The Heroic Age of Antarctica

Wool socks left to dry for centuries in the Cape Royds Hut

The following photograph is this edition's Antarctica Up Close picture. Can you tell what it is? You might find the answer quite surprising.

Antarctica Up Close

Around the turn of the 20^th century, the international audience became riveted by the lives and progress of an elite group of polar pioneers attempting to uncover the last uncharted areas of the world. This race to reach the elusive southern pole combined science and discovery through a series of epic journeys led by driven, fearless, weathered men from various nations from around the world. This time period is referred to as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. While not a definitive time period, most historians define the Heroic Age as the window between the 1890s and the 1920s. It was during that time that multiple expeditions tested the limits of human capabilities prior to the technological and industrial supports currently in place. It was a test of endurance, strength, bravery, and leadership where Mother Nature rarely followed the planned program and she routinely reminded them of her potential fury and their physical limitations.

Nelson, Day and Lashly in Cape Royds Hut. Feb. 17th 1911
Taken from Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

As the name of the age suggests, these men* returned to their home countries as heroes. Some like Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen for various reasons – including their personal accomplishments and social appeal – remain familiar in our modern memories. Others, such as Gerlache, Bruce, Charcot, and Filchner, have faded with time and only resonate with the most zealous Antarctic enthusiasts. But is heroic the right word choice? A hero is defined as someone who is extremely bold, altruistic, and determined. Someone who undertakes extreme measures for a greater purpose. There is no question that these men audaciously endured and repeatedly tempted fate in order to accomplish a purpose that no human had previously achieved. But were they the Supermen of their time? The stories, legends, and motives that swirl around these expeditions continue to be debated. But when walking through their huts, I cannot help but think of them as simply people that endured and mostly survived unimaginable conditions. For me, the mystique lies in trying to imagine the character and drive necessary for a person to choose – and for some choose multiple times – to spend years living under such conditions. They repeatedly pushed the limits and fought to survive with minimal and seemingly archaic resources.  

Cape Royds Hut

Discovery Hut

I had the opportunity to visit two of the three huts located near McMurdo Station. I toured the Discovery Hut, which is a short walk on the outskirts of town, and the Cape Royds Hut, which overlooks the Adelie penguin colony. The third hut, Cape Evans, is located on a peninsula halfway between the other two. Over the past few years, the Antarctic Heritage Trust have painstakingly restored each of these structures. All of the objects abandoned by the huts' previous residents were documented, refurbished, and returned to their original locations. As you walk through the spaces, filled with unopened canned goods, hung socks, mummified seal carcasses, and forgotten journals, it seems as though the explorers simply woke up one morning realized they were sick of the expedition and high tailed it out of the Antarctic heading for warmer waters and modern conveniences. Perhaps this is not so far from the actual truth.

Mummified seal carcasses in the Discovery Hut.
Oil oozes onto the floor.

Shelf in the Discovery Hut 

The personality of the Discovery and Cape Royds huts fits with their individual history and use. The Discovery Hut was purchased and erected by Scott during his 1901-1904 Discovery expedition. It was a prefabricated building from Australia. Perhaps not the best decision in design choice as the structure screams Outback bungalow rather than Polar survival shelter. Not surprisingly, Scott and his team found living on their ship frozen in McMurdo Sound more appealing than taking up residency in this unsuitable hut. As a result, Discovery Hut was used for entertainment purposes and in desperation by later explorers. Walking through the dark and sooty rooms, I found the space gloomy and unsettling. There was nothing homey or comforting about the place. Despite its historical importance, I was quite happy to step back outside into the glare of the Antarctic sun and whipping salty wind.

Discovery Hut

Cape Royds Hut -
Shackleton's signature on a crate repurposed as a headboard

Cape Royds Hut - The "kitchen"
Same one seen in the previous historic picture

Cape Royds on the other hand was built and lived in by Ernest Shackleton and his crew during their 1908, Nimrod expedition. The original purpose of the this particular exploration was to reach the South Pole. While this was not achieved, the crew did successfully summit Mt. Erebus (the southernmost active volcano towering at 12,448 feet) and make it further south than any previous group reaching the Antarctic Plateau. With only one hundred miles standing between him and the South Pole, Shackleton turned his team around and headed back towards the Cape Royds Hut and awaiting ship. The decision seems truly brave as it lost him the victory of being first to the South Pole, but undoubtedly spared the lives of the entire exploration team. In Shackleton's words, "Better a live donkey than a dead lion."

