Camp and Field Site pullout

After two months at our Blood Falls and the Taylor Glacier field site it is now time to break down camp and return everything to MCM. In order to get all of our samples (13 freeze safes) and personal gear back to town safely we will rely on the best pilots and helo-techs that I have worked with, PHI of Antarctica. This group has been crucial to the success of our project and I cannot thank them enough.

The final load of gear is slung from the glacier field site back to MCM via helicopter

"Lake Taylor" and the end of sampling

Tunneling operations ceased on the 25th of November due to rising water at the tunnel entrance. Luckily, we had collected all of the samples that we had planned and this event did not change or negatively impact all of our work. On the last day of work at the field site it was necessary to expeditiously remove all of our samples and equipment from the tunnel. See photos below.
At this point we are transporting all of the ice back to MCM. We collected nearly 1000 kg (2100 lbs.) of ice from TG and we are currently preparing these samples for shipment to the U.S. and Belgium for future analysis.

McMurdo Dry Valleys and Taylor Glacier

Here of some photos taken from our field camp which is located at Blood Falls and the west lobe of Lake Bonney in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

The view down valley from our camp. This is the west lobe of Lake Bonney, a perennially ice covered lake at at the terminus of the Taylor Glacier.

Blood Falls is formed by the outflow of water from the terminus of the Taylor. To the left is the west lobe of Bonney.
Taylor Glacier margin near our tunnel site.


The Rhone glacier is located just north of the Taylor Glacier and is in the "backyard" of our camp

Vertical Shaft and sample collection

On the 17th of November we began collecting ice samples. We intend to collect ice from the profile that we exposed after digging the vertical tunnel. The tunnel is approximately 2 m x 2 m and 5 m deep. Here are some pictures of the shaft and the different types of ice that we will collect. Pierre Amato (LSU) near the bottom of the shaft excavating ice


The different layers of clean and dirty ice in the profile that we will sample. The sample profile is 4 m thick and consists of the following different layers, or facies. We are calling the three main faces in the profile clean glacier ice, stratified, and massive. The different facies, except the clean glacier ice are shown below. Each of these facies is ~ 1.5 m in our profile and they are oriented in the following order clean ice, stratified, massive (descending down the vertical shaft).


This section is an example of the stratified facies. The clean ice in this section is ~ 20 cm thick. The stratified facies contains numerous layers of clean and dirty ice and is approximately 1.5 m thick.


This section is an example of the massive facies. Ice in this section contains ~20-40% sediment (w/v). This section is ~ 1.4 m and lies below the stratified facies shown above.

Tunnel into glacier ice

2007 Taylor Glacier tunnel crew. Top row (l-r) Timothy Brox (MSU), Scott Montross (MSU), Shawn Doyle (LSU). Bottom row (l-r) Pierre Amato (LSU), Brent Christner (LSU).

The tunnel into the glacier is nearly complete. On Friday 9 November the tunnel was 12 m into the glacier ice.

Tim Brox from MSU excavates ice from the tunnel. This picture was taken five days before the complete tunnel was dug. At this time we were ~ 7 m into the ice.

Our goal was to tunnel along the debris-rich layer of ice (layers of ice with a substantial amount of rocks and sediments, some of this ice is nearly 50% sediment/ice by w/v) then work downward to sample the basal (ice at the glacier bed) layers. Our tunnel into the glacier ice does slope downward towards the bed of the glacier but we were concerned since we had not encountered the dirty ice layers that we are interested in. In order to determine how far down these layers are we began to drill small holes with an auger to find where the dirty ice begins. After drilling ~ 3 meters we hit rock, and we were all very jubilant. We have begun to construct a vertical shaft from the end of the tunnel down to the debris-rich ice at the glacier bed in order to collect samples from these layers.

Tim Brox and Brent Christner at work in the vertical shaft. This picture was taken during the second day of digging down. Rather than chainsaw through the dirty ice we used an 85 lb. jackhammer to help us make our way to the glacier bed.

We are interested in the ice which contains rock and sediments because this is where all the action is. The numbers of bacteria in clean, debris-poor glacier ice vs. dirty glacier ice are substantially different. Previous work (e.g., Sharp et al., 1999, Skimore et al., 2000 and 2005) has shown that cell numbers and cell activity is higher in debris rich ice. There are a few reasons for this; 1) sediments provide a site for cell attachment which may enhance the rate of colonization, 2) chemical constituents of rock (i.e., Fe, S, N) are energy sources for the microbes, and 3) a thin film of water exists around the sediment surface and where there is water there is life!

Below is a plan (map) view of our tunnel and sampling shaft

Thanks to everyone who has commented or emailed me about the blog. I have received many emails of support and motivation which I always pass on to the rest of the team. I would also like to thank Cadbury, the Pringle man, and Oreo for giving us the energy we need to make it through the cold windy days at the glacier. There is still quite a lot of snow of the peaks around camp, but all indications are that summer (austral) has begun. Unlike the northern hemisphere November comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. We have had some really impressive winds over the last week (catabatics with gusts up to 50 mph are very common). I will be back in MCM for the rest of this week preparing and analyzing samples I collected from the glacier. I have numerous posts to download so please check the blog again this week

Taylor Glacier

I am sending this blog from Lake Bonney, a permanent camp in the Dry Valleys and about an hour and a half walk from our field camp. Here is a review of the last few days.

