Tag: Winter

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part VIII

A Great Relief

After five days in temperatures below -50°F (-45.6°C), the men of the Crozier party are having a devil of a time. They’re barely able to make two miles of forward progress per day, and two of the men are suffering from frostbitten hands and feet. Ice accumulation in their clothing from sweat and breath has made their clothing as hard as boards. However, on the morning of July 4th, 1911 the men woke to a change in the weather pattern:

Position: Camp 7

Time: 09:30

Temperature: -27°F (-32.8°C)

Wind Direction: NE

Wind Force (Beaufort): 4 (11-16 knots)

Wind Chill: -56.4°F (-49.1°C)

Sky Condition: Overcast w/ stratus

Weather: Snow

Overnight Minimum Temperature: -64.4°F (-53.6°C)

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

Quite the change from the last few days – and a rapid warm-up from the overnight minimum….almost 40°F! The change did not go unnoticed by the men either:

During the night of 3 July the temperature dropped to -65°F (-53.9°C), but in the morning we wakened (we really did wake that morning) to great relief. The temperature was only -27°F (-32.8°C) with the wind blowing some 15 miles an hour with steadily falling snow.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 239

Imagine that…the men felt a great relief when the temperature rose to ‘only’ -27°F (-32.8°C). To me, it speaks volumes of just how horrendous the conditions were leading up to July 4th. The combination of the darkness and the steadily falling snow prevented the men from sledging today, and they spent the day in their sleeping bags enjoying a well-deserved rest and basking in the relative warmth. The weather had not changed much by the time the men took their last weather observation of the day:

Position: Camp 7

Time: 21:30

Miles Made Good: 0

Temperature: -29.3°F (-34.1°C)

Wind Direction: ENE

Wind Force (Beaufort): 3 (7-10 knots)

Wind Chill: -53.8°F (-47.7°C)

Sky Condition: Overcast w/ stratus

Weather: Snow

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69
Progress of the Crozier party after 8 days – stuck at Camp 7 due to bad weather

Today’s post will be fairly short since the men of the Crozier party did not make any progress and largely spent the day snug in their tent. To all of my American readers, I wish you a happy Independence day! All the best to any readers abroad as well – cheers!

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part VII

A Beastly Cold Business

At this point in the journey the men of the Crozier party have been out from Cape Evans for six days, half of which have been at -50°F (-45.6°C) or colder. The last few days have been particularly trying, with temperatures dipping below -60°F (-51.1°C) in the overnight periods and the days filled with exhausting relay work that nets little in the way of forward progress. Not much had changed when the men emerged from their tent on the morning of July 3rd, 1911:

Position: Camp 6

Time: 11:00

Temperature: -51.5°F (-46.4°C)

Wind Direction/Force: Calm

Sky Condition: Few clouds (cirrostratus)

Overnight Minimum Temperature: -64°F (-53.3°C)

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

By this point, the specter of doubt was foremost in the minds of the men. The cold was intense and unrelenting, and simple tasks like lighting matches and getting into and out of sleeping bags required the utmost patience and effort. Cherry-Garrard felt that the party didn’t have the “ghost of a chance” of reaching the rookery at Cape Crozier (The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 237).

The men were able to navigate by what little light was present on the horizon early in the day, and by moonlight into the late afternoon. The surface over the Windless Bight was very heavy again, and the men were only able to advance about 2.5 miles through grueling effort. At the end of the day’s march, Bowers observed the following conditions:

Position: Camp 7

Time: 22:00

Miles Made Good: 2.5

Temperature: -57.7°F (-49.8°C)

Wind Direction/Force: Calm

Sky Condition: Partly Cloudy w/ cirrostratus

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69
The Crozier party’s progress after 7 days

As far as today’s conditions in the Windless Bight, it is far, far warmer than it was this time 109 years ago. The most recent observation from the Windless Bight automatic weather station indicates the temperature is -7.6°F (-22°C). The conditions over the greater Ross Ice Shelf region have been fairly turbulent over the last few days, with high winds contributing to mixing of the boundary layer. However, satellite imagery shows skies are starting to clear and model data is predicting mostly clear skies and lighter winds, which will allow things to start cooling off again.

