LETTERS
FROM ANTARCTICA
Ross Island
Dependency
September 1988
Page Eleven
Winfly is
in the past and the several science projects that arrived are getting
started.
One project involves fishing through holes cut in the sea ice. They are
using
1/8 inch stainless steel wire rope for line. I guess they expect to
catch the
big one.
Two other projects
are working together to learn more about the Hole In The Ozone. The
first I
went to visit is from the University of Wyoming. Professor Dave Hoffman
is here
launching instrumented balloons to an altitude of 100 thousand feet to
measure
the concentration of ozone in the upper atmosphere and to collect cloud
particles on a Formvar coated film. Ozone should be one part per
million in the
area of 14 to 20 kilometres above the earth and to measure that the
sampling
instrument will pump air through the solution of a small cell not
unlike the
cell in a storage battery. The ozone will charge this cell and the
voltage produced
is measured and sent, along with outside temperature and pressure, by
radio telemetry
to the ground station where the data are collected and stored by a
small computer.
The other
project is from SRI International and operated by Bruce Morley. This is
a laser
ranging device operating primarily in the infrared. The pulse of light
is sent
to a crystal multiplier and half the energy is converted to green light
which
is aimed up a pipe and shot out through the roof, straight up to
measure the
Polar Stratospheric Clouds 14 to 20 kilometres above McMurdo. There is
a theory
that these clouds play some role in the chemistry of ozone depletion
and by
measuring the clouds and the ozone concentration these scientists hope
to learn
more about the process. The laser sends out ten pulses per second and
each
pulse lasts for15ns, than is fifteen thousand millionths of one second
or
.000000015 second. To put it another way, consider that light travels
at
186,000 miles per second; a 15ns pulse is 14.7 feet long. The
continuous
average power is only seven watts but the peak power is said to be some
50
megawatts!
One
Wednesday morning I went with Beverly Dickson and Ray Tien to the fish
house
out on the sea ice to help with the catch. The house had been dragged
out last
week and positioned over a hole in the ice that had been drilled or cut
with an
auger three feet in diameter. Bev told me that a record Dissusstichus
mawsoni
would weigh 168 pounds. The ice under the fish house is fourteen feet
thick and
there is 1600 feet of steel line with nineteen hooks attached to the
bottom one
hundred metres. The hooks are baited with pieces of fish flown in from
New
Zealand and below the last hook are five traps made of half inch mesh
hardware
cloth.
Yesterday
I could see several Emperor Penguins on the trail to the fish house but
today
they are nowhere in sight. They would be the first penguins of this
spring and
the open water is still several miles away.
The fish
house is about ten by twenty feet with a door from a walk-in
refrigerator and
two double-glazed windows. Inside, a Preway heater keeps the place
toasty warm;
warm enough that the bait left in a bucket of water on the work bench
has
become fish soup overnight. I took a few pictures whilst Ray got
organised and
Bev tested the line. The response indicated a fish in the depths and I
felt it
thrash about some 1500 feet below.
The bait
was missing from one of the first ten hooks. The eleventh hook had the
fish.
Measured, weighed, tagged, injected, and scale samples taken, all in
just a few
minutes. I recorded 149cm and 98
pounds. This was fish number 880011 and was quickly returned to the
minus two
degree C water. Two more baited hooks and another fish. This one was a
little
smaller, 122cm and 47 pounds, and Ray said he would keep it for the
aquarium
tanks for further study. A third D. mawsoni, 141cm and 78 pounds, was
returned
to the sea after the same data collection process. In the traps were
three
small fish and hundreds of sea lice, small arthropods that look a lot
like
fleas, and one pale cream coloured star fish.
The keeper
was placed in a life-support tank that would keep it happy until we
could get
it back to the big tank at the aquarium. Yesterday one of these big
fish, also
known as Antarctic cod, was brought up tangled and mangled in the line.
