{"id":4192,"date":"2016-11-10T03:25:33","date_gmt":"2016-11-10T10:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/blockfeatures\/?p=4192"},"modified":"2016-11-10T03:25:33","modified_gmt":"2016-11-10T10:25:33","slug":"mactown-the-first-few-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/blockfeatures\/2016\/11\/10\/mactown-the-first-few-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Mactown — the first few days"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although we have yet to begin our survey, these first few days in McMurdo have been quite busy. All scientists must go through a bunch of training\/briefings that pretty much cover what not to do and how to survive while in McMurdo. During our (thankfully) indoor three-hour Field Safety & Training (FST) session held in the Science Support Center (SSC), we got acquainted with the contents of a survival bag, which, should our team get stranded on the barren ice, provides enough food, shelter, and some reading material until rescue.<\/p>\n

The housing situation in McMurdo is dorm-style. I have a roommate (it happens to be his eighteenth<\/em> season in Antarctica), and share a bathroom with two others who live next door. Each dorm has a resident assistant, a lounge, and if you are lucky, a library.<\/p>\n

\"McMurdo,
McMurdo Station, from Hut Point Trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yesterday I went for a walk to Discovery Hut \u2013 a memorial for Antarctic explorer George Vince who fell into McMurdo Sound in 1904 and died was erected here \u2013 and along the ridge on a loose path of volcanic rock known as Hut Point Trail. I was practically racing up the hill as I forgot to bring my neck gator and the wind here is incredibly cutting.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial
Memorial for explorer George Vince, at Hut Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since Mactown is populated with many scientists working on a variety of projects across disciplines in atmospheric science, ecology and oceanography, to name a few, it is not surprising that there are talks held twice a week. Yesterday I attended a talk focusing on paleomagnetics given by professor Lisa Tauxe of Scripps, UC-San Diego. I learned why we study the earth\u2019s magnetic field, why it is so tricky to do so, and the probability that our planet is headed for a total field reduction (!) or reversal.<\/p>\n

\"Volcanic
Volcanic rock on Hut Point Trail. [My fingertip for scale].<\/figcaption><\/figure>I am currently writing this in our cozy RAC (Remote Access Cave?) tent on the airfield known as Williams Field. Since the ROSETTA-Ice team will be spending many hours here, we stocked up on supplies taken from the Berg Field Center (BFC), including coffee & tea, mugs, coolers, sleeping bags, and pee bottles, among other camping essentials.<\/p>\n

Delays are simply a part of life on the ice; planes break down, storms are fierce and the weather is hard to predict. Though I have spent a decent amount of time at the airfield, I actually have not heard or seen any planes take off or land. Hopefully, we are able to install the IcePod on Saturday and begin flying sometime next week!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although we have yet to begin our survey, these first few days in McMurdo have been quite busy. All scientists must go through a bunch of training\/briefings that pretty much cover what not to do and how to survive while in McMurdo. During our (thankfully) indoor three-hour Field Safety & Training (FST) session held in … <\/p>\n

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