Sunday 10th November 2013

Today the wind was blowing over fifty knots but still with a blue sky and the wind felt warm as the temperature had crept up to about minus three. I have to do ARPANSA every day now until I get Richard trained up. Chris used to do it on weekends as he knew I liked to sleep in, thanks Chris.

After doing the filter change I had an early lunch and then headed down to the transmitter building to see if the bands were any better today. Unfortunately they were pretty much the same as yesterday. I tried to put a call out and my transmitter was dead. I messed about for several hours to try and find out why but it was useless, for some reason the PA fold back circuitry was kicking in and preventing full power out. I even stripped down the rig and loaded the software again to no avail. If I can’t come up with a solution then my time on air is over and that would be very sad.

Radio VLV - Mawsons call sign. This sign came off the original old communications hut and is now pride of place in the Operations building radio communications room.

Mawson October 2013 Climate Summary

Mawson October 2013 Climate Summary

October has been the windiest month for the year so far.  During October we recorded the highest total wind run for the year so far: 38787km! Second was July with 37353km and third was January with 36606km.
This averages to a wind run of 1251 km/day (52 km/h)

Temperatures - at Mawson during October we expect:

•  A maximum mean temperature of -09.9°C. The average maximum for the month was -07.7°C. The lowest maximum was –12.9°C and the highest -02.3°C

•  A minimum mean temperature of -16.4°C. The average minimum for the month was -12.8°C. The lowest minimum was -19.8°C and the highest -06.9°C.

The coldest temperature for any October day on record at Mawson was -29.0°C on 02/10/1980.

Wind:

•  The average daily wind run (the measure of how many kilometers of wind pass the station in 24 hours) was 1251 km per day for the month. This is well above the long term average of 911 km per day.

•  The maximum wind gust for October was 146 km/h from the SE recorded on the 8th. The record gust for October is 208 km/h recorded on 26/10/2007.

•  Blizzard conditions were recorded on 7 days for the month, with 3.1 expected. A total of 39 blizzards for 2013 so far.

• There were 26 gales compared to 14.7 expected for the month, 31 days of strong wind, with 27.7 the average. 13 days of snowfall were observed, well above the expected average of 4.8 days. We had 11 days of Blowing Snow (Visibility <1km).

A Strong Wind day has wind in excess of 41 km/h and a Gale is wind in excess of 63 km/h.

Sunshine

•  We recorded a total of 142.4 hours of sunshine for the month.

•  The long term average is 232.5 hours.

Conclusion:

October was much warmer and windier and less sunny than the long term means. Every day of the month we had strong winds and only five days of the month that we didn't experience gale force winds!

We had a total wind run of 38787.1 km for the month. Total wind run for the year so far is 329,171 km. October was dominated by many days of blizzard, blowing snow and snow fall.

Myth busted

And now for something completely different

The air in Antarctica is so pure you rarely smell anything, but when you do it is really intense.
Such as, you might be outside working and suddenly you will get a whiff of the power house exhaust or the incinerator exhaust or if you are really unlucky the shit farm vent which nearly blows your nose off.

Normally out in the field you never smell anything including the penguin colonies even though there is shit everywhere. Walking into the hydroponics hut, the smell is really intense and the smell of the tomato plants is awesome. Now that things are warming up and the snow and ice is starting to melt in the intense sun and radiant heat from the rock warming up, the penguin rookeries are starting to stink rotten as the shit and dead birds thaw out. 

I conducted an interesting experiment the other day. I was out battling my way in a 70 knot blizzard when I let rip with a big fart and it travelled all the way up my clothes and into the hood of my jacket and it stunk really bad. I have tried to see the steam from a fart without success but I think if you were naked it would work depending on the water content of the fart which is mostly methane. Taking a piss doesn't result in walking sticks either but it does freeze instantly on the ice or rock. So that's the truth about Antarctica.

[Photos to be added]

Saturday 9th November 2013

The day started as another perfect day, sunny and no wind, but the wind came up in afternoon and was blowing 50 knots in true Mawson style by late evening. After having breakfast and a coffee I did the ARPANSA filter change and then went over to the green store to check through my cargo in the hope my valve was in one of the boxes but it wasn't to be. It must still be sitting at Davis with the remainder of the cargo.

I wandered down to the transmitter building and went on air for a short time, but the band was very dead but there was a JA CCTV signal cranking 599 so I sent a few pictures through and made some guy in Japan very happy. After lunch at one thirty I ran through some fire training and induction for the new guys then went for a long walk out on east arm looking for Adélie penguins but I didn't see any, instead I found five snow petrels either nesting or just roosting under large rocks and ledges.

When I came back to the red shed I put a load of washing on and then went down for a spa. I found out it was Cookie’s 60th birthday today so I congratulated him. He didn't want a cake and kept it low key and he and Peter L went up to Rum doodle for the night and it blew like the clappers. 

At the bar tonight there were too many people and we winterers felt very awkward. We winterers feel lost and a bit out of it at the moment, and finding it very hard to adjust, but I’m sure that will pass. It will be a bit better when the science crew leave in 4 weeks or when they are out in the field so we can get to know the summer crew a bit better. Tonight I put on Kakoda in the cinema and I was very disappointed at the poor acting and lack of story line for such a defining moment in Australia’s history.

Friday 8th November 2013

Today was another beautiful day, sunny, blue sky and no wind. You have to be very careful outside on these days as you get sun burnt so easy from the reflection off the ice. Today we were expecting four flights which turned into six flights. Several times we had to escort Adélie penguins off the ski way while waiting for the flights to arrive.

