Our Work At WAIS

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This looks at some of the work we did at WAIS. The photos were taken from Dec 29 - Jan 8. PRISM (Polar Radar for Ice Sheet Measurements) is a group that has developed a variety of radars for studying the ice sheet and the bedrock under the ice sheet. They have also developed an autonomous rover (robot) that is under GPS (global positioning system) control that can carry the radars and move them along a specific path without a driver. We went to WAIS (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) Divide camp to test these radars and the rover.

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Photos

WAIS camp
This is where we lived while at WAIS Divide camp. As you can see, it is a pretty small camp. This was taken 12-29 when we arrived.

Another View of Camp
View toward the runway from the Residential tent.

Welcome Sign
This welcome sign was outside the galley kitchen

Residential Tent
This is our sleeping tent. It is heated with a stove that runs on fuel. It often gets too warm. It has 6 windows, 3 on each end and a door at each end. This type of building is a military building called a Jamesway. The photo is dim because the sunlight is so bright!

Inside the Science Tent
David, Joel and Prasad inside the science tent. Richard is at the back door going out.

Shoveling Snow
Joel shovels snow in front of our Science work tent. This tent is also warmed by a stove heated with fuel (gasoline?). Shoveling helps make it easier to get in and out without slipping or slogging through soft snow.

Marvin In A Snowdrift
This is our rover, Marvin. After much blowing snow on 12-31, he was nearly buried in a snow drift next to our tent where he was parked.

Marvin & Plane Wave Radar
Marvin (the rover) is pulling the Plane wave radar sled along behind as it moves along a line. There was a small gyro problem that caused the rover to get off course at one point. This was fixed the next day. Taken 12-28 or 29

Team Member on Sled
One of the team members looks at the computer screen on the Plane Wave sled. The red coats make it hard to determine who people are, if you can't see their faces.

Joel Comes Back After Plane Wave Run
Joel brings back his emergency gear in the orange bag after finishing a run on the Plane Wave radar.

Wiring the radar
Pannir is attaching cables to the radar system inside the hut before taking it out and putting it in the Pisten Bully.

Pannir Strings Cable
Pannir fastens cables from the antenna sleds through the hatch so he can attach them to the radar box inside the Pisten Bully.

Claude Attaches Safety Cable
Claude attaches safety cables to the antenna sleds. These cables will hold the sleds in place if the primary cable should snap for some reason. This procedure took several hours of lying flat on the snow.

Group Fastens Cables to Sled
New bolts and tightners were attached to the cables and bolted to the sleds.

Abdul Works with Generator
Abdul puts the generator into place on top of the Pisten Bully and secures it.

Antenna Hookup
Abdul hooks up each antenna fastening it to its individually numbered cable.

Plugging In the Network Analyzer
Pannir plugs in the fiber optic delay line for the calibration

Pannir Runs Calibration Test
The weather is worsening with high winds making it bitterly cold and the snow is starting to blow around. Pannir is calibrating the radar.

Consultation
Next steps are discussed as the wind and snow continue to blow harder and harder.

The Pisten Bully with Radar
Here the Pisten Bully has the depth sounder radar on the sleds behind. The same antenna were used for depth sounder and SAR radar.

Pannir Gets In Pisten Bully
Pannir, as our radar expert, went out on every run and monitored the radar returns and gave directions. The SAR/depth sounder radar needed to be warmer than it could be when mounted on the rover, so we had it put in the back cab of a Pisten Bully. Then we had to be sure it didn't get too warm from the heat it generated. Temperature control is quite vital.

Abdul Gets Into Pisten Bully
Abdul served as a substitute driver on many of the SAR/depth sounder radar runs. Here he is getting in the front with Claude, who is the typical driver.

SAR Radar Goes Out
The SAR radar antenna are pulled behind the Pisten Bully. This radar is designed to let us see clear down to bedrock under the ice.

Pannir and Prasad Consult
After each run, Pannir and Prasad discussed the results and decided on a plan for the next run.

Pannir Sets Up Next Day's Run
Hours are spent on the computer after each day's run setting the parameters for the next run. Good thing Pannir is able to work with very little sleep.

Richard Processing Data
After each radar run, the data were quickly processed. Further processing will be done when we return, but the quick results helped Prasad plan the next day's activities. Richard was primarily responsible for backing up the data to a hard drive and then preprocessing the data. This took until the wee hours of the morning.