The field site: The tunneling site is located about 1.3 km up glacier from our camp at Blood Falls. This site was selected after rigorous reconnaissance at the base and surface of the glacier. The site was inspected by a member of FSTP, which is the safety group here in Antarctica.

On Thursday Nov. 1 our crew began to tunnel into the margin of the Taylor Glacier. Day one was devoted to establishing a safe route up the ice apron. The apron is formed at the base of the glacier from ice blocks that calve off the glacier and meltwater that flows from the surface of the glacier. The ice apron is approximately 25 feet high.

On day two our generator, fuel, and remaining gear was slung by helicopter up to the field site. This was a precarious situation since the pilot had to contend with steep slopes on one side and 150 vertical feet of glacier ice on the other. Lucky for us there was minimal wind and good visibility. As the load was slung in Brent and I remained on the ground to direct the pilot and ensure a safe delivery of the equipment and a safe exit for the helicopter. During the drop we were huddled together directly beneath the helo in radio contact with the pilot as the sling load was released. The remainder of the day was spent preparing a work space at the base of the ice. At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 1 we penetrated the glacier and began constructing the tunnel into the vertical wall of ice. On this day the team made it about 2 m into the ice before returning back to camp.

Scott tunneling through the glacier on day two.

Day three: Since we penetrated the ice we have shifted to using electric chainsaws, and for reasons I cannot explain they seem to work better at cutting ice than the gas powered chainsaws we used to build the stairs up to ice apron. We are currently working in teams of three for 6 hour shifts. The usual configuration is one member chainsaws, one member clears the ice with a mechanical hammer drill, or by hand using a large ice chipper, and one person remains on the hillslope as a spotter. We switch jobs quite often (about every 20 minutes) since the person who is spotting usually gets cold real quick since they are not moving. In order to stay warm and energized it is necessary that we have a high calorie diet. I think we consume nearly 5000 calories a day, much of this is chocolate! Many people gain weight while on the ice, I think Brent’s record is 11 lbs., but I do not think this will be the case with our group. We calculated that we will remove nearly 80 metric tons of ice when we are finished, although chainsaws make the cuts we still must remove the ice by hand. For this reason I doubt any of us will gain any weight, but we could really use some fat reserves to stay warm.

We are all very excited about our progress thus far, at this rate we will hopefully be into the glacier and tunneled down to the bedrock and basal ice layers by the end of November. My personal goal is to be tunneled in by Sean and I’s birthday’s which are November 28th and 29th, respectively.

Hope all is well in the northern hemisphere. We still have a good amount of snow on the ground here and it has been fairly cold (temps seem to range from -20oC to 0oC daily). We are all working hard and miss those at home.

Two days and counting...

After an extended stay in MCM due to weather we are finally scheduled to fly out to the field site on Monday. The past few days have been a mad rush to box up all of our camping gear, food, science equipment, and libations... well of course we must have libations! Mark and Brent went out at to the glacier on Monday with a member of FSTP (Field Safety Training Personnel) to survey prospective sites for building the tunnel. The Taylor Glacier (TG) is a very active glacier with an average flow velocity of about 2 m per year. This activity results in large calving events along the margins. Our goal is to find a suitable location to chainsaw our tunnel... suitable is defined as an area which is not susceptible to these large calving events.

Picture of TG and the large cracks which form along the margin. Ice thickness in the picture is approximately 80-100 feet. Photo by B. Christner. *** All pictures enlarge if you click on them

We are all very excited to begin tunneling after many hours of safety briefings and trainings. We expect to tunnel approximately 10 m into the glacier. At this point we will be able to access the basal ice zone and collect samples.

Once we have collected samples I will be responsible for the geochemical analysis of the basal ice. This includes aqueous, gas, and isotopic chemical analysis of the ice samples. I also plan to investigate some of the unique features of TG. For example, the ice at TG is composed of many debris-rich bands of ice (you can see these bands from the pictures shown here). At this time there is no reasonable explanation for these features and they are of great interest to me. As we get closer to sampling I will provide more information of the particular analyses that I will conduct.

TG margin (looking up valley). The dark spots on the ground are from the helicopter touching down at different potential sample sites. Photo by B. Christner.

Wednesday Science Lecture

Bad weather in the area has resulted in a great opportunity for me. Each wednesday evening a science lecture is held in the Crary Labs at MCM. These talks highlight the ongoing research currently being conducted here in Antarctica. This weeks talk was to be given by Dr. Mark Skidmore but weather kept him from returning back to MCM and therefore he asked me to give the talk. The title was "Cool Life, Geomicrobiology of the Subglacial Environment". After finding out that Mark would not make it back I began preparing with only four hours notice. I stood in front of a large crowd (Scientists, NSF representatives, Crary Lab employess, and the general public) gave the talk and nailed it! I received many complements from the folks in the audience (It was a packed house with approximately 90-100 people in the crowd). I guess sometimes the best opportunities come at the most unexpected times.

