13 December, 1999

McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica

Monday

The weather didn't hold! We awoke to a howling wind and lots of snow! The wind took my breath away! I had breakfast with Mark and Rob, lamenting that perhaps Rob's plane would not be able to leave and our own departure would be pushed back a day. Fortunately, the plane was able to leave and we are sort of back on schedule. There are still a few people backlogged.

Because visibility was bad, the Castle Rock Loop was cancelled and so was our picnic. That meant that I had to work all day in the lab. I haven't been getting much sleep so I took a nap in the afternoon, sleeping right through supper! Our entire group attended a movie in the evening about Antarctica. All of us were very tired. I think that we have been keeping such late hours because we know that our time here is waning. We don't want to miss anything. Mark and I made a list of the things that we would still like to do before we leave. I want to walk to the sea ice to take more pictures of the seals, go to Scott Base one more time, visit Discovery Hut and Vince's Cross, climb Ob Hill in the middle of the night when the light shines on the cross, and walk the Castle Rock Loop. Do you think that I will be able to accomplish all of this with only two days left? Now do you understand why sleep is not a priority? We can sleep on our 8 our flight back to Christchurch on the C-130!

There were so many good intentions with this journal. When the gas chromatograph began to falter and our work piled up, the good intentions suffered. I do hope that you have learned a few things and that I have, at the very least, piqued your curiosity about this continent! I know that I have so much still to learn. I wonder about a lot of things. How is the research progressing for all of those groups that were a part of our lives for the briefest of moments while they prepared to face the harshness of living in the field? Has the radar worked for the ITASE team? Are Gary and Bob successfully setting their instruments to study the ice sheet movement? Some of the research is just beginning. Some projects have come to an end. The Cape Roberts drilling project completed their third year. The ice sheet scientists are just entering their first year of research. I have had only a hint of what Antarctica is. I know that I am still curious!

ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S QUESTION: You would expect hotter water to rise to the top of the lake. In Lake Vanda, the warmer water is salty. Because of the increased density due to the saltiness of the water, the hotter water falls below the colder, less dense water. Scientists are still trying to determine what causes the water to be so warm. Some have proposed that the lake is fed by thermal hotsprings while others suggest a sort of greenhouse effect because of the clearness of the ice on the lake.

The next two days will be busy. The lab is almost packed. We are preparing crates for overwinter storage and must return items to various places. And we must say goodbye to the people and places that have meant so much to us over the course of these weeks. Leaving is always exciting, but never an easy task.

Sharon

JUST FOR KIDS!!!!!

Lots of snow today! I wish that I had brought my sled with me! The pilots are keeping the planes flying so maybe I will be able to leave on Thursday. Wish me luck!

I hope that you have liked these journals and that you have learned something. I hope that you will continue to read about Antarctica and look a the magnificent pictures of this very cold, very stark place!

We were wondering how other scientists are doing. Some of them have been camping in the cold for a very long time now. Are they staying warm? Did their research work? I wonder.

ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S QUESTION: You would expect hotter water to rise to the top of the lake. In Lake Vanda, the warmer water is salty. Because of the increased density due to the saltiness of the water, the hotter water falls below the colder, less dense water. Scientists are still trying to determine what causes the water to be so warm. Some have proposed that the lake is fed by thermal hotsprings while others suggest a sort of greenhouse effect because of the clearness of the ice on the lake.

The next two days will be busy. The lab is almost packed. We are preparing crates for overwinter storage and must return items to various places. And we must say goodbye to the people and places that have meant so much to us over the course of these weeks. Leaving is always exciting, but never an easy task.

Sharon