The hut itself is remarkably brighter than the Discovery Hut with an open floor plan. A large stove dominates the center with bunks situated around the edges. In addition to the layout, Shackleton's feng shui is significantly improved by keeping the rotting carcasses separate from the living quarters. While the air is still stale, it does not reek of creosote and death. I want to linger, to remember the time before the hut became historic, and to imagine the conversations between men on the cusp of becoming heroes.

Antarctica Up Close Answer

The Antarctica Up Close picture showcases an abandoned, half-eaten cracker. Even mundane items like a discarded lunch are preserved, seemingly for eternity, in this ultra dry, fridge environment. The passage of time has failed to foster the growth of any fuzzy green mold, nor I suspect has it improved the biscuit's overall flavor.

* It was in fact all men. The first women to spend a winter in Antarctica did not arrive until 1947 and were wives of deployed researchers.

The South and Its Four Distinctive Poles

Amudsen-Scott South Pole Station

The following photograph is this post's Antarctica Up Close picture. After reflecting on different possibilities, check out the answer below.

Antarctica Up Close

I have successfully circumnavigated the South Pole. Actually, I flailed my way around the marker attempting an epic happy dance that was ultimately limited in grace and style due to the burden of Big Red, bunny boots, and high altitude. But more important than my limited mobility, how do we define the South Pole? How can there be four different South Poles? And if there are four poles, which one did I dance around?

Pole 1. The Geographic South Pole - This is the point where the earth's rotational axis intersects with the surface. In other words, this and the North Pole are the two stationary points that the rest of the planet pivots around. This is also were all longitudinal lines converge into a single point and is 90 degrees south latitude. From this advantage point, a person is always looking towards the north. 

The ice sheet covering the pole is not static, rather this ice plateau that is over 9,000 feet thick shifts 30 feet each year. This slow, but steady movement means the pole marker must be shifted each year to accurately account for the change. While people in other parts of the world are watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve, those at the South Pole Station celebrate with the pole relocation ceremony. 

The Geographic South Pole was the elusive white whale for early explorers. Amundsen and his team ultimately won the race as the first people to stand over this iconic location. Scott and his ill-fated team arrived a month later only to find that their dreams of being first had been usurped.

Pole 2. South Magnetic Pole -  The earth is surrounded by a magnetic field called the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere limits the amount of ionically charged particles that are able to reach the surface. Due to the magnetosphere, the majority of charged debris bombarding our planet is funneled towards the North and South Pole. The path of ions streaking towards the ground create the luminescent Northern and (still existent, but less frequently experienced by humans) Southern Lights. By definition, the South Magnetic Pole is where these magnetic field lines orient perpendicularly to the earth's surface. The magnetic pole wanders quite a bit over time and rarely coincides with the actual Geographic South Pole. Currently the magnetic pole is found off the coast of Antarctica almost 3,000 kilometers from the Geographic South Pole.

Pole 3. South Geomagnetic Pole - I know what you are thinking this is a typo she just talked about the magnetosphere and it's polar ends.  The difference between the geomagnetic and magnetic pole is subtle. The need for these two different definitions results from the fact that the magnetosphere does not in fact follow a perfect dipole linear model, rather it is slightly deformed. If you were to imagine the magnetosphere as a large bar magnet stretching through the planet, then the geomagnetic pole is the point where this super massive magnet would intersect with surface. Currently the South Magnetic Pole is located near the Russian operated Vostok Station.

Pole 4. The Ceremonial South Pole - This is the quintessential barber shop pole with a semi-circle of flags representing the twelve signatory states on the Antarctic Treaty. This iconic marker provides a splash of color and begs to be photographed set against the stark, barren, white background. This is the sight of the Antarctica Up Close shot with me looking back at my reflection in the highly polished metallic pole topper.

Antarctica Up Close Answer - Ceremonial South Pole

The pole I danced around . . . Geographic South Pole of course. I ran around the world (or at least 360 longitudinal degrees) in a matter of seconds. Pretty impressive considering the altitude.