Here is a picture I havent had the opportunity to share with you all. This was taken at LAX on our way here.

LSU and MSU researchers with Flavor Flav of Public Enemy.

Not always sunny in MCM

Many of the pictures I have posted so far portray MCM as a beautiful sunny place. Here are some pictures taken from the Crary Lab (Science building) of MCM station and the sound during the storm today.

Happy Campers

I am back in MCM after two days of snow school, aka "Happy Camper". The weather was beautiful as you can see from the pictures but of course a clear, blue sky day leads to a cool night (~ -20 oC). Of course this is nothing compared to the temperature at the South Pole that evening (-47 oC).

Mt. Erebus is an active volcano on Antarctica. Elevation of the summit is 3794 m. This picture is taken from the ice shelf which is close to sea level elevation.

Snow schoolers build a quanzee. Campers slept in a variety of different configurations; Scott tents (large teepee style tent used in Antarctica), 4 season mountain tents, quanzee (shown above), or a snow coffin. A poll of the campers in the morning revealed that the quanzee and the coffins were the most desirable sleeping quarters.

Shawn Doyle (L.S.U.) begins the excavation of our snow coffin.

A view of the completed snow coffin Shawn and I dug and spent the night in.

Campers perform a search and rescue under zero visibility. During this simulation teams of campers were sent out with white buckets on their head to simulate white out conditions (no visibility and little to no possibility of verbal communication between members of the team). Although it seems impossible to find the trapped victim one group was able to locate their victim and return them to the hut.


The last few blogs have highlighted life here on the ice. Its getting close to our departure to the field and therefore much of the information that I will post in the upcoming weeks will focus more on the science that we are here to conduct.

Thursday and American Night at Scott Base

It was a bit windy today and temperatures at MCM ranged from a high of -11 oC to a low of -36 oC. Tomorrow our group will attend snow school also called "happy camper". This training will give us the opportunity to learn and practice methods of survival while in the field. Activities include building snow shelters and navigating under zero visibility. This training will also give us a chance to test out our camping and sleeping gear prior to going into the field.

Thursday night was "american night" at Scott Base which gave us the opportunity to visit another permanent station on Antarctica. Scott Base is the New Zealand base on Antarctica and it is only a short walk from MCM. During the summer there are approximately 80-100 people on station (MCM has about 1000).

*note: click on pictures to enlarge


Where in the world is Scott Base??

View of sea ice in McMurdo Sound from Scott Base

Ice pressure ridges form in the sound

"Sunset" over the sound (notice the blowing snow)


We have begun our final preparations for the field. This includes fine tuning all of our equipment and gear (i.e., chainsaws, laboratory equipment, food pull, and the remaining safety briefs necessary to leave for the field next Friday). Snow school is a two day event and upon return to MCM on Saturday I will update you on this activity.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisors (Drs. Skidmore and Christner), friends, colleagues, family, and especially Galena for all of the support thus far. A great deal of time and work has been put into this project and it would not be possible without your support.

Arrival at McMurdo Station

After many hours of travel we have finally arrived at McMurdo Station (MCM), the United States base on Antarctica. We arrived at MCM from Christchurch, New Zealand via a C-17 operated by the 62nd air wing of the United States Air Force. During our flight I had the opportunity to ride in the cockpit and get a "pilots" view of the amazing landscape of Antarctica.

My first days at MCM are chock full of briefings about the rules and regulations which pertain to daily life on the ice. These included briefings on subjects which range from from recycling of trash to survival during extreme weather events. Over the next few days I will continue to adjust to daily life on the ice and continue to make final preparations to go into the field next week.

Introduction to the project

We will conduct a geomicrobiological study of basal ice from Taylor Glacier, Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

• Previous work at Taylor Glacier revealed elevated CO2 concentrations concurrent with depleted O2 concentrations

The anomalous gas values in basal ice sections are concurrent with measurements of elevated biomass and heterotrophic microbial activity in the ice samples.

One explanation for these data is that in situ microbial respiration is occurring in the ice at -17oC.

We will determine the gas concentration (N₂, O₂, CO₂, and Ar) and isotopic composition of CO₂ (i.e., d13CO₂) in a 5 m profile of the Taylor Glacier basal ice. In addition, experiments will be undertaken in parallel to examine the viability and physiology of the entrapped microbial assemblages.

Members of our research team:

Montana State University:

Mark Skidmore, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, PI

Scott Montross, Graduate Student

Tim Brox, Undergraduate Research Technician

Louisiana State University:

Brent Christner, Assistant Professor of Microbial Ecology, Co-PI

Pierre Amato, Post Doctoral Researcher

Sean Doyle, Undergraduate Research Assistant