And there are seals out there

It’s too cold, even for seals… This is the first time I get to be down on the ice this early in the season. And you can feel the difference. While the temperature has been relatively warm for this time of the year, it still is too cold for us, humans with made up insulation. The thermometer right now is marking -23˚C (that is -6˚F for those non-scientist ones), but the wind chill makes the…

Continue reading

It’s all about the wait…

Five hours in San Francisco airport. Twenty two hours in Los Angeles. Ten hours in Sydney. Five days in Christchurch… But I made it to McMurdo. Despite all the bumps that this trip has had, I am finally in McMurdo, ready to start field work. Wait… Nope. There’s the training! Light vehicle training, medical training, waste disposal training, field safety training (including how to ride helicopters and survive in the sea ice), GPS class, environmental…

Continue reading