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Gig Harbor, Washington is my home. Our community is located on a peninsula in Puget Sound. We have tall firs, salt water and, on clear days, a view of Mt. Rainier. I have been teaching here for 22 years. I am currently exploring astronomy, geology, meteorology, polar science and other topics with my 8th grade students at Goodman Middle School.

My wife, Denise, is also an educator. We have twin 7 year-olds, Evan and Maureen, who are excited about daddy going to Antarctica. Some of my favorite activities are bicycling, star gazing, reading, and skiing. Previous adventures have included digging dinosaur bones in Montana and pedaling my bicycle across the United States.

My interest in Antarctica began as a result of reading Endurance, an account of the Shackleton expedition. This interest has developed into a fascination, which I have enjoyed sharing with my students. The opportunity to visit Antarctica and parcticipate in research is a dream come true!


High-Precision Borehole Temperature Measurements at Siple Dome
Gary Clow, U.S. Geological Survey
Robert Hawley, University of Washington
Ed Waddington, University of Washington

I will be accompanying scientists Gary Clow and Robert Hawley to Siple Dome, a remote camp on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This will be the second field season of a three-year research project. The primary goal this field season is to obtain precise temperature measurements from within the ice sheet.

Data will be collected from a 1000-meter deep borehole that penetrates to the underlying bedrock. Temperatures will also be recorded from an array of shallower holes in the vicinity. The research team will spend about four weeks at Siple Dome.

The data will be used to reconstruct the climate history at Siple Dome for the last 5000 years. The data will also be used to place constraints on: a) the magnitude of the warming at the termination of the last ice age (the Wisconsin Ice Age) in this region of Antarctica, b) the change in thickness of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at the end of the Wisconsin, and c) the local geothermal heat flux from the earth's crust into the base of the ice sheet.

Polar Classroom Activities:

The Shape of the Ice: Using Maps to Learn About Antarctic Topography

The Frozen Desert

Getting to the Core of Climate Change







17 December, 2000:

Goodbye and Thanks


16 December, 2000:

Leaving Antarctica


15 December, 2000:

Did You See Any Penguins?


14 December, 2000:

Back to Mactown


13 December, 2000:

Wrapping Up and Heading Home


12 December, 2000:

Odds and Ends


11 December, 2000:

Ice Cores


10 December, 2000:

Dust and Neutrinos


9 December, 2000:

Weather


8 December, 2000:

Ice Dynamics


7 December, 2000:

Camping on the Ice


6 December, 2000:

Launching Hobos


5 December, 2000:

Where's the Dome?


4 December, 2000:

A Day in the Life


3 December, 2000:

Logging the Shallow Holes


2 December, 2000:

More Snow and Ice


1 December, 2000:

Snow and Ice


30 November, 2000:

A Seismic Adventure


29 November, 2000:

Flying in the Field


28 November, 2000:

Travel


27 November, 2000:

What is Siple Dome?


26 November, 2000:

Ice Holes


25 November, 2000:

A Special Day


24 November, 2000:

Logging in Antarctica


23 November, 2000:

The Project


22 November, 2000:

Siple Dome Field Camp


21 November, 2000:

Off to the Field


20 November, 2000:

Antarctic Basics


19 November, 2000:

Getting out of Town


18 November, 2000:

Gone Fishing


17 November, 2000:

Still Here


16 November, 2000:

McMurdo Life


15 November, 2000:

Snow School 2


14 November, 2000:

Snow School


13 November, 2000:

Getting Around Antarctica


12 November, 2000:

Preparations


11 November, 2000:

End of the Earth


10 November, 2000:

McMurdo Station


9 November, 2000:

We're Off!


8 November, 2000:

Waiting to Go


7 November, 2000:

Getting Clothes


6 November, 2000:

Heading South


5 November, 2000:

The People of Antarctica


2 August, 2000:

University of Washington Visit


20 July, 2000:

National Ice Core Laboratory


19 July, 2000:

Raytheon Polar Services


18 July, 2000:

U.S.G.S. at Denver


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