Steve Ballou with a meteorite

We woke up today at Miller Range to low clouds and a light dusting of snow. It’s been like this off and on for a few days here. The reason we are getting snow all the way up here is the same reason our comrades didn’t get to fly out of McMurdo today – namely, warm moist air from the ocean is pushing up inland, and precipitation follows. This is unusual for us up on the plateau because of the katabatic winds. The katabatics are cold, dry air that comes down from the atmosphere at the high points of the continent. This cold air is dense and hugs the ground, flowing downhill toward the coasts, much like when you have to cover your garden plants in spring because the colder air pools in the low areas. The katabatics pick up speed as they flow and can really howl, making unpleasant windchill effects, but they do keep the coastal clouds away. In both my previous seasons, we were beset by fierce winds and cold temperatures, so in some ways it’s a treat to be in a calm area. My tent isn’t constantly thrumming and I haven’t had to worry about things like gloves flying away. However, I’d trade some windchill for a full team collecting meteorites! We did take a drive up to a previous camp where we dug up a cache of supplies (including 200 flags) and flagged two meteorites on the way home.

Barbara – Dec 21