When I got up and I looked out the window, this Antarctic summer day looked very cold,windy, and snowy. Here in Antarctica the elevation is the highest on average of all seven continents. Antarctica is bigger than the U.S. and is colder than the Arctic because it has more ice. Antarctica is usually very windy because cold air falls here and spreads out. It is also very dry because cold air dosen't hold much water.
We have to be very careful here to dress properly and avoid frostbite. Frostbite is when fingers, toes, ears , or your nose become cold and numb. They might turn black. They also might have to be cut off. To keep warm, we wear long-johns, a sweatsuit, loose socks, a special orange coat, pants and boots that are two sizes too big, goggles, a face mask, and warm gloves.
Today we have visitors from Charleston Junior High School. They came on the ship which is called the Polar Duke. They came to Palmer Station to find out what the scientists are studying. I gave them a tour introducing them to all of us and our buildings and equipment. One thing the C.J.H.S people really liked was the indoor lab full of krill. Krill are the food for bigger animals like elephant seals, penguins, and birds. We are studying krill to make sure they are eating enough plants to grow and keep reproducing themselves.
Then we went to the buildings that have the specialized equipment for bringing Live From Antarctica II to schools in the United States. C.J.H.S. had a blubber glove experiement. Some students filled a tank with ice water. They used three bags and Crisco as blubber. They filled the bag with Crisco, put the bagged hand into the center of the Crisco bag, put the other hand in just a bag, and then put both hands in the ice water. The hand in the Crisco can't feel the cold water, but the otherhand gets cold fast.
After we did the experiment I showed the C.J.H.S visitors our recreation room. We have a place to watch movies and read books. We also have a nice kitchen and eating area. Everyone wanted to try out the hot tub! It's also our favorite way to relax. We have to be careful about using too much fresh water so I also cautioned them about showers. We have to get wet, soap up, then rinse fast. We have a special fresh water lake from melted ice. The water runs through a machine to make it fresh. C.J.H.S. visitors spent the night, woke up, and got ready to go on the ship. We checked their list of things they brought to make sure they had everything they packed. After that we went outside to wait for their ride to the ship. They were wondering if after being in the cold so long, would they ever be warm again? Finally, the man arrived and they were on their way home!