After
samples of its flesh and blood were taken the rest was delivered to the
galley;
we'll have it for dinner some night soon. One of the things being
studied in
this project is the antifreeze glycoprotein in the fish's blood that
keeps it
from freezing.
The view
back towards town from here was rather interesting with AcSl clouds
over the
peaks of Erebus and Terror to the north and a piece of the old
Super-Connie's
tail fin stuck in the snow nearby.
Today I am
beginning to think about coming home though I still have not got a
departure
date. I think it is more scary to think about coming home than it was
to think
about coming here. I don't know why. Maybe it is because I am afraid of
all the
changes I will find, all that is different.
The sun is
up bright in the daytime now and I wear my sunglasses, it is strange
after so
long in the dark.
Now there
is not much time to dwell on those thoughts, a week has gone by and I
have
spent most of it on Black Island. A much needed and enjoyed vacation
combined
with emergency repairs to the power system. We lost the Inmarsat
Communications
Link due to a failure in the Ormat generator combined with a prolonged
period
of little or no wind. Here is the whole story as I copied it from my
report...
Narrative
Report of the First September Black Island Ormat Repair and Penguin
Picture
Expedition, 13-15 September 88
The first
indication I can find in any of my weekly reports that there might be
trouble
in the islands is on Tuesday in the report of 17 June when the Battery
Indicator went down to 90%. Subsequently it went down to 89% on
Wednesday of
the week ending 15 July, 76% on Thursday of the week ending 29 July,
95% on 6
August, 94% on 9 August, 94% on 24 August, but rebounding each time to
the
normal reading of >100%. On Tuesday 6 September it was down to 93%
and
continued dropping through the week to a new low of 64% on the
following
Monday.
Plans were
then set in motion to make a traverse if the value should drop below
sixty.
Each of the indicated lows was accompanied by light winds according to
the
remote reading Black Island Wind Speed device at MCMWX.
Tuesday
morning the Inmarsat did not respond and there was no data telemetry
from Black
Island however the microwave link and shortwave audio feed were ok
indicating
that the island was still there and at least in partial operation. The
Wednesday trip was moved up to Tuesday Noon.
Al and Dot
went in 093 which pulled a trailer containing fuel and heaters, Kirk
and I in
710. The Galley did a good job getting our food ready on such short
notice, Mad
Dog Smith and his crew should get a note of thanks. Tools and spare
parts in
abundance filled the two Sprytes when we left shortly after 1400.
Along the
way out the Willy Road we stopped to photograph a solitary penguin and
thus
fulfill that aspect of our mission. The ride from there was uneventful
to the
K.O.A. sign where we paused to eat and get gas and change drivers. Much
of the
last mile before the sign is without flags.
Beyond
that stop to the first antenna the way was mostly ok. The antenna is
missing
half its dipole but otherwise intact. Between there and the second
antenna the
snow is smooth and fast. The second antenna is missing both sides of
the dipole
and beyond it for about three miles the flags are missing or buried. A
flagging
trip is in order right away on the next good day.
The route
past the lake is rough and could also use some work however that part
over land
to the site is well defined albeit not very well flagged.
The
Jamesway had some snow in it but was quickly made habitable by Al and
the
others whilst I went right to the radio room and got the Inmarsat back
on the
air. The problem there was that a circuit breaker sourcing power to the
inverter for all the modems and RFL equipment had tripped. It was a ten
amp
breaker running with an eight amp load.
The
initial vitals of the station were Battery Capacity @ 64%, Windmill
amps 5-10
in light wind, Ormat 15 amps, Max/Min temps 50/76 and current 60 with
the heat
off.
Back at
the Jamesway there was a leak in the propane line where the copper tube
had
broken at the regulator fitting. This was quickly fixed and the stove
and
Preways all worked ok. We settled in and then I went back to the Radio
Room and
added a new circuit breaker to divide the load on the one that had
tripped.
Wednesday...