Cape Royds Penguin Colony

The following photograph is this post's Antarctica Up Close picture. The mystery will be revealed and explained at the end of this entry.

Antarctica Up Close

I am going to go out on an iceberg (the polar version of a limb) and say that the penguin is the most common association people make when thinking about Antarctica. People have an affinity to the waddling, tuxedoed bird that is grounded on land, but soars through the water. A short helo (helicopter) flight from McMurdo station is the Cape Royds Adelie penguin colony. These penguins return to the same location year after year to mate, raise their chicks, and molt. During the winter months, they hop onto a passing ice floe heading north and float out into the Southern Ocean. This ride on the current driven berg is a one way ticket. Once the winter wans, the penguins must swim back to their nesting ground.

What I observed about the Adelie penguin while at Cape Royds:

·         They are curious. If you sit quietly, many will walk up to you craning their necks in every direction in order to take a closer look at their oversized visitor.

A penguin is checking me out

·         They are vocal. There is constant noise throughout the colony. The chicks incessantly are chirping to their parents. The adults make a variety of sounds including a guttural bellow and territorial warnings.

·         They are dirty . . .  really dirty. The entire peninsula is covered in a thick layer of guano that has accumulated over the years. The brown color is the initial give away as Cape Royds bedrock is actually black basalt. The second clue to the composition of the crust coating the rocks is the rank odor that wafts towards anyone in the vicinity. This aged layer of penguin poo (as well as fresh additions) coat the bellies of penguins that have been on the nest for a while and cake to the chicks’ downy fluff.

·         They are social. The colony has resided at Cape Royds for over 10,000 years. (They have been able to carbon date the guano). Penguins are very devoted to their colony and rarely change colonies. As a colony, birds work together to rear their young. While competition and squabbles still occur, they depend on one another for survival in this relentless environment.

·         They are simultaneously goofy and graceful. One moment they are sitting perched on their nests, heads cocked with a contemplative expression, only to then be chasing one another and stumbling over rocks, chicks, and their own feet.

·         They are entertaining. Sitting in the middle of the colony you are surrounded by expressive penguins moving through the day to support the growth of the young chicks. There is no need for American Idol when surrounded by the colony’s daily variety show.

Adult penguin feeding a fat chick.

Cape Royds presents the visitor to an oasis of surprising extremes.  The birds’ behavior oscillate between chaos and calm. Their outward appearances digress from beauty to filth the longer they are on land. Walking over the ridge and out of sight of the colony, the background noise transitions from clamor to tranquility. Throughout the colony, there is evidence of discarded death next to life. It is a brutal location that these nesting Adelie’s inhabit. They are both hearty and fragile as they follow their instincts year after year.

 

Antarctica Up Close Answer

The Antarctica Up Close is of some penguin tracks we came across over a mile away from the colony. You can see where the tail dragged through the sand. Depending on the sea ice, penguins often walk long distances to reach their nests. In this case, the penguin was on a walkabout. Perhaps taking some personal time away from the demands and stresses of daily life back at the colony.

Jean Pennycook was our gracious hostess. For over a decade, she has lived at the point participating in various science projects and reporting on the behaviors and movements of the colony. She has extensive resources and outreach for students and educators including a live penguin cam, monitored study nests, and personalized responses to student questions. Check out her website http://www.penguinscience.com/ .

Jean and her partner Meagan removing a transmitter from a penguin. 

Schools from around the world send Jean personalized flags
to be flown in front of the colony.

Cargo and Boomerangs

Antarctica Up Close

The photograph above is this post's Antarctica Up Close picture. The object in question will be revealed in its entirety and explained thoroughly at the end of this entry.

The Cargo:
From Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, passengers travel aboard LC-130 military planes. C-130s are cargo planes, LC-130s are cargo planes with skis. This means they are able to land on ice as well as asphalt. True to the aircraft's title, we are nothing more than walking cargo. Walking - in that we load independently without the need of a pallet or forklift. Cargo - as there are few comforts and amenities. We sit facing one another knee to knee on long cargo mesh benches. The good thing about these fire engine red seats is that they add some color to the otherwise drab, but utilitarian interior. Ear plugs are required throughout the flight. And unless you can hold it for eight hours, you use an elevated toilet in the rear of the plane with a similarly drab shower curtain providing the necessary privacy.

