Slashdot Mirror
Exploring Antarctica
dargaud writes "There will soon be some firsts on the high Antarctic plateau: after getting 150km from it last year a Chinese expedition plans on reaching Dome A, the highest part of the Antarctic ice sheet (4200m), farthest to reach and coldest place on Earth, untrodden yet. Then in a few months the French-Italian station of Concordia at Dome C (3200m) will open year-round for its first winter-over, of which I will be part. The location of these ice domes make them great for atmospheric physics, glaciology, astronomy and more. Big projects are getting interested in Antarctica again, just in time for the International Polar Year of 2007, 50 years after the first one."
Women have always been a rare and strange breed in Antarctica. Most often there aren't any. During my winter over, women were just some kind of remote and hazy memory. In 2000, a woman did winter over for the first time in Dumont d'Urville, although they have been doing so for a long time in American and Australian stations.
A lot of people seemed to be in a contest for the most original New Year's 2000: from flying the Concorde around the globe to changing the time zone of some Pacific islands... I have to say that ours was quite original: a bunch of scientists, technicians, mechanics all stuck together, getting drunk and dancing with the three available women.
Almost everybody is worthless the first two days: the high altitude combined with the cold and extreme dryness makes for some awful first nights. And hangovers are worse here too: 2 beers are enough to get you hungover in the morning.
So let me get this straight... You are in the coldest area on earth at high altitude with nearly no women and you get hung over from two beers and you return to this place multiple times in your lifetime? This poor guy is one sick fuck but at least his beer stays cold.
Personally, I'll let them see "the new sun" first and I'll stick to the sloppy seconds, at least it's warmed up by then.
Well it's about time we fully explored our own planet rather then jetting off into space.
:)
Space is cool and everything, but I think looking after our planet and exploring the seas etc would be a lot cooler
Explorer: You've got to start charging more than a dollar a bag. We lost two men on this expedition!
Apu: If you can think of a better way to get ice, I'd like to hear it!
Why did the penguin cross the road?
To go with the floe.
I heard that these parts of Antartica are very dry and suck the moist out of you...
Oh never mind, I keep forgetting that no one bothered to see the movie!
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
"US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other state"
anyone else read the headline as:
"Exploding Antarctica"
and here i thought something really cool was about to happen
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
I heard that at the south pole they sit in a sauna that reaches 100 degrees farenheit then, when the temperature outside drops below 100 below zero they run outside in just their boots and then quickly back into the sauna. If you've done that you're in the 200 degree club. I'd like to winter over in Antartica. It sounds like fun.
In order to really explore our planet we would have to go down and loot at the oceans too. We know very little about what is really down there and happens down there.
Evolution or ID?
Norway has long traditions of Antarctic exploration and research, and it was recently reported that we will be stepping up our activity considerably from 2005.
We will once again maintain a year-round presence in Antarctica starting then.
Wasn't the coldest inhabited place Vostok(?) in Russia? I guess that having people living on these ice domes will mean that record will be rewritten.
InfoSec that matters, when it counts.
I enjoy spending summers in the high arctic; I think I could go for a summer or two in the high antarctic. Anyone need a statistician on the ground there for a summer? Winters are right out, though: I've spent quite enough time in the dark.
See what I've been reading.
I just finished a great book on what Antartica is really like called Ice Bound by Jerri Nielsen.* After reading it, I felt like I would want to go live there for a while, except I hate the extreme cold. The sense of community is something beautiful, and completely lacking from our modern society, as well as work being your life and your life being your work (and that's a good thing).
Good luck with your Winter-Over. If you started a blog, would yours be the first from Antartica? If you did, I would consider it a must-read.
*Yes, I make $0.02 if you order through that link, so sue me.
I bet you didn't know that internet porn was a federally funded government project developed just for this purpose?
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Antarctica holds the world's record for coldest temperature: -129F ( recorded in 1983 at the Russian Base Vostok).
Current temp of Vostok is -64 F / -53 C.
