Life Of Many Winters
You may be surprised to know that Dallas, Texas has something in common with the South Pole: they both reach 100 degree temperatures in July
. The difference is that at the South Pole the temperature is 100 degrees below zero.
This means that a person could freeze in just a matter of seconds.
Even with these conditions, twenty-eight people commit six months to living at the South Pole. They have to deal with no sunlight, very little contact with the world, and no way to escape.
This group's purpose is to maintain the U.S. polar base and to manage telescopes and other scientific instrumentation at the research station. Their job is beginning to change due to modern communications and advanced technology.
Recently North American astronomers were able to communicate and operate with the South Pole Observatory's Telescope using a satellite. That marked the first time another continent controlled equipment at the South Pole.
It is the dream of astronomers to be able to watch the universe from the South Pole's telescope while controlling it completely from a warmer climate.
People on Antarctica have to deal with the coldest, driest, and windiest environments on Earth. There is not other continent that has elevations like Antarctica, so the crew also has to deal with limited oxygen.
The high elevations make it impossible for anything but cold-adapted plants and animals to survive. Some common plants and animals include penguins, seals, and various forms of algae and tundra vegetation.
Anyone who faces the challenges of working a winter in Antarctica is known as a "winter-over". In order to occupy their time, they're given great meals, exercise rooms, pool tables, as well as hundreds of videos to choose from.
Interestingly, they are well-known to be very silent about any occurrences between February, the time that the station battens down for winter, and October, when a military transport arrives to return them to civilization.
With the increase of research programs at the South Pole, there are constant power shortages. There are only three oil-burning generators to power the computers, lights, telescopes, lasers, and other electrical powered devices.
However, they are not able to keep up, which causes the winter-overs to have to deal with insufficient power, as well as confined living arrangements, and cold buildings.
They often turn to traditions to help pass the time. Induction into the "300 Club" requires a day when the outside temperature has fallen to at least 100 degrees below zero.
The winter-overs will crank up the sauna to 200 degrees. Then they race from the 200 degree sauna out into the minus 100 degree air, and back again.
Winter-overs also look forward to the airdrop. Every June, they receive supplies, mail and, most importantly, food, via an Air National Guard transport that drops them by the palletload.
Once the drop has taken place the winter-overs face the chilling air while they rush to use heavy equipment to bring all the treats inside. This is the closest winter-overs are able to come to physical contact with the outside world during the six month winter.
They are not able to see a tree or travel more than a mile from the pole throughout their stay. The winter-overs also get to look forward to a one week's vacation at McMurdo Station, a primary U.S. Antarctic base.
While here, the winter-overs are able to camp out in the 25-degree climate, bake in the sun, and relax in t-shirts and jeans.
by: John Chambers
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