Interior of the LC-130 looking toward the rear of the plane.

There are no overhead compartments lining the sides and center of the LC-130. Most of the equipment, gear, supplies, and food being transported by our flight is skidded onto the back of the plane, secured with cargo nets, and ratcheted down to the floor. Each passenger is allowed one carry-on bag. These extra bags are secured during takeoff and landing with latches like the one featured in the Antarctica Up Close photograph.

Antarctica Up Close Answer

In hindsight, my transpacific flight seems luxurious despite eating my knees for 15 hours while wedged between a mother, her toddler, the window, and the reclined passenger in front of me. I think United's new motto could be "Fly with us. Enjoy the comfort, seat cushion included!"

The Boomerang:
Ohhh the boomerang! Infamous in the Antarctic program. A common water cooler conversation for experienced veterans to share with the green detailer. It is the dreaded LC-130 U-turn. It can occur anytime between take off and Point of Safe Return (PSR). I think the name is self-explanatory, but basically PSR is the furthest point south where the LC-130 still has enough fuel to safely return to New Zealand. The boomerang means you left thinking you were headed to McMurdo only to make an about face and return to your point of origin.

Flying to Antarctica is challenging. The extreme weather conditions and distant remote locations and made even more unpredictable due to the limited weather monitoring equipment in this region. It is the flight crew's responsibility to determine whether a safe arrival in possible, if not the. They must decide to boomerang before PSR. While weather is definitely the instigator of many boomerang decisions, for us it was due to a malfunctioning navigational instrument. Four hours into our eight hour flight, the mission was aborted. After 10 hours of travel preparations and flying, we were back at the same hotel awaiting our new departure times for the following morning.

But here is the bottom line, despite the cramped, loud, inconvenient, and uncomfortable conditions, these workhorse planes and their dedicated Air National Guard crews provide a vital connection between McMurdo and the rest of the world. It may not be glamorous, but the LC-130 is perfect for such a daunting task to such an extreme location. I look forward to boarding for a second attempt tomorrow.

Layers Upon Layers

Throughout the upcoming blog postings, you will find what I am calling Antarctica Up Close. This will be a photograph of something found during my travels taken from a very close perspective. See if you can figure out what the picture is. At the end of the blog entry, there will be a zoomed out view of the same object along with a description and explanation. Here we go. This is the first picture. What do you think it might be? The answer will be at the end.

Antarctica Up Close

Right before leaving for Antarctica, Washington D.C. temperatures dipped down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. My friend Mary texted me saying that she felt like she was experiencing Antarctic weather here in Virginia. Little did Mary know that McMurdo Station was actually 15 degrees warmer than D.C. during this temporary arctic blast affecting the mid latitude states.

My personal backpack blends right in with the issued duffle bags. 

December and January bring the Antarctic summer season. The stations are filled with activity as the the entire community takes advantage of the nightless days and relatively mild weather. The difference of course is that these days of 30 and 40 degree weather mark McMurdo's highs, and as the record holding continent, the lows are significantly lower. Coldest temperature ever directly recorded on planet Earth occurred at Vostok Station (about 800 miles from the geographic south pole). On that balmy July day in 1982, the temperature dropped to -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit. While not the record holder for fastest wind speed, Antarctic coastal areas routinely experience the extreme Katabatic Winds. This type of wind results from cold air masses in high locations slumping into lower areas. This difference in air mass densities can result in wind speeds reaching 185 mph. These extreme temperatures and wind speeds mean that the use of Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear is essential for all visitors.

All the issued ECW laid out.

The clothing is issued to each traveler out of the Christchurch CDC (Clothing Distribution Center - not to be confused with the Center for Disease Control). You are given two orange canvas bags filled with bulky, cumbersome clothing made from mostly synthetic materials. The key to staying warm in the world's harshest climate is staying dry. The way to stay dry is to wear layers. Layers are add when cold and stripped off when warm. The base layer is polypropylene long underwear, sock liners, and glove liners. The mid layer consists of a fleece jacket and pants (two different weights to mix and match depending on the weather). And the iconic outer layer includes black wind pants and an oversized goose down filled red parka affectionately named Big Red. The outfit is accessorized with hat, mittens, balaclava, neck gaiter, and goggles.