Particularily by Argentina and Chile, but I think the French, Russians,Brits and maybe Chinese have some claims. Mostly it's an Argentine and Chilean thing since they are closest.
"coldest area on earth at high altitude with nearly no women"
Now you've done it, hardocp will soon establish a city of overclocking enthusiasts there.
Let's get one thing perfectly clear, I did not vote for George W Bush, and I do not endorse what he does or says.
"
http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/start.htm
I have long wanted to get to do a rotation in the Antarctic, but alas there isn't a big demand for ITSEC folks there (despite the recent incidents where their systems have been compromised). Anyway, enjoy your stay and know that you have at least one adoring fan!
Watch out for those naughty little shoggoths!
(better yet... set up a bunch of aeolian whistles around camp... and then loan people copies of the mountains of madness)
The Lost Outpost of the Ancients?
I figured Bush is trying to dig up that buried mother alien to use as his running mate.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
territorial map
The water freezes as he goes outside. Everyone runs in horror at the idea they may come to resemble Bruce Willis.
the ancient gene if they need me to power the outpost.
Jonathanjk.com
I'd love to take a holiday in Antartica over the antartic winter. I'd have loads of time to work on projects, no noisy distractions and I'd finally have an excuse to stay indoors for six months!
I'd need some kind of net connection though. The slashdottings would keep me warm during the cold winter nights.
May the Maths Be with you!
Here's hoping they don't, like, find any pyramidal temples or anything under the ice there, cause that would suck bad.
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
...and their weapons of mass destruction.
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
So WTF is a "Polar Year"?? I know a little bit about polar climate. I know the three fastest warming regions in the last two decades. I know when the first and last "Polar Years" were. I still don't know what a "Polar Year" is or how we know when the next one is.
Is this a political thing like Black History Month? Is it one of those made up holidays to sell more greeting cards like Secretaries Day? Is there some super-seasonal cycle of weather that affects the polls?
I love the environment and all. I'd really like to give two shits. But first I'd have to have some clue as to wtf you are talking about.
One of the funniest and most interesting sites I know. Site has stories about the people working over there (Antarctica) and other stuff as well.
http://www.bigdeadplace.com/
Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 20 of 27 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry
Apparantly 20 of the 27 nations have not made any claims. And apparantly those 27 do not recognize claims by other nations. I think your paraphrasing is incorrect.
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
Don't worry, things are warming up down there.
Soon it will be a great summer resort with swimming and water skiing. The winter vacations will be spent in Cancun.
Lose Weight and Feel Great with Isagenix
They banned dogs over a decade ago because people were afraid that they would spread parvo to the seals (something scientifically impossible since it is an entirely different species)
Viruses cross over between species all the time: Rabies,Influenza, Hantavirus, and Ebola all have large non-human reservoirs.
It's a direct quote from here.
Check out Big Dead Place, a great website run by some very funny and bitter people that work at McMurdo (largest of the 3 American stations).
Charity drives like "fuck a winter-over" and the ever-popular column "Ask a Fucked Up Winter-Over" make it worth the visit. See how these people really live.
Oh, and they love John Carpenter's "The Thing".
With the first link, the chain is forged.
Yeah those 8 snowmobiles are destroying the world
Would someone please think of the children!?
Got any more pseudo-scientific horseshit for us?
Any one care to explain how a 15th century map details the coastline of Antartica (WITHOUT glaciers) when it wasn't mapped out until the 1960?!s
Piri Re Maps
--
There are a million miracles happening everday.
But the skeptic is the only fool who won't even believe just one.
Miracles don't have to be grandiose,
for even a smile to help someone else feel better is one.
Good heavens, but why? Simple scientific observation would tell you that introducing caustic alien blood into Bush gene pool would most likely dilute the Bush family gene pool. After all, what outer space monster brood queen could compare to mrs. Bush?
'...computers in the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1.5 tons...' Popular Mechanics, 03/49'
What does that have to do with a story complaining about too few women?
:-)
The Antartica stay-over missions are also the test bed for some new technologies that will be used in furure space exploration.
