Weather turned a bit dicey today with increasing clouds, consistent snowfall and generally crappy flying conditions. Hopefully things will look better tomorrow. We finished prepping and collecting all our cargo for our flight out to WAIS this coming Wednesday. This is no simple task as each part and piece requires some running around town to different buildings, each with its own forms and paperwork and staff... Gary and I spent a bunch of time in "Psyco" (Science Cargo)... and the "BFC" (Berg Field Center, outdoor gear supply) - affectionately known by everyone here as "Building Full of Chicks", (see the BFC logo in the photo gallery below) as well as going to the science supply warehouse to pick up supplies.
More training was also completed, environmental safety (Hazmat) and lab safety as well as a required laboratory walking and educational tour.
We also ordered our beverages for WAIS - this is a pretty cool system, you get online and download an excel spreadsheet and fill it out with items you want off the available supply list.. beer/wine/liquor/mixers etc... you then email your order to beverage supply. They package and prep your goodies and put them in the system to be shipped (DNF - do not freeze) along with your cargo and they arrive with you on your flight to your field camp. You then stop by their office in another building and pay them. Gary and I decided on Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Glenlivet Scotch. We tried to get some red wine to have with Turkey day dinner but all they had was white.. we will have to make do...
There are some really neat things here in McMurdo. In the Crary Lab building where I have been assigned a temporary office they house a wide range of scientists working on geological/geophysical, biological, astronomical etc.. projects. There is a really neat lab that is essentially dedicated to marine fish and invertebrate biology. They have a bunch of tanks and are conducting all kinds of experiments. They circulate water from McMurdo Sound through the laboratory. They have a small touch tank with some of the incredibly diverse invertebrate biota.
Check out the photos in this gallery with scenes around "MacTown" and the Crary Lab including some great photos from the invertebrate touch tank...
No comments:
Post a Comment