Marine geophysicist Robin Bell is leading an expedition to Antarctica to explore a mysterious mountain range beneath the ice sheet and will be updating Scientific American readers regularly. Following are her initial thoughts as she--and her team--prepare to set off.
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November 10, 2008
The program has already begun. The Australian team sailed from Hobart, Tasmania, in mid October. The British science team arrived in Antarctica last week to prepare the aircraft for the northern camp. The team preparing the U.S. aircraft in Antarctica came on November 10. Now we will see if our strategy to image the Gamburtsev Mountains can put them back on the map.
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12 Comments
Add Comment"Two teams will build the camps, one on the north side and the other on the south side of the mountain range. The heavy equipment and fuel for the southern camp will be delivered by a surface traverse that will pass first through the South Pole."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf one camp is across the south pole from the other camp, won't both of them be on the north side?
Our school will be following along! Some 8th grade students have decided to research your team's work in the Antarctic for their polar project. You have already inspired the next generation! Thank you!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHey! Where are all the liberals who think Space is a great waste of money? You know, the "We have to many problems here on Earth" people? The "if we only had that nickel NASA spends ..." Come on guys be consistent. This is a great waste of money. Government should NOT give welfare to 'science' unless it directly supports welfare programs to people OR unless it directly supports mismanagement of money and resources, to achieve an uncertain goal based on dubious politicized 'science' so the government can step in to 'offer' itself as the solution. Like Health Care and Global Warming ... uh ... Climate Change (can't have a changing climate can we!). The proper role of science is to support government expansion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor more information on the International Polar Year 2007-8, and ways that people all around the world can get involved, talk to scientists in the polar regions directly, and learn more about these critical regions, please visit www.ipy.org.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGreat Sheila if you want patches for your 8th graders let me know - e-mail me at mkt@ldeo.columbia.edu
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe reference to North and South camps is in relation to their placement relative to the subglacial mountain range - one is north and one is south of it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm one of the ..uh. grunts / meteorology techs / mountaineers on this project. I've got a blog at http://patriotearth.blogspot.com where I'll be posting pics when I get back in January, in case you're interested in seeing some of the grittier sides of Antarctic field work. ;-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA map sure would be helpful to understand the logistics and the scale of this project. As mentioned in the article, maps are often distorted or minimized, and missing mountains aren't likely to be noted even if one found a good map. So as a reference point, if you draw a line from the south camp to the north camp and continue it on, what is the first country the line would hit or what longitude would it fall on? And would you point readers to a good map with the 'missing mountains' on it?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow much geologic mapping has occurred over the past several decades in Antartica? Is there a geologic map of the continet available for "public" viewing, showing the data that is currently available? Have different research teams from different countries shared information to produce a single map showing all of the information known to date? In the mapping of rock types, what is the standard that is used for designating different strata? Are there any exposed areas of limestone on the Antarctic continent?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGreat work, Robin, & thanks also for sharing your experience Ian. I've indulged in very romantic ideas of the noble few dedicating their lives to pure research and life on the ice, but after reading up on firsthand accounts, am now reconsidering these dreams...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPossible explanations as to the mountains .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.continuitystudios.net/guestvid.html
http://www.nealadams.com/nmu.html
For an interesting interview of Robin Bell on the subject of the Gamburtsev Mountains: http://www.sciencepoles.org/index.php?/articles_interviews/gamburtsev_dr_robin_bell_on_antarcticas_ghostly_mountains/&uid=1311
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