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Warming, but windy
The wind that came up on yesterday (the 24th) stuck around all day today, making some of the outdoor tasks a bit more challenging. Zoe and I have been hoping that the wind dies down a bit, so we can dig our first snow pit.
Location: Camp Winter, 86.80S, 54.42E
Elevation: 3151m
Weather: -34C, 19 kts
A snow pit is essentially a big rectangular hole in the snow, about 2m deep,that we use to study the physical and chemical properties of the snow.
In a future update, Zoe will tell all about snow pits, and what we can do with them. The problem with digging a snow pit in the wind is that the blowing snow tends to fill in the pit about as fast as you can empty it, making it a sort of wasted effort. If the wind continues, we will try it anyway, but at the moment, we can afford to wait a day. Along with the wind, the temperature has come up a bit to -34C. The faster wind combined with the warmer temperature means that the wind chill has stayed about the same (-55C), so it's still a bit on the cool side out there. As I sit here in the living module, the flapping of the flags on the roof sound very much like rain drops. Along with the dripping of the condensation that collects on the ceiling and windows, it gives one the impression of a rainy summer day. The reality outside is much different!
From Glen's post a week or so ago about temperature over the past ~40 years at South Pole, we expect (and hope) that the temperature will soon warm up to more summer-like temperatures. Summer for this area is still pretty cold. By the end of November, average temperatures at South Pole are right around -30C, and should rarey (if ever) get as cold as -40C. The past week here at Camp Winter the temperature has been consistently below -40C. Since the end of November is approaching quickly, we hope that this current weather system brings us warmer weather more reliably.
Over in the workshop, Svein, Rune and Kjetil are making good progress on Chinook, and we should be ready for a test drive of the new driveline tomorrow. Repairs on the first vehicle will probably take a bit longer than for the others, as they had to figure out a few tricks and set the garage up for the task.
The Norwegian and American flags snap in the wind, sounding very much like rain drops, while the worshop tent can be seen in the background. Photo: Zoe Courville
