NaturePlus: Exploring cyanobacterial diversity in Antarctica Blog : 2010 : November

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 7, 2010

McMurdo Station is the biggest station of the US Antarctic Program with more than 1000 people in summer. It is like a small city with a café and a pub or even two pubs and many clubs that form over the summer.

I spend much of time the in Crary Lab, which is the main research facility at the station. The research carried out in the Crary lab ranges from biological to earth and atmospheric sciences. The Crary Lab has also a library with great views over the McMurdo Ice Shelf.

View form the library to the Ice Runway with the Royal Society mountain range in the background.

You can also see the helicopter pad from the library. Most scientist go to their field sites by helicopter.

Our lab

Library

1641 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: antarctica, mcmurdo_station

No sunsets for the next 2 months

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 4, 2010

Over the summer months the sun does not set in Antarctica. The photo below was taken at 23h00 from our lab space in the Crary Lab at McMurdo Station.

It show the the McMurdo Ice Shelf with Mount Discovery in the middle and Brown Peninsular on the right.

1447 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: antarctica, mount_discovery, brown_peninsular, mcmurdo_ice_shelf

First views of Antarctica

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 4, 2010

Well, actually we never left Christchurch yesterday! Just before the departure, our flight was cancelled because of strong winds in Antarctica. BUT today we made it!!!

The aircraft landed on the McMurdo Ice Shelf and from there we get brought to McMurdo Station on Ivan the Terra Bus.

McMurdo Station

5046 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: antarctica, mcmurdo_station

Departure to Antarctica

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 4, 2010

It is 7 am and I am sitting in the departure launch of the US Antarctic departure room. After getting up this morning at 5 am to pack the last things , my bags are checked in and I am now dressed in my ECW clothing, and waiting for the safety briefing for the flight. It is a nice sunny morning and hopefully we will make to Antarctica.

If weather conditions change on the way, the machine will return to Christchurch. As the main luggage does not get unloaded again, we labelled one of our bags as “boomerang bag” that will get stored separately and will be returned to us that we do not have to walk around Christchurch with our ECW gear for the next days.

Let’s hope for the best!

Queuing for check-in:

Our aircraft:

Inside the aircraft:

It is a very full flight including two helicopters for the Italian Antarctic Program:

1044 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: antarctica

Extreme Cold Weather Clothing

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 4, 2010

Finally it was time to get my Antarctic clothing. The clothing is issued by New Zealand and US Antarctic programs in the International Antarctic Centre:

AND this is the cold the extreme cold weather clothing, that we need to wear or have in our carry-on bag on the flight to Antarctica in case there will be an emergency landing .

7853 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: antarctica, extreme_cold_weather_clothing

on route ...singapore and christchurch

Posted by Anne D Jungblut Nov 4, 2010

I made it to Christchurch with only minor delays. On the way, I had a stop-over in Singapore airport where I had enough time to visit one of the airport terraces with its great garden: