The cold earth sleeps below, above the cold sky shines

The new crew:  Josh (USAF flight tech), Shawn (the big cheese), Marisa (civilian flight nurse), Rebecca (pharmacist), Brad (USAF flight surgeon), Jim (USAF flight nurse) Current condition: Con3 (verging on Con2).  Temp -9ºF (windchill -36ºF), blowing snow.  Population ≈ 564 As expected, this week, the base has more than doubled in size from 250 at our arrival to over 550 now. I find myself resenting the newcomers.  The dining hall is now crowded and noisy, filled with unrecognized faces whereas one week ago, I felt like we were all family.  But the newcomers are an interesting lot. People I've met include a Dartmouth grad, Vermont resident, former teacher now working as a carpenter; a Fairbanks, Alaska school teacher--about my age--whose husband took a sabbatical to work in Tasmania so she decided to work in supply here in Antarctica; a Stanford grad student studying marine biology at Hopkins Marine Research Center in Monterey who is tagging Empero...

Arrival brief for today's passengers in the galley (the cafeteria) Current Conditions:  Con3.  Temp -15ºF (-45ºF with windchill).  Overcast. Population = 435  This week, the number of people on base will approximately double.  Yesterday, 30 or so people flew in on an Airbus (and about 20 left).  Today, 100 are arriving on a 757 and tomorrow, another 100.  Next week, more planes will land (probably C130's), as long as the weather holds up.  These arrivals mark the beginning of the research season, the end of much of the prep work and, lamentably, the near-collapse of the internet (in that regard, I will try to have an automated email sent out when new blogs go up). The first research of the season takes place on the sea ice.  Early October is still quite cold (note temp above).  That's good for the diving and seal teams.  The ice will continue to harden so the fish huts and heavy vehicles can safely traverse across it....

Midnight when heading "home" from "lab" (the clinic). Current conditions: Con3.  Temp = -8°F (-31°F with wind chill).  Mostly cloudy.  Population = 318 About one year ago, I emailed the National Science Foundation (NSF) with an idea about a research project to do while I was here in Antarctica.  It was a GREAT idea.  I ran it by a number of smart people.  They also thought it was a GREAT idea.  And what made it even better than "GREAT" was that it was easy and incredibly cheap (just some sample collection. I thought I could write a grant for the lab work done when I got home).   The NSF never emailed me back.    I tried again, a month or two later, expanding to three or four NSF contacts.  No answer.    I was a bit surprised.  As I said, it was a GREAT idea.  So a few months later, I called.  I left a message.  No answer.  I tried again a month or so later.  I finally re...