One of my tasks at ESA is to help scientists to understand human physiology in extreme conditions, and Antartica offers exceptional conditions that simulate what a trip to Mars could be: isolation, confinement, limited food and energy, name it.
Im very interested to know how is life at Concordia (Dome C) Station, because my test equipment will be used there in few years. Is it possible for you people at Dome C to blog or something? It would be very useful for me to know how it is an average working day in Antartica?
Several years ago, we had a tom cat that would walk the fence next to our house at the same time, every day. We went out there early one morning and cut up some squares of packing tape, and put them on the fence upside down.
As soon as the cat came by, he stepped in a few pieces. Then he sat down to look at his paws. As soon as he did that, we let the dog out, which scared the cat. The cat jumped off the fence and tried to take off running, but it was on bricks so he couldn't really go anywhere.
It really did look like a Tom & Jerry cartoon. It's great fun for anyone who doesn't really care for cats.
The cat never came down that fence again, but we still saw him around the neighborhood for a while.
What type of /.'er are you!? Don't you know that should read "Just imagine a beowolf cluster of 4'10" Chinese Predators"?
/me is a newbie freshman outsider clueless /.-tter, obviously.
'...computers in the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1.5 tons...' Popular Mechanics, 03/49'
Gee, I was going to make a joke about mating the alien mother with Ashcroft. But yours is MUCH better!
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
Sounds cool and stuff until some Norwegian finds somethingburied in the ice...
If all goes well this Austral Summer, IceCube will deploy four "strings," each with 60 light sensors attached, at a depth of about 2 km. Subsequent years will deploy more sensors until a total of 4800 is reached, making the cubic-kilometer sized detector one of the largest on Earth.
IceCube's quarry is primarily neutrinos of extraterrestrial origin. For the uninitiated, neutrinos are extremely elusive subatomic particles produced by high energy interactions. Candidate sources include the supermassive black holes at the heart of so-called "Active Galactic Nuclei", dark matter, and the mysterious Gamma Ray Bursts.
A recent article has more information.
See also a previous Slashdot post about IceCube's predecessor, AMANDA.
Wikipedia has this introduction to neutrinos.
EOT
lots and lots of ice...
I can understand exploring the depths of the oceans before space, but an enormous block of ice?
Yep, Bob, it's still cold here... See ya next year...
- Have you ever noticed that the more you learn about technology, the more stupid you sound trying to explain it?
The Antarctica isn't a continent, as in there is no land mass. The countries can make the claims on the ice surface but that wouldn't mean anything if the ice starts to melt.
Wrong. There is a land mass.
Yes they do cross over, but it is my understanding that the seal parvo and dog parvo are different species and the dog type doesn't infect seals. Additionally with the severe cold the parvo would be very difficult to migrate since anything at 40 below dies really quick. Finally, it wouldn't be hard to keep only healthy dogs down there.
On the other hand, if cross over from species is that simple, why allow humans?
Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!
I wait with baited breath for incomprehensible reports from those noble explorers concerning the ancient plateau city of Leng just east of the Mountains of Madness, built eons ago by the Great Old Ones on the very spot where they first infected our planet.
-m
If I were given a chance of becoming an Antarctican for a while, I'd go for it. I don't even have any molars left...
The owls are not what they seem
It's not the 200 degree club IT's the 300 DEGREE CLUB the sauna is turned up to 200 degrees F and we run out into -100 degree ambient temps (don't get me started on wind chill). I've done it multiple times. The 200 degree sauna is tolerable because the air is thinner (alt is 9300ft) and the air is exremely dry.
The Russians must have had to wear their overcoat on that day!
Hihi... Antarctica ... hihihmmhmmff, is hihi...ahum. Antarctica is the only hehehe hahum... white hihiHAHAhahum.... is the only white spot left on the map mfmfBWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA...
Sorry about that.
11,000 feet under Antarctica is a lake. This really fascinates me as it is one of the most alien environments on Earth. It is so low in nutrients that life would have to find alternative sources of energy.
t ml
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~mstuding/vostok.h
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
That map was incomplete. It didn't show the Mountains of Madness.