The station was completely dead this morning. All power was off though
the
Ormat was still running and the room still warm. I found the circuit
breaker to
the inverter tripped again and the main low voltage cut-out in the
windmill
controller open. Resetting the cut-out was not part of my knowledge and
not labeled
anywhere so I bridged it with a clip lead and got the station running
again.
Right about as I was thinking of calling him, Dennis Tupik called and
explained
a few of the missing pieces of information. The low voltage cut-out was
lowered
and the clip lead removed.
There is
30 inches of DFA in each of the three tanks. The north facing sloping V
antenna
feedline was twisted due to being loose. That got fixed but should be
redone
more properly.
Kirk had
shut down the Ormat whilst Dot and I worked on the antenna. He cleaned
the pot
burner and reinstalled it. There was some considerable difficulty
getting it to
restart and during this time we observed a sparking or arcing within
the six
pin connector between the burner assembly and cable termination mounted
in a
perforated metal box mounted on the front of the Ormat.
Kirk
fussed and poked and measured and spoke various spells and incantations
and
replaced the fuel valve solenoid. Finally the fire started and ran
however very
little power was developed and so he shut it down again both to test
the vacuum
and replace the bad connector. The vacuum was over 25mB and in an hour
or so
was pulled down to 6mB. The connector was replaced with a terminal
strip and
crimp-on spade lugs. The wires were all clearly numbered but we had
nothing to
go on but the assumption that matching the numbers would be correct.
There was
no wiring diagramme. I placed a call to Keith at Sattrack and asked him
to find
one of the Ormat books at the Comms Jamesway and in the meantime
proceeded to
make the connexions the way my measurements and instincts said they
should be.
There was some discussion about the proper voltage for the fuel valve
solenoid;
the book says it should be 220 volts but there is a pencil note that it
is 24
volts, the measured value is 220 volts. We tried several times to
restart the
burner but to no avail.
Following
the trouble-shooting guide was of little help and only added to our
frustration
since it is poorly written in that it suggests observing this and that
and
testing of one parameter or another but fails completely to describe
the
results one should expect to see. That is it says to measure the output
of the
inverter but does not say that one should observe 220 volts. I saw the
220
volts change to 100 then to 80. Is this normal? The book is of no help.
Seeing
that the blower did not start and the fuel valve did not operate was a
clue, so
I divided the load and determined that the unloaded output of the
inverter
stayed at 220 and the blower and valve operated ok, but when the
glo-plug
transformer was added the voltage dropped to 80.
We left
off the transformer and lit the burner with a match. Once the burner
was
running ok I reconnected the transformer just to keep the wiring
intact. It
presents no load except during ignition. The speed was up quickly and
within a
matter of minutes we were seeing 30 amps.
Half and
hour later the output was 50 amps. Outside, the wind was still calm and
supper
was ready at the Jamesway. During the night Kirk and I checked the
Ormat
several times and it was ok and still producing about 50 amps.
Thursday
morning I observed it switch from 37 amps to 50 amps. At 0700 I was
checking
the output and battery capacity, which was up to 65% when I heard a
clunk from
the burner and the sound of the fire became louder. I saw the stack
temperature
going up past 280 and the output quickly rise to 50 amps. I don't know
if that
was a switch from low to high burn.
With
breakfast out of the way we cleaned up and did all the necessary
housekeeping
and vehicular chores. Departure was around 1030. In checking with MCMWX
I
determined that the radio in 093 is bad. It talks ok but has no receive
sensitivity. Also that vehicle has a problem with the front heater. The
motor
bearings make a loud squeal.
The trip
back to MCM was quick. Most of the time we were in and out of a thin
ground fog
and the temperature was colder than on the way out. Except for the
discomfort
caused the occupants of 093 by the lack of heat we had no problems.
Along the
way we observed the trail of a solitary penguin from shortly north of
the
K.O.A. sign until I gave up watching several miles later. The bird had
followed
along the line of red flags, weaving among them, straying out fifty
feet or so,
and back again.
The
mission ended with the return of 710 and 093 to the BFC at 1510.
Friday the
battery capacity was up to 80%. End of Report.