Lastly, there is the footwear which is the subject of this posting’s Antarctica Up Close picture. The standard issued boots are Extreme Cold Vapor Barrier Boots, but are more commonly and affectionately referred to as Bunny Boots. They are awkward, unwieldy, white, rubber boots designed in the 1960's that are unbelievably warm. The secret to the warmth retention is in the pocket of air between two layers of felt and rubber. The Antarctica Up Close picture shows a bunny boot cut in half to reveal the insulated air bubble. Since the boot is filled with air, and pressure changes when you fly, there is a valve connecting to each of the chambers. While airborne, the valve is opened to prevent damaging the boots. After landing, the valve is then closed.

Antarctica Up Close Answer

Stylish? My teenage students may argue otherwise, but I am definitely sporting the appropriate Antarctic dress code. And so, I am packed and ready to head south. My fingers are crossed for good weather . . . at least until we safely land. After that, I have my ECW for whatever weather conditions Antarctica throws at us.

The Traveling Imposter

As an Einstein Fellow placed at the National Science Foundation’s Polar Programs, I have the  extraordinary opportunity to travel to places that few people will ever have the chance to visit. This week, I will board a plane at Dulles Airport. Three layovers, 79 hours, 13,476 miles later, I will be walking on the world’s southern most continent.

Antarctica. That long skinny blob of white etched across the bottom of most maps (although sometimes overlooked by the cartographer completely). The coldest, windiest, driest, arguably most remote location on our planet. Home to those dogged Emperor penguins that stole our hearts in March of the Penguins, but also krill and plankton, 100 fish species, 6 types of seals, 5 additional penguins species, snow petrel, albatross, midges & mites, ticks & lice, mosses, liverworts, over 1000 species of fungi. Upwards to 5,000 temporary human residents support and conduct scientific research across the continent at the various stations.  And tens of thousands of paying tourists cross Antarctica off their bucket list each year. Despite the larger numbers than I had expected, Antarctica will remain uncharted territory for most people. Without even a passport stamp to prove my passage, I will become a member of an extreme and considerably small club.

When talking to friends and family about my upcoming adventure, two distinct groups emerged - those that never in their wildest dreams even consider visiting and those that envy the opportunity. The first group feigned excitement while quietly questioning my sanity. Too cold, too remote, too extreme, did I mention too cold? They have no desire to experience the extremes in person and are content to tracking my experiences through social media from the warmth and comfort of their living rooms. What surprised me about the second group was how many of them harbored an extreme passion for the polar regions and specifically Antarctica. A colleague shared with me his extensive library of books on the subject. A friend showed me her shockingly large collection of penguin paraphernalia. One person wrote me an email after learning I might travel to the South Pole that said “I think I would weep if I were ever to stand at that spot, thinking about Amundsen 100 years ago and then more tragically as I thought about that photo that captured the sadness, fatigue and the dejection of the Scott expedition when they realized that they were a month too late to claim the pole...saddest photo I have ever seen.”

Am I a poser traveling to the Antarctic? Before this year, I had never picked up a book about Antarctica, never contemplated the early explorers, never considered the possibility of traveling to the continent, and most definitely never examined the photo of Scott's doomed team. Despite my only recent interest in the polar regions, I refuse to consider myself an imposter, rather I am delayed in my discovery. Since starting with the Polar Programs, I too have become enchanted by the power and beauty of glaciers, fascinated by the necessary logistics in operating these stations, excited by my upcoming visit. And after looking at the fateful Scott photo, I am not only moved by the tragedy of their situation, but in awe at their perseverance and stamina in the face of so many spirit breaking obstacles.

And so I leave the comfort and stability of the mid latitudes, excited by this new adventure and ready to learn about the science that is taking place in this obscure region of our planet. I see this experience as an opportunity for me to develop ways of sharing the value for living and studying our coldest, windiest, driest most remote continent to share with my students. Hopefully, I can infect them with a lifelong interest for this region that I only have only recently aquired as an adult.