AntarcticDoctor

Boy… lots been happening.  Will try to make some nice posts soon, but in the meantime, here are some photos from fieldwork yesterday at Flarjuven Nunatak, 42km south of SANAE IV.  I was assigned as a field guide to our two geomorphologists,  who had to travel to the nunatak to download data from a temperature logger.  The logger is situated on the margin of an area of patterned ground – movement of the rock due to temperature changes creates patterns in the surface – and records both air and ground temperatures at various depths throughout the year.  We flew in, established an emergency camp (the wind was unpleasant and very cold at that altitude) and completed the data download  and maintenance before flying out in a hurry as the weather deteriorated once more.  Pictures below:

Field camp at Flarjuven, with the southern peak and mountains to the southwest in view.

Looking north towards Vesleskarvet and SANAE IV (Vesles is the flat smudge on the horizon in the center of the frame).

Aurho, another nunatak near Flarjuven, with its impressive west face.

Self-portrait at the field camp with my beloved MSR Fury tent.

Geomorphologist Mike Loubser retreats from the building weather after checking the temperature logger for the last time.  30 minutes later we were clouded in with snow.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 31st, 2009 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Antarctic Science, Antarctica, Weather. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.