Here is the recorded interview:

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‘The Dome’ from Hallett Station

November 28th, 2007 andrea

Christchurch Museum Antarctic exhibit
I’m in Christchurch New Zealand for a few days waiting to deploy, and yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Christchurch Museum which has an extensive exhibit on Antarctic exploration.

In 1956, for the International Geophysical Year (IGY), the US and New Zealand created a joint base called Hallett Station between McMurdo and The South Pole Station. The base remained in operation until 2005, and the Christchurch museum holds many of the artifacts from this station including ‘The Dome’ pictured here, built by the US for weather recording in 1957. Click on the image to view more Hallett artifacts.

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Interview with IPCC author Dr. Andreas Fischlin

November 15th, 2007 andrea

Andreas FischlinI had the opportunity to speak with Systems Ecology Scientist Dr. Andreas Fischlin. As a coordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he is a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Here is the recorded interview:

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Tia Kramer on the ice

November 7th, 2007 andrea

tia kramer
When Tiffany (Tia) Kramer is on the ice working, she makes daily contact via HF, VHF, and Iridium Satellite phone with field camps all over the continent, connecting them with weather forecasters and observers, relaying aircraft off decks, and is their primary point of contact in case of emergencies. She is also an artist who studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, works in media and runs a small business in handmade jewelry.

She is at McMurdo now, and as I prepare to travel there, we have been in contact. Here is her latest update, a difficult situation there:

“At present we are in the midst of an intense Condition 1 storm that has been bombarding us for three days, backing up flight lines from Christchurch and to the pole, halting all helo(copter) and road travel, and stalling the 50 polies who can’t seem to make it to the South Pole. The polies have been living in crowded dorm rooms without their luggage for 8 days.”

but good news the next day:

“There has been a window in the storm front and three evening flight lines finally made it to the Pole tonight! The whole station is celebrating, along with the Today show, who has an hour ground time before they head back to McMurdo. Now we are just hoping for some flights from Christchurch so that we can get our 25,000 lbs of backed-up cargo, package mail and freshies (fresh fruit and veggies)!”

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