The pseudo-scientific horsesh** is that none of these scientists have adequately addressed the fact that the Arctic and Antarctic are very delicate ecosystems. The Perry Caribou, named after the explorer who used its meat to feed his fake expedition to the North Pole, is still depleted from Perry's harvest nearly a century ago.
There are about 4,000 people down there working in a number of stations spread out through the continent. All of them are heated by diesel and other fossil fuels to temperatures similar to an office building, all of their power is generated by fossil fuels and they run a lot of massive diesel equipment to maintain roadways, runways and for travel.
That is a lot more than eight snowmobiles. Even the hundreds of snowmobiles down there produce a good deal more pollution than if it were thousands of cars in a warm climate. In addition to the all that fuel burned, there is the amount of fuel spilled either when transfering fuel or losing vehicles due to accidents or cravasses.
I am just inquiring as to what consideration has been spent examining these possibilities and to what extent scientist are responsible for not damaging the environments they are studying.
Perry didn't suspect his harvest would affect the caribou population a hundred years later. What will be the results on the Antarctic environment and the Earth's a century from now by such a population explosion in the Antarctic and how are scientists addressing this?
Why do we care, 200 nano meters is what, a human hair?
Yesterday I talked to Paul Budanov at Akademik Vernadsky Station on Galindez Island in Antarctica. Paul is there for the year, and is an amateur radio operator in addition to his scientific duties. I was using 25 Watts from my house, but I heard a friend talk to to Paul from his bicycle in Redding, California.
If you happen upon Kurt Russell and/or sled dogs, Run the fuck away!
"Guns don't kill people, bullets do."
I for one welcome our new beowolf cluster of 4'10" Chinese Predator overlords! (Regardless of how low this thread is being moderated, I'm certainly being entertained!)
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
I would love to winter over there but I doubt they'd need a help desk tech. I wish I'd been in the right state of mind to get a science degree years ago. Of course I could always become a chef. I can make some hot foods that would seriously set people on fire. Habanero salsa anyone? - Andrea
*It's not what you can do for the Dark Side but what the Dark Side can do for you!*
Tell them to beware of the old ones and the Shoggoths.
"My enemies hate me. My allies hate me. I hate myself."
Seals and dogs are evolutionarily related thus: Mass Die-Off of Caspian Seals Caused by Canine Distemper Virus And Infection studies with canine distemper virus in harbour seals.
Other than the SSBNs, of course. :)
So I don't believe that I have any real purpose here. So my goal is to enjoy myself. My life is about enjoyment, and not work.
I work to live, I don't live to work.
Yes they do cross over, but it is my understanding that the seal parvo and dog parvo are different species and the dog type doesn't infect seals.
That could be true. I thought that eliminating dogs had a lot to do with economics however. Internal combustion engines may have efficiency problems in that kind of cold, but a gallon of gas will still get you a lot further than the equivalent weight of dog food. The use of dogs for transportation has been a quaint and expensive anachronism for a while.
I read an anecdote that McMurdo station has enough pre-packaged butter pats to last for the next 20 years in cold storage due to a shipping error. It is more expensive to get rid of the butter than to let it sit in the freezer. Since living off the local seal and penguin populations is considered to be problematic, dog food is an expensive luxury.
And, a quick google search reveals that canine distemper and parvovirus appears to have transferred to other species, including sea otters.
Additionally with the severe cold the parvo would be very difficult to migrate since anything at 40 below dies really quick.
Many viruses are not affected by extreme cold, and it is my understanding that parvo is a very hard virus to destroy. In fact, quite a bit of bacteria can survive freezing as well. The photos and descriptions I've read from McMurdo suggest that seals and humans are frequently on the same beach. This makes transmission of a highly contageous virus such as parvo extremely likely.
On the other hand, if cross over from species is that simple, why allow humans?
Humans are indespensible to the kinds of reseach that go on at McMurdo. Dogs stopped being indespensible with the Byrd expeditions.