Not so Cold at Lake Vanda in December
Our field season will focus on Lake Vanda this year. (Due to the US government shutdown, our planned field work at Lake Joyce is postponed until next year.) And we will be heading to the field at the very end of November. This is late in the year for us, and the weather should be warm as we head into the austral summer. My colleague Ian says that the temperatures likely won't fall below -10°C (14°F) even at night. During the day, temperatures will often be above freezing and will be genuinely warm inside the tents when the sun is shining. You can monitor the weather at Marble Point to get an idea of what it's like at Lake Vanda. Our wind conditions will be different, and since we are farther from the ocean, we'll have fewer clouds. (The main source of moisture in the area is the ocean.) I have never compared the temperatures between Marble Point and Lake Vanda, so there might be some systematic differences.
[UPDATE: Tyler provided a link to the weather station at Lake Vanda showing the last 72 hours of data! He write a great blog!]
One advantage of having warmer temperatures is that we don't have to bring as many clothes, and we'll be able to wear fewer layers. I won't take my brand new, super warm boots. Rather, I plan to use my old Sorels and regular hiking boots. I won't take my own down jacket either. However, both my super warm boots and jacket are already in Antarctica in with gear we shipped as cargo. They'll just hang out at Scott Base waiting for me to take them back home. Other clothing I'll leave behind includes extra sweaters and snow/ice pants. I'll provide a detailed list in the next day or two as I pack everything up.
I don't need to worry about my toothpaste or wet-wipes freezing, either. Small mouth water bottles will work, since they aren't likely to freeze shut. Many things are easier when it's warmer.
The downside of the warmer weather may be meltwater on the lake, difficulty keeping ice screws from melting out, gear melting into the lake ice very quickly, and a meltwater moat around the lake. The moat can be a big problem. We'll camp on the shore at the Vanda huts, but diving and sampling all occur on the lake ice. If there is a ring of water around the lake, it's hard to get to the ice. Fortunately, there is a small boat at Lake Vanda to solve this problem, so boating may be included in our field season this year! It all depends on the details of the temperatures this particular season. It will be fun to see how it all goes.
[UPDATE: Tyler provided a link to the weather station at Lake Vanda showing the last 72 hours of data! He write a great blog!]
One advantage of having warmer temperatures is that we don't have to bring as many clothes, and we'll be able to wear fewer layers. I won't take my brand new, super warm boots. Rather, I plan to use my old Sorels and regular hiking boots. I won't take my own down jacket either. However, both my super warm boots and jacket are already in Antarctica in with gear we shipped as cargo. They'll just hang out at Scott Base waiting for me to take them back home. Other clothing I'll leave behind includes extra sweaters and snow/ice pants. I'll provide a detailed list in the next day or two as I pack everything up.
I don't need to worry about my toothpaste or wet-wipes freezing, either. Small mouth water bottles will work, since they aren't likely to freeze shut. Many things are easier when it's warmer.
The downside of the warmer weather may be meltwater on the lake, difficulty keeping ice screws from melting out, gear melting into the lake ice very quickly, and a meltwater moat around the lake. The moat can be a big problem. We'll camp on the shore at the Vanda huts, but diving and sampling all occur on the lake ice. If there is a ring of water around the lake, it's hard to get to the ice. Fortunately, there is a small boat at Lake Vanda to solve this problem, so boating may be included in our field season this year! It all depends on the details of the temperatures this particular season. It will be fun to see how it all goes.
