December 12, 1999

Icebergs in Arthur Harbor.

A northerly wind has picked up and the rain lashes Palmer Station at a near horizontal slant. There has been motion in Arthur Harbor: the pack ice is clearing and the icebergs have moved out and spun about to yield an assemblage of different shapes. We may get out in the next few days.

It is a very tranquil day here. Everybody works from 7:30am to 5:30pm, six days a week, and Sunday is truly a day of rest. Even the cooks take a day off and we fend for ourselves. Folks wandered through the galley in their slippers, with cups of coffee and tea. Groups worked on the NY Times crossword puzzle. Others curled up on couches with a book or dozed. Will Silva, the Station physician, brought out his violin and was joined on guitar by Keith Tuley, one of the carpenters. They wiled away much of the afternoon playing folk songs.

With the sound of Irish reels and jigs wafting down the hallway of the Bio Lab, I sat down to do some computer cruising. Steve had mentioned that I might be interested in looking at a collection of aerial photographs of Palmer Station taken from an observation balloon over the past several weeks. Dr. Paul Ricchiazzi, from the Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS) at the University of California at Santa Barbara, had been here at Palmer conducting research until last Thursday. He and his colleague, Allison Payton, headed out on the Gould last Thursday.

Ricchiazzi's project is titled, "Surface UV Irradiance and PAR Variability over Antarctica." It is one of many research endeavours designed to study ozone hole dynamics. Part of the challenge for Paul and his group is to develop and improve upon photographic and mapping techniques that will help scientists understand the effects of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and photosynthetically-active-radiation (PAR) on life in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Given the tremendous biological richness of life in the coastal communities around the continent, their work was undertaken close to shore. Through analyzing series of balloon and satellite images, as well as deploying a variety of surface radiometers and sensors, they hope to test the accuracy of computer mapping algorithms that will reveal the fraction of light and other electromagnetic radiation that is reflected from the surface--what is known as the surface albedo. Their plan calls for a series of separate launches using a helium balloon-mounted digital camera: several in November and December, 1999 and then several more in January, 2000. Using a "fish-eye" lens they managed to get very wide angle views of the area around Palmer Station.

Balloon image taken above Palmer Station area on November, 1999. Click here for a larger version.	Balloon image taken directly above Palmer Station in November, 1999. Note the Station buildings to the left. Click here for a larger version.
Balloon image taken above Arthur Harbor in November, 1999. Click here for a larger version.	Balloon image taken above Arthur Harbor and Palmer Station on December 7, 1999. Note the ice pack cover. Click here for a larger version.

Balloon photography by Paul Ricchiazzi and Allison Payton.