A few random pictures

The McMurdo-Scott Base Search and Rescue (SAR) Team. Photo credit: unknown

SAR Training.

SAR vehicles.

Cleaning out the Vehicle Maintenance Facility for the 4th of July carnival. Photo credit: RG.

A Delta flat. Where is AAA?

An old McMurdo picture. Now that's a 'real can' of beer! I think he's had one too many. Either that or it is T3 syndrome - 'the Antarctic stare'.

Last night the first episode was shown at the Coffee House Theater. Frozen Planet was showing for the first time in the US when I left in February. An excellent show. A lot of the first episode was filmed around McMurdo.

I will present another Space Shuttle lecture on the 30th.

Cool Aurora picture. Photo credit:MM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lR1sEn8nMI

A YouTube commercial of my favorite beer in Antarctica: Speights New Zealand beer. The brewery is in Dunedin, South Island. It might be a stretch on my planned bicycle tour (way south on the east coast) but I'll keep it on my list.

The Antarctic is the fifth largest continent on Earth, 14.2 million square miles. Its
shape is generally circular with a large curving peninsula in the northwest. The continent
is divided by a 2900-kilometer long mountain chain known as the Transantarctic
Mountains. This mountain chain divides East Antarctic (Lesser Antarctica) from West
Antarctica (Greater Antarctica). The highest point of land on the continent is Vinson


Massif at 4897m, the lowest point is the Bentley Subglacial Trench at 8,327 feet below
sea level. Antarctica is 99.6% covered in ice, with the exception of dry valleys, some
coastal areas, and the peaks of the highest Transantarctic Mountains. This massive cover
of ice contains 70% of the world’s fresh water, and at points is 4775 meters thick, its
enormous weight has depressed the underlying landmass 1600 meters in some places. In
September, Antarctica’s late winter, the size of the continent doubles in size, with the
freezing of the surrounding southern ocean, which can extend more than 1000 kilometers
from the coast. Antarctica has four major geographic regions; the Antarctic Peninsula,
East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the Sub-Antarctic Islands. Each of these regions is
distinctly different and formed in varying ways.                                            
                         
 A small geography lesson. Along these lines it is theorized that if all the ice in Antarctica melted all the oceans would rise 200 inches.

The ice cap removed.

Sea ice at the end of winter (September) and at the end of summer (February).