LET'S GET OUR BEARINGS

As I enter into Week #3 at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole base, I want to spend some time on geography, so you can truly appreciate just how isolated we are down here.  Let's take a look at a map of Antarctica, and notably, the 3 American Bases that are operated year around, below the 70th parallel south.  

 

The main hub of activity is McMurdo.  It is located on Ross Island - a small island isolated to the south of the Ross Ice Shelf.  The island is dominated by Mt. Erebus, which is an active volcano, and studied quite extensively.  Nearly everyday, you can see a small plume of smoke rising from its summit/crater.  There are two airfields at McMurdo - one is made of compacted ice, and can accommodate a fully loaded 757 or Air Force C-17.  The other is groomed snow, and is for smaller aircraft such as LC-130's.  It's the latter than flies the route between McMurdo and the South Pole base.  

McMurdo has about 1300 people working there during the austral summer (Nov-Feb), while here at the South Pole base, I have about 150 members, aka "Pole'ies."  McMurdo to South Pole is about 850 nautical miles or a 3 hour flight.  We all travel from USA to Christchurch New Zealand, and then take a 8 hour flight from there to McMurdo. 

Palmar Station is on the Antarctic Peninsula, and serves as a support and logistics base for two research vessels, the Nathaniel B. Palmer, and the Laurence M. Gould.  It has about 45-50 people stationed there during the austral summer.  During the austral winter (March-Oct) Palmar Station survives with only 20 people!  Here, the population drops to about 40 - over half are scientists, and the remainder a split between engineers (that run the diesel generators), kitchen staff and two medical providers.  

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is 12,400 miles from the North Pole, 810 miles from the nearest water (Bay of Whales), and sits on top of 8,900 feet of pure ice, at an elevation of 9,300 feet.  There is no wildlife here; no penguins or seals.  In fact, it is the only place on earth where there are no insects - yes, not even cockroaches!  

The elevated station is just that, built on stilts that can hydraulically lower and raise.  It's built aerodynamically to survive the winds and snow drifts.  Housing is dormitory style, and everyone pitches in to clean bathrooms, and common areas.  We all volunteer to help out in the kitchen ("Dish Pit"), the store (open three evenings a week), and the greenhouse. Myself and Danny (the nurse practitioner), clean the medical clinic every Saturday.  Down here, we have a 6-day working week (Mon-Sat).  Specially trained personnel compromise the station's fire department.

The greenhouse is hydroponic!  There is no soil, just water.  It's a place I like to visit, b/c it the only place on station that has any sense of humidity!  Above you can see, cucumbers, and tomatoes are growing.  We should enjoy them near the end of the season.  I'll celebrate b/c the one food I miss most down here is salad.  

The air that is circulated on station is pumped directly from outside, and heated to a comfortable 65 degrees.  It's only 5-7% humid!  After being here for three weeks, my skin is flaking, my eyes dry, and my lips are chapped.  All despite lotion, "bag balm" every night, along with Refresh eye drops.  You constantly face minor nosebleeds, and there's an omnipresent headache from the altitude and dry environment.  But we survive!  As I've mentioned earlier, Internet and telephone services are available whenever the geosynchronous satellites are visible over the horizon - intermittently throughout the day.  Waste heat from the generators melts snow for our water - which is nearly 100% recycled.  Human waste is carefully segregated and eventually shipped back to the US where it is treated appropriately.  Showers are limited to 2-3 mins, twice a week.  But don't worry - since you don't sweat (it's just too dry), showers twice a week are just about right I'm finding out!  For entertainment, we have over 4000 DVD's to choose from - so every night is movie night - and yes, we have a large popcorn machine to enjoy too.  There's a gym.  But honestly, it leaves a lot to desire.  My first time on the treadmill, I was humbled to just 15 mins after which it took me another 10 mins to catch my breath and slow my heart rate down (b/c of the altitude).  Yesterday, I went for 23 mins!  I'm acclimating. 

Science drives everything down here.  In fact, those of us not considered "Grantees" (scientists that are here on research grants) are often reminded that our sole purpose for being here is to support science.  And there's a LOT of it going on!  Particularly, astrophysics, climatology, glaciology, seismology and geospace sciences.  

The area around the elevated station is divided into sectors.  The Operations Sector houses the main station, and general operations such as supplies huts, vehicle maintenance, the power plant, and waste storage.  The Clean Air Sector ensures a pristine air and snow sampling environment for climate studies.  The Quiet Sector is an area where noise and equipment activities are limited for seismology and other vibration-sensitive pursuits.  Radio Frequency Sector is reserved for communications equipment (I have 24/7 televideo capability with the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX).  The Downwind Sector provides an area free from obstructions for balloon launches, aircraft operations, and other downwind activities.  If interested, look up the GUSTO project - it's fascinating!  The most mysterious sector is the Dark Sector!  It provides an area free from light pollution and electromagnetic noise for astrophysical research.  Next door to the Dark Sector is the "IceCube Project."  Construction was initiated in 2010, and they will finally finish this year!  It's the world's largest neutrino observatory, built not on top of the ice, but deep within it.  IceCube records rare collision of neutrinos, elusive subatomic particles, with the atomic nuclei of the ice crystals.  Trillions of neutrinos stream through human body at any given moment!  Some neutrinos come from the sun, while others originate from cosmic rays interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. What scientists are interested in however, are neutrinos that originated from astronomical sources, such as exploding starts and the Milky Way.  The shear size of the observatory is important because it increases the number of potential collisions that can be observed, making neutrino astrophysics a reality.  As you can see, they drill up to nearly 3000 meters (9000 feet!) into the ice, forming linear chambers in which sensors are the lowered into.  What's really fascinating is that inside each linear drill site, they have to pump in de-ionized water as to not interfere with the neutrinos passing through.  The elevated station makes the most de-ionzied water of any facility in the world!  I'll pass on more science information in future blogs.  