Day/Night Band (DNB) Image from the VIIRS instrument onboard the Suomi NPP satellite (via NASA Worldview). The greater Ross Island region is featured here.

Will anything break the cold snap the Crozier party is facing? Or will the deep freeze continue?

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part VI

An Experience to be Remembered

After covering 17 miles on the first two days of the journey, the men of the Crozier party have only managed to cover a total of 10 miles over the last 3 marches due to blistering cold and poor snow surfaces. Their fourth night on the ice shelf wasn’t any better, with temperatures below -60°F (-51.1°C) and a stiff easterly breeze stirring up some drift. The wind subsided by late morning, but the bitter cold remained on the morning of July 2nd, 1911:

Position: Camp 5

Time: 10:30

Temperature: -59.4°F (-50.8°C)

Wind Direction/Force: Calm

Sky Condition: Partly cloudy w/cirrostratus

Overnight minimum temperature: -64.2°F

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

After struggling through their morning routine of wedging themselves into their gear and striking camp, the men faced another day of relay work in the sandy snow of the Windless Bight. On the bright side, the men were able to discard their candles in favor of the light of the moon to guide their way. Unfortunately for the men, the temperature fell throughout the day and the surface continued to impose a slow, heavy trudge. In the words of Cherry-Garrard:

It was a really terrible march, and parts of both my feet were frozen at lunch. After supper I pricked six or seven of the worst blisters, and the relief was considerable.

The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 236

Dr. Wilson also reported that light easterly airs would freeze exposed skin almost instantly, and that the men had to make extensive use of their nose nips (Diary of the Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic 1910~1912).

Balaclava helmet won by Apsley Cherry-Garrard during the Terra Nova Expedition. Those metal snaps had to be hell in those temperatures. Photo from my visit to the Antarctic Dinosaurs exhibit in Charlotte (Feb. 2020).

Even though the sledging on this day was brutal, there were still a few moments of wonder as the men were captivated by the beautiful auroral activity to the east:

For there was one halt when we just lay on our backs and gazed up into the sky, where, so the others said, there was blazing the most beautiful aurora they had ever seen. I did not see it, being so near-sighted and unable to wear spectacles owing to the cold.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 237

I’m convinced that Cherry-Garrard was the Charlie Brown of this expedition…he really did have the worst luck. However, I think there is something to be said about the interesting juxtapositions that Antarctica creates. I always found it fascinating that a place of such harsh, unforgiving conditions could also possess such an ethereal beauty.

As for the men of the Crozier party, their arduous efforts only gained them another 2 miles of progress for the day. On camping for the evening, the weather conditions were as follows:

Position: Camp 6

Time: 21:15

Miles Made Good: 2

Temperature: -64°F (-53.3°C)

Wind Direction/Force: Calm

Sky Condition: Partly cloudy w/cirrostratus

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

It almost seems pointless to ask this question now, but will the luck of the Crozier party ever improve? Check in tomorrow!

BT

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part V

A Succession of Shivering Fits

After two full days on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, the men of the Crozier party are really starting to feel the effects of the intense cold and heavy surfaces. Their third night would turn out to be especially bad as the temperature nearly fell to -70°F (-56.7°C). Apsley Cherry-Garrard describes the difficulties he faced:

It was a very bad night: a succession of shivering fits which I was quite unable to stop, and which took possession of my body for many minutes at a time until I thought my back would break.

The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 233

Poor bastard. The coldest ambient temperature I felt during my time in the Antarctic was about -40°F (-40°C), but I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing a wind chill factor at -75°F (-59.4°C). At these temperatures, just walking between the buildings on station can be a chore; I cannot even imagine being stuck in them for several days with the only respite being the heat used to cook meals. To me, it speaks volumes about the hardihood and dedication of these men.

