Just Between Us

Scott Base

Scott Base, Capital of the Ross Dependency, is New Zealand's base of operations in Antarctica - about 3 miles on the other side of the pass from McMurdo. Much smaller than McMurdo (about 150 residents to our 1100+), they boast a fantastic facility, a great view, and a wry sense of humor. Their sign cracks me up - most of the advertised amenities don't exist anywhere within 2500 miles of here! (That's an oppossum on the top left of the sign. I don't have any idea why. The birds are skuas - very big, assertive, "seagulls" that migrate to/from Antarctica.)

Scott Base in its "Chelsea Cucumber" glory on Pram Point. (Immediately behind the base are some of the pressure ridges. The distinct line towards the top is significant, too.) Sir Edmund Hillary of Mount Everest fame was instumental in having a New Zealand base for political representation and scientific research established on the continent. Hillary, New Zealand's most famous denizen, was the first person in the world to both climb Mount Everest and trek to the South Pole.

The buildings are all inter-connected modules - a hamster cage for humans... a nice ammenity for the "winter-overs" who are able to move throughout most of the base without ever having to brave the elements.

The flag pole was originally at Winter Quarters Bay by Hut Point - placed there by Robert Falcon Scott during his 1902-1904 Discovery Expedition. It was found lying on the ground over 50 years later and was restored to prominence by the Kiwis. (Remember this flag pole...)

Close-up of the sign next to the flag pole.

A close-up of the large crease I mentioned earlier. This is the where the Ross Ice Shelf meets the seasonal sea ice (or, the open ocean, those years when the sea ice breaks up). The face of the shelf rises between 50-150 feet above the water's surface, and extends hundreds of feet below. The largest ice shelf in Antarctica, it is nearly 2500 ft thick in areas and covers an area the size of France. It amazes me each time to see this boundary and I can't help but think to myself, "That is THE Ross Ice Shelf!!".

Looking south, the direction from which the shelf is advancing, with White Island in the background. The dark objects on the ice are Weddell seals. (Remember this flag pole...)

Weddells are abundent on Ross Island and will live their entire lives within 20-25 miles of their birthplace. During the winter, they will chew the ice to maintain holes for which to come and go from the water. The second largest seal in Antarctica, they can grow over 1100 lbs. Kind of a funny story, earlier this summer a Search and Rescue mission was called out on the ice - a pretty big deal anytime a SAR is activiated. Planes, helicopters, the Fire Department, and the volunteer SAR teams all start to scramble. Come to find out, of the of seal researchers somehow got pinned (pinned by a pinneped - get it?) by the seal she was working on and her team couldn't free her. I don't know the circumstances, but I suspect the seal might had been sedated and inadvertantly rolled over her leg. Anyway, the thing weighed too much and her team couldn't get it rolled off of her, so they radioed for help. She was seen hobbling around on crutches later, so I guess she wasn't injured too badly.

So that became the inspiration for a cartoon by one of our local artists. Well, that, and the NSF's ubiqitous safety seminars, and posters, and briefings, and trainings, and checklists, and... Virtually every function that takes place at McMurdo has some sort of safety procedure. (We even have posters instructing how to "safely" wash hands...) One of the biggest violations on base is the failure to chock the wheel of your unattended vehicle - a HUGE no-no! Thus, our Chock Your Seal comic.

Giant sea slugs. Weddells are very docile and will tolerate people. Shortly after I took this photo, a Kiwi going for a walk through the pressure ridges stopped within a few feet from this group to have a look. Not a one of them budged from their nap.

The ice shelf, for as far as the eye can see. The shelf is actually moving: roughly 30 ft per year, but as much as 10 ft a day in some areas. As it advances against Pram Point, it slowly buckles the sea ice into all sorts of shapes.

One of many pictures from the pressure ridges. But this was intended to be a posting about Scott Base, so I'll try to have a separate story on the ridges sometime.

The Scott Base dining hall.

The study. Next time I visit, I plan on chaining myself to one of their couches. We have nothing at McMurdo that remotely compares to this.

The study overlooks Pram Point, the pressure ridges, and the ice shelf. I was watching the seals through the telescope in this window, when I saw one of them moving. Only, it wasn't moving. But there was clearly some motion with it. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Eventually, I saw a baby seal humping its way around its mother - the motion that I had been seeing. It paused face-to-face, and the two nuzzled noses with each other. The pup then continued humping its way to the front of its mother and nudged her up on her side so it could nurse. Was really amazing to watch! Couldn't believe I was seeing it in real life - Marty Stouffer had nothing on me!!

Every year the Americans pool together their biggest, fittest guys to pit against the Kiwis on the rugby pitch. Every year the Americans lose. Every year the Kiwis display the trophy above their bar.