December 10, 2011: "Baby" glacier

Dipboye Cirque is quite different from our other camp sites. For the first time we can see the headwall or starting location of the glacier. In addition the small glacier has a well-developed modern moraine. This moraine is special because it changes color as you look from left to right.

The “baby” glacier with its modern moraine.

On the left side the moraine is a dark brown color and the right side is a light tan color. The different colors reflect a difference in rock type. The left side of the modern moraine is composed of dolerite, a dark volcanic rock while the right side is almost entirely sandstone. If you look at the large rock outcrop behind the glacier you might be able to guess why the moraine looks like this. At the top left there is a small dark brown dolerite outcrop and to the top right the rock outcrop is all sandstone. These rocks fall onto the glacier in the same distribution, eventually becoming stuck in the ice. Once the ice has a hold of the rocks they will flow into the glacier and after a while these rocks will come out of the glacier and be deposited in its modern moraine.

Diagram showing how a rock (tan circle) would flow through a glacier and be deposited at its end.

December 7, 2011: First (real) snow

Today was our first real snow storm. Earlier, on December 4 we woke up to a lite dusting of snow that quickly sublimated away within a few hours. This real snow storm turned the sky white with all the snow falling down. Jen, Kate and I were out working, taking measurements of the different moraines when it started in the late afternoon. Snow continued to fall through the night. Overall I would say accumulation was between 2 and 3 cm. Not too bad, but enough snow to make walking on rocks difficult.

Image taken as the storm was overtaking us. You can see the storm front as it moves south, engulfing our entire cirque. The picture is taken looking west towards the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Our camp in Dipboye Cirque (Olympus Range) post-snow storm.

December 4, 2011: It's alive!

Kate and I decided to take a break from taking rock samples and decided to set up a meteorological station, similar to the ones we set up before at Conrow Glacier, except this one only has one anemometer making it only 2 meters, much shorter than our other one. While we were moving rocks around to stabilize the equipment I came across some lichen- our first wildlife sighting since leaving McMurdo! It is very startling to see something colorful out here. Everything that we see on the ground varies from tan to brown to a reddish color. This little guy is very impressive, living up here at ~1400 m elevation in cold temperatures between 15° and 20° F.

Green lichen I found on a rock, with my finger for scale.

November 30, 2011: Sample collection

The last few days have been spent collecting rock samples from the moraines contained within Dipboye Cirque (in the Olympus Range). Our goal is to date the rock samples to see how long ago the glaciers deposited these rocks. Determining these ages will help with our understanding of climate change in this region.

Picture of the terminal moraine (far right) and the second to last moraine (far left with all the large boulders). There is a subtle color difference in the moraines; the terminal moraine is redder than the second to last moraine.

Kate and I collected 15 samples from each of the moraines in Dipboye Cirque. Previously (at Stocking Glacier) we were able to collect samples using a combination of methods, including a hammer and chisel and by drilling. Here in the Olympus Range each sample had to be taken using the drill. We accomplish this by drilling several holes into the sample rock and then use shims and wedges to pry off the part of the rock we want.

Picture of me using a hammer and chisel to collect a sample at Stocking Glacier.

Picture of Kate and Jen drilling holes in a boulder to collect a rock sample.

Video of me breaking off a sample using a hammer and wedges and shims.

November 28, 2011: Camp move #3

Last camp move! We have changed camps from Conrow Glacier to a cirque in the Olympus Range. Our new campsite is ~800 m higher in elevation than the one at Conrow (and hopefully a lot less windy!).

View of Conrow Glacier from the helicopter. 

Helicopter delivering our sling load, containing most of our camping and science equipment.

November 23, 2011: Windy Antarctica

Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent. Since moving camp to Conrow Glacier I’ve finally got to experience the winds. When first setting up camp we had a hard time putting up the Scott tent because the wind was so strong it kept blowing the tent out of our hands. The day after setting up camp we went out to set up a meteorological (met) station so it could record data for the two weeks we are at Conrow Glacier.

Kate next to our met station once we finished setting everything up. Anemometers are the black instruments at the end of the metal arms.

Our met station was 10 feet (~3 meters) high and had four anemometers for measuring wind speed at different heights above the ground, a sensor for measuring temperature and solar radiation. Measuring solar radiation, or sunlight, lets us know how sunny or cloudy it is on a given day. The anemometers showed that the maximum wind speed was approximately 32 mph, with a daily average of 20 to 25 mph. Temperature measurements give an average of -6° Celcius, meaning that it was relatively warm here at Conrow Glacier. Most days the wind came from the coast, but for a few days there was a wind coming from down valley, originating from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. There have even been a few days where the wind is coming from Conrow Glacier. East, south and west!