What did the men wake up to on July 1st? The first weather observation from Birdie Bowers follows below:

Position: Camp 4

Time: 09:00

Temperature: -65.6°F (-54.2°C)

Wind Direction: NE

Wind Force (Beaufort): 1 (1-3 knots)

Wind Chill: -82.8°F (-63.8°C)

Sky Condition: Clear

Overnight Minimum Temperature: -69°F (-56.1°F)

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

The men struck camp and set off shortly before 11 a.m., and faced another day of very heavy pulling. The very low temperature and poor snow surface forced the men to do relay work once again, and it took all of their collective might just to pull one sledge forward. Dr. Wilson and Cherry-Garrard also started to experience optical illusions with respect to their outbound tracks, making their footsteps appear like small hummocks in the snow (The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 234).

In total, the men only managed to cover 2.25 miles on their fifth day out from Cape Evans. In addition to the extreme cold, ice accumulation in the men’s clothing was becoming problematic. The men’s sweat and breath froze to their cold weather gear almost instantly; the end result being a coat that was nearly impossible to get in and out of at camp. When the men turned in for the evening, the temperature was still hovering near -60°F (-50.8°C):

Position: Camp 5

Time: 22:00

Miles Made Good: 2.25

Temperature: -59.5°F (-50.8°C)

Wind Direction: E

Wind Force (Beaufort): 1 (1-3 knots)

Wind Chill: -75.8°F (-59.9°C)

Sky Condition: Clear

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

Will the men of the Crozier party get a respite anytime soon? Check in again tomorrow to find out!

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part IV

Degrees of Frost

When we last left the men of the Crozier party, they had just finished their first full day of sledging on the McMurdo Ice Shelf and they came to find it was a real drag. Temperatures hovered at or below -50°F (-45.6°C), creating a rough, sandy pulling surface for the men. A few of the men are already starting to suffer from frostbites, and sleep is hard to come by in the frigid tent at night. How were things on the morning of June 30th, 1911?

Position: Camp 3

Time: 10:00

Temperature: -54.5°F (-48.1°C)

Wind Direction/Speed: Calm

Sky Condition: Clear

Overnight Minimum Temperature: Not reported

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

The party struck camp and started off to the east-northeast by late morning, using a sliver of daylight on the horizon to navigate. However, the men quickly ran into problems. The extreme cold and sandy snow surface prevented the men from pulling both sledges at once. As such, they were reduced to a grueling day of relay work, pulling one sledge forward and then returning to retrieve the other. In essence, the men had to cover 3 miles for every mile made good – talk about two steps forward and one step backward!

The cold only intensified as the day went on – Birdie Bowers recorded a temperature of -61.6°F (-52°) at lunch. Compounding the low temperature was the fact that the men were now entering an area known as the Windless Bight. This region along the southern fringe of Ross Island is known for it’s general lack of wind, owing to the complex terrain of the northwestern Ross Ice Shelf. The lack of wind allows loose snow crystals to gather in this area, and the deep, sandy snow is hell on sledge travelers. The manifold mesoscale and microscale wind patterns are outside the scope of this series, and probably deserve their own article in order to do them justice.

Image credit: Lori Perkins, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

After lunch, the little natural light the men had earlier in the day had faded, and the men navigated by a combination of candlelight and celestial bodies, sparking one of my favorite quotes from the journey:

It was the weirdest kind of procession, three frozen men and a little pool of light. Generally, we steered by Jupiter, and I never see him now without recalling his friendship in those days.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard, The Worst Journey in the World

It took the Crozier party 11 hours to cover just over 3 miles for the day, marching a total of 10 miles to do it. The men pitched camp in the late evening and took the last weather observation for the day:

Position: Camp 4

Time: 21:00

Miles Made Good: 3.25

Temperature: -65°F (-53.9°C)

Wind Direction/Speed: Calm

Sky Condition: Clear

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69
Crozier party progress after four days

Commentary

I can only imagine the men had to feel nothing more than abject misery on this march. The temperature was -55°F (-48.1°C) at the start of the day, and only got colder, falling to -65°F (-53.9°C) by late evening. The lack of wind surely led to the decrease in temperatures, with outgoing longwave radiation continuing unimpeded under the light wind and clear skies. How do the 1911 conditions stack up against today’s obseration? Much colder….the most recent temperature reported by the Windless Bight automatic weather station is -23.8°C (-10.8°F). I also came across an interesting weather term that I love…degrees of frost. Essentially, a degree of frost is calculated by finding the difference between the freezing point, 32°F (0°C) and the observed temperature. At -65°F, the Crozier party experienced 97 degrees of frost!