Some of
that may not make much sense to you, but that's ok, some of it makes no
sense
to me either. The problem with the loss of vacuum is related to the
high sulfur
content of the DFA and has happened before. The burning of high sulfur
oil
produces H2SO4, I'm sure you've all heard of acid rain, eh. Down here,
being as
cold as it is, very little of the vapours get out of the stack; instead
they
condense on the upper surface and run back down inside. Some of this
sulfuric
acid gets reburned, some of it sits around on the stainless steel
vacuum
chamber wherein the turbine spins. After time and a half goes by the
acid eats
a tiny hole through the steel and the vacuum is gone thus slowing the
turbine
and reducing power output. One solution would be to burn JP-4 rather
than DFA.
That's ex-pen-sive. Another would be to provide a better exhaust system
which
would trap the acid before it can condense and run back inside. That's
difficult. A third would be to spend another million dollars or so and
by a new
Ormat. That's easy. Guess which choice has already been made.
In any
case I had a good time. The group was good and the weather excellent
and for
once we had the best vehicles available. That doesn't really say much
for them
but at least they made it out and back and started every time.
Now I am
down to the wire suddenly. Here it is the last week of the month and I
have
received my departure date. Twelve October baring any delay. That's
ei8hteen
days. I really wanted to stay longer, to the end of January would have
made
5000$ difference and I would have not had to go from winter here to
winter at
home, but this way I will get home early and perhaps get to do some
skiing.
And look
for another faraway place to visit.
My days
here have been busy and go by very fast; now that I am so short there
is not
enough time for all the things that demand my attention. The past week
has been
spent mostly on getting the Ice Runway telephone microwave link up from
its
long winter nap. The equipment hibernates in unheated sheds out on the
ice
where temperatures drop to 40 below; only some of the circuits survive
that
cold and the vibration of being dragged several miles between use and
storage
locations. It was fun driving a pickup truck with floatation tyres
across the
snow and ice at 80 km/h to get to the job site.
Last week
was also the end-of-winter debrief. I chatted with a psychologist for
over an
hour about what I thought of winter-over 88 and how my time here might
have
effected me.
There is no question in my mind that I am different; my self is older but in somewhat better shape, my Self is where the most profound changes took place. I have a different outlook, or perhaps it would be called a different inlook, for I see within me changes that will effect my life and my relations with others. I know more about my Self and mostly I know there is more to learn.
Here it is
the end of September and the farewell dinners are happening thick and
fast, two
or three a night. Sunset is around eight in the evening and the last
two have
been pretty nice; I daresay even Little Jon would have given them both
at least
a four! Out on the ice near Hut Point two large seals have appeared and
herds
of penguins are seen from day to day along the Ice Runway. At one
dinner last
night the summer cook for Pole did Antarctic Cod on the charcoal grill
Cajun
style, I made my now world famous chunky peanut butter soup and
Alistair from
Scott Base, who showed me how to carve bone gewgaws, made a most
incredible
cheese cake. There was also some dead burnt chicken and various salads
and
breads. Quite an amazing pot-luck considering the limited kitchen
facilities
available to us.
Over at
Willy Field there is talk of a twenty thousand gallon fuel spill, jet
fuel
leaking from one of the bladders. No one seems to know all the details,
nobody
is saying much; Greenpeace is in the neighborhood.
Twelve
days to go for me as long as everything goes as planned. I have been
practicing
my packing, it might take me several trials to get it done right. Since
Pole
doesn't open until November I will not get there and my mail that waits
for me
will eventually find its way to Conway. There are several other things
I
haven't done yet; I am going to save them for next time. The next week
will be
spent in tying up a lot of loose ends and taking a last round of
pictures.
Twelve
DAYS!
And
counting...
—30—
This
letter is COPYRIGHT by Alfred J. Oxton, 1988-2009, McMurdo Station,
Ross
Island, Antarctica.
No portion
may be reproduced by any means without my express written permission.
