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December 7, 2003

SOUTH POLE NOTEBOOK

A meal, rainbow like no other

   This Thanksgiving was the first to occur in the new elevated station, and a National Geographic film crew was there to capture the festivities.

   We had the traditional turkey, dressing, mash potatoes, brown gravy and apple pie. There was white and red wine aplenty for each of the three seating times and not a chair was empty.

   Calls for volunteers went out the week prior to help with food preparations, wine serving, and dishes. I volunteered to wash dishes.

   I, along with a meteorologist, dining assistant and three beakers (scientists), washed, sorted, and replaced the clean dishes, sipping wine all the while.

   It was a great feast and community effort. Afterwards, most of us drifted to the dining area, where we continued the festivities with music and merriment.

   About midnight, we went over to 90 Degrees South, the bar, where we danced and chatted and sang until early morning.

   A few days prior, a group of seven of us took a tracked vehicle out for the annual snow stake run. It was the first of the year. Flagged bamboo stakes are placed in the snow every 825 feet for approximately 12.5 miles.

   Alongside every other flag is a one-half inch PVC pipe that is used for measuring snow depth. Our objective is to measure the PVC pipe from the surface of the snow to the tip of pipe, as well as record the angle of the pipe. Scientists at Ohio State University compare the data collected to last year’s data to determine the change in snow depth.

   Also, we were to replace any damaged or worn flags and add more PVC if the pipe is less than 70 centimeters, or approximately 27 inches. This is one of six flag lines that are evaluated each year. The National Science Foundation has been assisting with this project since 1992.

   It was quite a rough ride. We blazed our own trail across the rough sastruga, which became quite large toward the end of the line. Approximately eight miles out you lose site of the station, so you really get to experience the remoteness of Antarctica. The sun was bright, the temp was in the minus 30s and the wind was up just enough to let you know is was around.

   It’s tradition at the last marker that we all sign our names on a new flag and tie it to the stake. The last flag is the end of the world as far as we are concerned, because there’s nothing man made for hundreds of miles.

   The trip was interesting with many stops. Besides reaching the end of the world, my favorite part was driving the tracked vehicle. Only those who were certified were allowed, which meant lots of driving for the three who met this criteria. Fun!

   To say that the days are long here would be an understatement.

   The work is organized into three shifts at the Pole, which means people are working around the clock. This schedule is lived six days a week and for many of us, it is seven days a week. Recreation and relaxation is enjoyed when the opportunity arises.

    One tradition at the Pole is “Slushy Night.”

   Each Friday night the science technicians, who have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, invite everyone out to the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO). ARO resides in the Clean Air Sector, which is upwind from the remaining station.

   At the South Pole the winds are predominantly from the same direction throughout the year. ARO analyzes the air after it travels thousands of miles across the Antarctic continent, so it is known as the cleanest air on earth.

   Slushy Night consists of someone taking a six-pack-sized Igloo container upwind of ARO and scooping it full of pure virgin snow and bringing it back inside where each of us place an appropriate amount of fine, white crystals into our beakers we use as glasses. Whereupon, from the bar of donated spirits, we choose our drink of choice. My drink of choice this evening is a margarita with salt.

   Sipping my margarita, as the sounds of Miles Davis waft through the Christmas light adorned rooms, I gazed upon the “Dobson.” The Dobson is an instrument that analyzes the ozone layer and in combination with other data provides the world with information about the famous ozone hole. We all stand chatting about this incredible experience within. Only about 3,000 people annually are privileged enough to come to the “Ice,” as Antarctica is referred to by us Polies.

   Midnight roles around, and I decide it’s time to gear up for the one-quarter mile walk back to the station. I put on my neck gator, balaclava and large Polar Blast parka on top of my multilayers of clothing, 100 % UVA- and UVB-blocking Smith goggles, hat and mittens and step out into bright sunlight. The sun at this time of the year is about thirty degrees above the horizon. An interesting phenomena here is that the sun rotates around the horizon rather than arcing across it. Slowly spiraling upward, the sun travels skyward until the summer solstice.

   In the southern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on December 22 at which time the sun begins its journey downward.

   There are several special things about the walk back home. You get to see the station from a different perspective. And walking back from ARO, the wind is at your back, which makes for a very pleasant stroll.

   The first thing you notice is the snow dancing along undulations of sastruga, which are small snow dunes in a common alignment due to the persistence of the wind blowing from one direction. I then turned to take in the barren, perpetually empty beauty of the plateau, There was a brilliant rainbow encircling the sun when I saw it.

   The sun was not high enough for the rainbow to completely encircle it, so it gave the effect of the rainbow crashing into the horizon about 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock, which made the scene all the more dramatic. It all seemed so close. This phenomenon is different than your typical rainbow because you are looking at the sun. When a rainbow occurs when it rains, the sun needs to be at the view’s back. In addition, the space within the rainbow is darker in comparison to the light outside the rainbow. I just stood in awe as the breeze rushed by me, and the air sparkled with ice crystals on this brilliantly bright day.