Welcome to PLU Glacial Geology! In its current form, this blog will share the work of four National Science Foundation-funded researchers from Pacific Lutheran University, Berkeley Geochronology Center, and Tulane University as we investigate the glacial history of the northwestern Ross Sea, Antarctica.

The goal of this project is to track the retreat of the Antarctic ice sheet by mapping and sampling glacial deposits left behind by three glaciers in the northwestern Ross Sea - Tucker, Aviator, and Mariner glaciers. Our work will provide insights into ice sheet response to climate change and past contributions of the ice sheet to sea level rise.

Our field season is now complete!! We will use this blog to share our Antarctic experiences with you, including our field work, our time in McMurdo Station, and our time at Mario Zucchelli Station. Thanks for checking in!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Setting up our camp - continued!

Hi Friends!

After setting up our camp and enjoying a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan, we had one final task to complete before going to bed. In camp, we call the restroom the "dunny." I do not know the origin of this term, but it is the traditional term used in Antarctic field camps. It is generally good protocol to make sure the dunny is set up before you go to bed on your first night in camp!

Isaac is working hard in our "quarry" to saw and extract snow blocks!

Brent and Chris coordinate to interlock snow bricks from the quarry.


Interlocking snow bricks create sturdy walls that block the wind and can support weight.



Proper construction of the dunny is everyone's concern.

Sometimes, Chris needed to use a snow saw to reshape the blocks.

Once our camp set-up was complete, we retired to our tents! This is the view inside of my Scott Tent on our first night. You may notice I was too tired to do anything but dump all of my stuff out in a big pile! I'm not exactly sure why I'm only wearing one slipper, but I can only assume I was too exhausted. Everyone sleeps well the first night in camp!

Thank you for checking in with us. We're working out of an Italian research station this week, with limited internet access. More from us next week! We have many more photos from our season to share!

Claire!



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