The twin otter was coming over from Davis, it was to land here to refuel before heading out to Richardson lake about six hundred kilometres further out south west of us to see if it could land successfully on the lake and make sure it was safe for the Basler to land. Then it would fly back to Mawson to be refuelled before flying back to Davis station. 

The Basler was coming over from Davis carrying a heap of cargo. It will unload at Mawson and be refuelled and load about twelve drums of avgas to cache out at Richardson Lake for the Tregoning project before returning back to Mawson to be refuelled before flying back to Davis station. At last minute, Cookie arranged to take the Basler out for a flight out the back of twin tops for a recce for the Vogel project which he, John, Stefan and Barbara boarded. As it turned out, the twin otter couldn't land at Richardson Lake due to low cloud so both aircraft flew back to Mawson, refuelled (The Basler unloading all twelve fuel drums) and after Cookies joy flight, headed back to Davis. 

At one stage I had to move the orange Hag a bit closer to the Basler so the refueling hose would reach and I got about thirty meters and it came to a crunching halt with a burning smell. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and gently lifted the engine cowling but there was no fire but the starter motor was burnt out and the Hag had to be towed back to the workshop. It was a long day for us out on the sea ice and we all got very sun burnt. Richard was a great help on the radio (VLV Mawson) and he is a good worker. After work I went and had a spa to get the chill out of my bones and after dinner we watched a good movie called Death Proof. After dinner, Justin took Lydie, Bianca and Stefan for a drive up to Mt Henderson and the blue Haglunds broke down forcing them all to spend the night up there.

All the winterers were excited to get their mail and all the goodies they had ordered. I got a new lens and a couple more 2 Tb hard disk drives. My valve didn't make it and hopefully is still over at Davis with the remainder of our cargo. It was nice eat a fresh apple and a juicy orange after nine months of rationing.

Both aircraft are operated by Kenn Borek Air Ltd based at Calgary International Airport, Canada. The Basler BT-67 is a fixed-wing aircraft produced by Basler Turbo Conversions of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is built on a retrofitted 1941 Douglas DC-3 airframe, with modifications designed to improve the DC-3's serviceable lifetime. The conversion includes fitting the airframe with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67R turboprop engines, lengthening the fuselage, strengthening the airframe, upgrading the avionics, and making modifications to the wings' leading edge and wing tip.

Turbine DC3 (DC3T) information - US$6.5 Million

· Maximum Seating: 18 passengers, 2 pilots, 1 Flight Attendant

· Maximum Payload: 8,500 pounds

· Cargo Door Size: 71" x 56"

· Baggage Area: 1225 cubic feet

· Maximum Range: 12 hours, 2300 miles

· Cruise Speed: 248 mph

· Fully I.F.R. Equipped, Including Global Positioning System

· Operates on wheels and wheel-skis

· Twin Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67R turbines rated at 1424 shaft horsepower each

Twin Otter (DHC6) information

· Maximum Seating: 19 passengers, 2 pilots

· Maximum Payload: 3,500 pounds

· Cargo Door Size: 56" x 50"

· Baggage Area: 126 cubic feet

· Maximum Range: 4.5 hours, 750 miles

· Cruise Speed: 165 mph

· Fully I.F.R. Equipped, Including Global Positioning System

· Operates on small wheels, floats, skis, wheel skis, tundra tires

· Twin Pratt and Whitney PT6A-27 turbines rated at 620 shaft horsepower each

Thursday 7th November 2013

Today was another perfect day, sunny and no wind. I can’t believe all this good weather after all the shit weather we have had over the last month. With all the new people, things were pretty busy. While all the new people were having inductions, I got busy sorting out email accounts, setting up printer’s access, security access levels, making telephone lists, issuing pagers, radios, printing news papers etc.

I went down to Rosella taking Richard with me and picked up and delivered the printer crates Peter L had made for me and hurting my sore shoulder again in the process. Back in the office I got back onto the radio audit and then did ARPANSA. After work I spent quite a bit of time trying to catch up on my blog that has gotten away from me recently.

Wednesday 6th November 2013

Today was perfect, sunny and no wind and finally the day had come when we’d lose our five brothers and gain twenty strangers. The sun was so bright we were all getting badly burnt no matter how much we covered up. I had a bit of time in the morning to read a few emails and get ARPANSA done and then it was everyone out on the ski way to wait for the Basla (a restored 1941 DC3) to land. Finally we heard it long before we could see it and it swooped down low to do a fly over and inspect the ski way and then next circuit it lined up for the final approach and touched down in a cloud of snow and a loud roar. The beautiful shiny aircraft came to a halt only meters from where we were standing before shutting down and the door opened and twenty strangers disembarked.

After nine months of isolation it was all so surreal. There were those that knew a couple of blokes and moved forward to welcome them, but most of us just stood and stared. Most of us had jobs to do refueling and I had fire control so we didn't get emotionally involved and just got on with the job. Finally when it was time for our comrades to embark it really hit home and there were a lot of slap handshakes and a few man hugs. They all climbed aboard and buckled up as the turbo props wound up and shortly after we were exchanging profanities through the windows as the plane taxied away. 

We watched it in silence as it taxied to the end of the ski way and watched as it powered up and raced down the ski way lifting into the air. Finally it was just a black dot in the blue sky and that phase of our Antarctic experience was over. 

The new people had walked back to the station and we were left alone to pack up and drive back to the station. Back at the station we just all stood back and looked with curiosity at all the new people doing their station introductions. It was an awkward night as they were tired and we were curious and there was not a lot of convergence. I had lost Chris and gained Richard.