Snow Craft I Course Recap

28 October 2012

by Dr. Laurie Connell

I didn’t need to do the snow craft I course this year since I have had the refresher course in the last 5 years but I thought I’d post some photos from when we did take it back in 2002.

The first photo is our group cutting snow blocks for our protection wall.  The snow in this area of Antarctica is perfect for walls and igloos.

The second photo is of us ready to cook dinner- our wall is up and a big storm is coming in.

Quinsy huts are like igloos but are built from packing snow down on gear and then pulling the gear out – then you dig down and back up for an entrance to keep the colder air out and the air you warm up by body heat in.  They are great places to be in a big storm but take some time to build.

 This is the whole camp out on the Ross Ice Shelf- it was a cold night and very windy but we were comfortable in our Quinsy.

Antarctic Update: 26 Oct 2012

by: Dr. Laurie Connell

When we arrive in McMurdo Station we have to take all sorts of training before we can go out into the field.  This includes snow craft (camping in the snow and survival training), helicopter training, sea ice training, environmental protection training- the list goes on…As I wait in town to get my snowmobile driver training all updated I am not allowed to drive one myself- but I can ride on the back.  Today one of the penguin researchers gave me the chance to go out to Cape Royds with her.  I jumped that the chance!  Cape Royds is one of the most southern penguin rookeries in the world.  There are Adelie penguins there and they are just now starting to arrive for the season.  Check out the website for more information about this location and nest checks throughout the season (http://www.penguinscience.com/classroom_home.php).

Four of us ventured out and although the weather was not clear and bright it was a great trip none the less.

I am collecting some penguin bones and skulls to mount for display in classrooms.  You need a permit for that so not everyone can collect penguin parts (and I have one.)  We got several but I’ll still need a few more. Here is what they look like before we begin the process of getting them ready for the classroom.

Hopefully we will be able to go back to make a bigger collection next week and the weather will be better for photos.

On the way back we stopped at the Barnes Glacier and took a few photos.  The beautiful blue is the real color of the glacier and the small bits of ice at the bottom make great ice for drinks since it pops and fizzles as it melts. 

While Dr. Connell's away, what does the lab do?

We keep on doing science!

by: Sarah Turner

While Dr. Connell is on her Antarctic adventure for the next couple months, Katie and I (the Connell techs) are holding down the fort in the laboratory. 

 We've been very busy with a variety of research projects including a project we call "the BrdU project." (Pronounced Burr-doo) 

The BrdU project involves the use of a synthetic chemical called 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU for short). It can replace thymidine during DNA replication and results in labelled DNA. 

Because BrdU can be incorporated into DNA (including human DNA), it is considered a mutagenic hazard. (causing DNA mutations) We always use extreme caution in the lab when working with BrdU including wearing gloves, a lab coat, and working in a chemical fume hood. Ben talked more about the importance of chemical fume hoods here. 

BrdU is of special interest to scientists because of it's unique quality to label DNA. At the Connell lab, we are especially interested in BrdU labelling of Antarctic fungi DNA.    

BrdU's molecular structure and labeling of DNA
(citation)

There are many steps involved in the process, but recently I've been culturing some of our Antarctic fungi  with BrdU to try to determine which species incorporate the BrdU into their DNA and which species do not. After the BrdU is incubated with the cells, the DNA is then extracted from the cells and put on a cesium chloride (CsCl) gradient in order to separate the labelled DNA (+BrdU) from the unlabelled DNA (-BrdU).

Stay tuned for more about CsCl gradients and updates from Dr. Connell's adventures in Antarctica!

Captain Scott takes a fall

by: Dr. Laurie Connell

It is a beautiful day here is McMurdo but not all of the team is here yet and Anthony
needs to do his complete Snow Craft course (AKA Happy Camper). This involves going
out onto the Ross Iceshelf and camping over night. It can be lots of fun and is a great
learning experience.

While I wait in “town” I thought I’d fill you in on one of the other points of interest in
Christchurch. As many groups travel down to “The Ice” they have made a pilgrimage of
sorts to the statue of Captain Robert Falcon Scott that was along the Avon River near the
Center of Christchurch.

Captain Scott was one of the early British Antarctic explorers and is most famous for his
ill-fated trip to the South Pole. Their team walked to the South Pole and arrived on 17
January 1912, just over 100 years ago. Unfortunately, they found that the Norwegian
expedition, lead by Roald Amundsen had beaten them. The British group all perished
during the trip back but managed to acquire some very important rocks that later
supported plate tectonics.

The Captain Scott statue fell during the February 2011 earthquake but was lucky enough
to fall on the grass. Right now just his pedestal stands.

But all is not lost. The statue broke at the ankles and has some other less serious damage
so it is now in storage and will eventually be repaired and replaced. The statue was on
display for awhile at the 2012 Ice Festival before going back into storage.

Check out these sites to see more photos of the statue after it fell.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7649093/Quake-damaged-statue-back-on-display

Captain Scott Statue update
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/cityleisure/artsculture/artinthecity/statues/
captainrobertfalconscottstatue.aspx

The Travel to Antarctica

 by: Dr. Laurie Connell

On my way and already lost a day!

It is a long trip from backwoods Maine to Sunny Antarctica.  We have already had freezes and sleet here so perhaps it isn't that big of a difference after all.

I took off from the teaming metropolis of Bangor (Bangor International Airport)  early on the morning of October 18th.
Here I am at the airport ready to go. 

My first flight was to Philadelphia with a several hour layover.  Then a flight that was a bit shorter than 6 hours “seat time” to Los Angeles.

 I arrived in the evening but it was still pretty hot and sultry.

 Next is a long flight to Auckland New Zealand- our port of entry.   That flight is over 13 hours.
Although we left in the evening of October 18th we arrived in New Zealand on the morning of October 20th.  We lost a day because we crossed the International Date line.

More to come in a future posting on our short visit to Christchurch New Zealand.  That is where we pick up our cold weather gear and catch our Air Force flight to Antarctica!