Ob Hill from the lab

As with every Antarctic adventure the first few days on ice are getting our new remote lab set up and lots and lots of training to make sure 1) we are safe and 2) that we do not damage the pristine environment that we study and 3) that we actually get our science done. In that order. That involves the following trainings:

Outdoor Safety Lecture
Food Room
Field Communication
Crary Lab Orientation
Laboratory Safety
Diving Briefing
Environmental Field Briefing
Protecting Antarctica’s Environment Briefing
GPS training (optional)
Refresher Snowcraft training
Sea Ice Safety
Snowcraft training
Information security awareness
Piston Bulley training (i.e. how to drive a tracked vehicle)
Small equipment training (drills, generators, and chainsaws)
Light vehicle training
Light vehicle practical
Arrival briefing
Science support briefing
On-Ice POC meeting
Waste management briefing
Propane heater training.

And all of that has to be up and running by the time we get to do science.  We have gotten most of them scheduled or completed so while we wait to get in the water to collect samples we can be all set to be ready to handle them.

Other than that we were greeted with nice weather to start the trip and get used to the cold that we get to enjoy. In addition we are thawing out some buildings that have had a rough winter. For example my bed is next to window that has some extra insulation that does not work in more gentle climates (i.e. Ice on both sides).