Will the men of the Crozier party get a respite from the intense cold? Check in tomorrow to find out!

Categories
General

The Winter Journey: Part III

A Slow and Very Heavy Plod

After two days of manhauling, the Crozier party had managed to pull their sledges a distance of 17 miles from Cape Evans and establish a foothold on the McMurdo Ice Shelf. However, the first signs of trouble appeared as the temperature plummeted to -47°F and Cherry-Garrard’s fingers were frostbitten. Lets do our morning check-in with the guys and get the first weather observation of the day for June 29th, 1911:

Position: Camp 2

Time: 09:00

Temperature: -48.3°F (-44.6°C)

Wind Direction: E

Wind Force (Beaufort): 1 (1-3 knots)

Wind Chill: -63°F (-53.8°C)

Sky Condition: Few clouds (Cirrostratus)

Overnight Minimum Temperature: -56.5°F (-49.2°C)

Remarks: Aurora fairly bright, curtain to N, altitude about 45°

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69

The first night on the ice shelf did not go very well for the men. Cherry-Garrard described the experience as “a baddish time,” and noted that the party spent a good deal of the night shivering in their bags (The Worst Journey in the World, pg. 242). The darkness of the winter night was also starting to take its toll, turning routine camp work into an hours-long ordeal.

As the men set off into the darkness from Camp 2, they were treated to bright auroral displays that lifted their spirits a bit. However, the decreasing temperatures and changing snow surface turned the days sledging effort into a backbreaking affair. The party only managed to gain 2.5 miles of ground before lunch, and could only muster another 2 miles after lunch. The temperature hovered around -50°F throughout the day, with Wilson and Cherry-Garrard both getting frostbitten on their feet. After 10.5 hours of heavy exertion in the brutal cold, the men called it quits for the day and pitched camp. The nighttime weather report from Birdie Bowers follows below:

Position: Camp 3

Time: 19:30

Miles Made Good: 4.5

Temperature: -49.7°F (-45.4°C)

Wind Direction: E

Wind Force (Beaufort): 1 (1-3 knots)

Wind Chill: -64.6°F (-53.7°C)

Sky Condition: Clear

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, Meteorology, Vol. III Table 69
Crozier party progress after three days

Commentary

Why did the pulling become so hard for the men once they got onto the McMurdo Ice Shelf? Why could they only manage 4.5 miles? The main issue was the temperature and its impact on the snow surface. Susan Solomon notes this impact in The Coldest March

The key factor was the temperature, which determines how readily a thin film of liquid water can form as the runners of sledges or skis glide over the snow beneath them…Formation of an optimal liquid layer lies at the heart of skiing, and temperature is a critical factor in the delicate balance of forces that makes skiing or pulling either torturous or easy.

Susan Solomon, The Coldest March, pg. 35

At -50°F, it is essentially too cold for the runners of a sledge to maintain the lubricating layer of water as snow crystals resist melting and increase friction along the surface of the runners.

How are things in the area of Camp 3 today? The most recent observation from the Willie Field automatic weather station (AWS) is -29.2°C (-20.6°F) – about 30 degrees warmer than what the men reported in 1911. The weather pattern has been fairly stormy across the Ross Ice Shelf as of late, and the increased wind has largely mixed out the coldest near-surface air.

How will the Crozier party fare during their second night on the ice shelf? Will they manage to stave off frostbite and get some rest, or will they spend another night shivering in their bags? Check in tomorrow to find out!