Who we are and what we're doing!


Welcome to our project site! We are six National Science Foundation-funded researchers from Pacific Lutheran University, Berkeley Geochronology Center, University of Washington, and the University of Maine who are studying the glacial history of the Pensacola Mountains in West Antarctica.

Our 2011-2012 field season is almost underway! We will spend about two weeks in McMurdo equipping ourselves for another month in the Pensacola Mountains. We spent December 16th, 2010 through January 17th, 2011 in the Pensacola Mountains, where we mapped and sampled glacial deposits along the Foundation Ice Stream. This year, we will revisit last year's field sites, and map new regions of the mountain range.

Our work will track the thinning history of the Weddell Sea Sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and will also provide insights into ice sheet dynamics, and the history of sea level contribution from this sector of the ice sheet.

In the coming weeks and months, we will use this site to show you our preparations for the 2011-2012 field season, and to share our initial results as they emerge. Please check back to catch up with our progress. Thanks for finding us!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Visiting Scott's Discovery Hut, Built in 1902

Hi Friends,


Today, we had the privilege of touring Robert F. Scott's Discovery Hut, built by Scott's crew in 1902. That year, Scott and his men made an unsuccessful attempt to reach the South Pole. They used Discovery Hut again as a supply depot in 1911, in preparation for their again unsuccessful, and ultimately fatal, polar attempt.

Our tour guide, Bev, studied and completed training to become a certified hut guide.
It was a cold and snowy Sunday in McMurdo.
Scott's Discovery Hut is only a five-minute walk from town.
A large volcanic rock commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the construction of Discovery Hut.
Seal remains and a burlap sack were left behind by Scott and his men. Our tour guide told us that historical conservation efforts have been so severe that no one has dug beneath the burlap sack to determine what lies beneath.
After vigorously scrubbing our shoes, we stepped into the hut. 

While reading the sign, visitors notice a potent smell within the hut.
One of the sources of the smell is decomposing carcasses hanging in an adjacent room.
When we entered the main room in the hut (separated from the rest of the hut by both walls and hanging cloth), we were asked to sign a guest book.
Further exploration of the room revealed another source of the smell - more decomposing seal carcasses.
Seals were an important source of food for early Antarctic explorers. Our tour guide Bev told us that the blubber from the seal meat would get everywhere, coating the men's clothing and tools.
Many boxes remain from when Scott and his men used the hut as a supply depot.



Boxes and tins of food are littered throughout the hut!

All artifacts have been tagged and cataloged. Notice the dog biscuit tag inside the open box!


















The pot still contains bits of food! Seth is using a flashlight; it was dark and very cold in the hut!












On our way out of the hut, we stopped to appreciate the explorers' utility closet!
When we emerged from the hut, visibility limited due to the snow! In this photograph, you can make out some of the McMurdo dorms and Observation Hill.
We were truly awed by the hardships early Antarctic explorers endured. We felt lucky to have had the time to tour one of Scott's huts!
It was a brisk walk back to town!
What a weekend we have had! Check out the previous six posts for additional sights we enjoyed this weekend. Now, we are back in preparation mode; we are scheduled to take off from McMurdo at 10:00 tomorrow (Monday for us) morning. We need to be ready for transport from McMurdo to the Ice Runway at 7:45 AM. We are excited and hopeful! 

I'll provide additional updates in the morning. Have a wonderful Sunday! Many thanks for checking in with us.

Claire
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