Medically, things have been a bit quiet - which is how I like it!  Safety is everything down here.  First, everyone has a radio.  And you can't move beyond the major confines of the station without checking in with comm's first.  Why?  Well, if something happens to you outside, you have only minutes to survive.  Literally.  The average daily temperature down here has been -40 degrees F.  You then add in the wind chill from the ever-present winds, and it can drift down to -50 to -75.  At those temps, exposed skin has less than 5 minutes until frostbite and permanent injury can take place.  Hypothermia is a real threat! At any given moment approximately 35% of the station population is outside in direct exposure to the elements.  We all have been issued "extreme cold weather gear."  But many returnees have their own gear that is amazing in quality - and made namely in Iceland or Norway.  Here's the website to track current weather conditions at the South Pole base:  https://pole.usap.gov/weather

Upon my arrival, I found the clinic a bit disorganized and chaotic.  As a bit of background, a requirement to be board-certified in emergency medicine is not required to work down here.  Many of the physicians and medical personnel that come down here have an internal medicine or family medicine background.  And after several rotations, the clinic can take on a "non-emergency medicine" kinda of feeling.  So, my first week here was spent revamping the place and turning it back into a proper "resuscitation suite," ready for anything that may walk through the door.  

I have pretty good capabilities to resuscitate a major trauma victim, or someone very ill.  Our pharmacy has all the major drugs I need to sedate and intubate, treat a heart attack or stroke, and antibiotics for any major infection.  The key is, I don't have any of the traditional personnel that are present in most Emergency Departments.  I have to draw my own lab studies and then run them on machines.  Start my own IV's, mix my meds, and shoot my own X-rays.  I have to know how to manipulate the ventilator, use the IV pumps, and even treat basic dental issues.  There is no dentist here!  So as you can see above, I have a dental chair, dental supplies and the ability to shoot dental X-rays.  We have a two-bed holding area - that can be used to treat anyone for several days on end.  Remember, I may or may not have the luxury of immediately calling in a medevac!  In fact, all the inbound and outbound flights have been cancelled for the past 4 days.  It's either bad weather or maintenance issues.  Remember, down here, you have to have machines and vehicles that can survive and operate in up to -100F!  Things like LCD screens, catalytic converters, and regular engines freeze up and become inoperable.  I've come to know several of the mechanics in my short time here.  They're always complaining about "fancy" equipment - and prefer good old diesel 12-14 cylinder engines!  Of course, there are exceptions.  And that brings me to my final paragraph in this posting:  The Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions.  https://antarctic-logistics.com

For a mere $65,000 you can fly to the South Pole, spend the night, and fly home the next day.  Well, so to speak.  You actually fly from Puenta Arenas, Chile, then to Union Glacier (northwest Antarctica), and then down to the pole, when the weather is cooperating.  For $85,000, you can throw in a few more days visiting the Emperor Penguins.  And for a price "not yet determined," you can x-country ski from Union Glacier to the Pole!  Of course, for that amount of money, you are also treated like royalty!  Here's their vehicles, which arrived on site two days ago.  Because their private camp is on NSF property (they lease the site from the NSF) they have to undergo safety evaluations before bringing down clients.  Part of that evaluation included myself visiting their medical facilities to "approve" their stated capabilities.  

As you can see, their vehicles are specially made for the ice.  The tires are made of a special type of rubber that doesn't freeze or crack.  And a computer controls the inflation of the tires instantaneously.  (In the pictures, you can see small black tubes leading to each tire that provides the insufflation.). Traditionally, the clients that visit with them are millionaires and famous celebrities.  They can't access the elevated station without NSF approval.  But nearly every year, the station puts on a dog-n-pony show that includes tours, and a chance to eat at the galley.  ALE Clients have been known to then make significant donations to the NSF; supposedly earmarked for the South Pole Base.  But no one is quite sure exactly how much actually makes it here for us to spend!!  Alas, the Federal Government.  Now you may be asking, "Jeff, who provides THEM medical care?"  I asked the same question of my boss when I was interviewing for this position.  They supposedly have their own paramedical support.  However, they've been known to come over and "knock" on our clinic door!  Granted there are lot's of hoops they have to jump through to do so, but it's not unheard of.  In fact, one of the most famous visits, was from Buzz Aldrin, the retired astronaut.  He was very short of breath, had passed out, and long story short, was suffering from an acute pulmonary embolism, or large blood clot in the lungs!  He was treated here in the medical clinic with clot-busting medication and waited two days for medevac out.  So we'll see who decides to ask for services this year.  Knowing my luck it'll be Beyonce, or Taylor Swift!  

I'll sign off here, grab some Sunday Brunch, and workout later today!