Meteorologist in Antarctica
When I was 17 I went on a British Schools Exploring Society expedition to study a glacier in central Iceland. The trip opened my mind to the possibilities of working abroad and outdoors, surrounded by my favourite substance: snow.
I decided to take a gap year and work a snowboard season in the French Alps. I became so badly hooked on the white powdery stuff that I knew my life would always revolve around the pursuit of it. Reluctantly, I dragged myself away to University College London to study physical sciences.
Sat in the back of a first year maths lecture I leafed through a copy of New Scientist and spotted my dream job: Antarctic Meteorologist. It was perfect: science, travel, working outdoors and all the snow I could ever desire.
I’m writing this from Antarctica so you can guess that things worked out OK.
I spent all last year living and working at a base on a floating Antarctic ice shelf. I am now based in the UK but I still travel to Antarctica for several months each year.
Right now I’m at Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula for two months. Its one of the fastest warming regions of the planet, and that is of special interest to me as I run experiments monitoring climate change and the ozone hole. Each day I launch a weather balloon carrying sensors that provide a profile of the atmosphere. This data, coupled with the regular ground based observations I make is used by weather forecasters around the world as well as by models used to predict future climate change.
My work in Antarctica has allowed me to see some pretty amazing (and rare) sights. I saw the southern lights dancing across the night sky during the three and a half continuously dark winter months. My favourite memory has to be visiting an Emperor penguin colony when the chicks had just hatched - I’ve never seen anything be so beautiful and so hilarious at the same time!
I feel pretty lucky to have found a job that allows me to combine my scientific interests with a lifestyle that I love. This year is International Polar Year so I have been keeping a blog to give people an insight into life in Antarctica and hopefully inspire a few to think about coming to work down here…
Tamsin Gray is an Antarctic Meteorologist working for the British Antarctic Survey. She is a member of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientsts and GetSETWomen.
Her blog is called Frozen Cheese, and there are more wonderful photos there.
Comments
Tamsin Spain:
Hi Tamsin Your work sounds fascinating - how long will you be there? I met someone a couple of years ago who spent 2 years there without a break – that seems like a long time to spend in the cold, but a lot more exciting that sitting in an office! I do a bit of mountaineering and occasionally ice climbing when the conditions are good so I know what you mean about getting hooked on the snow! I would love to know what the high and low points are of working in the Antarctic.
Charlie Masding:
Hi all! For anyone interested in getting involved in polar expeditions/climate change research like Tamsin did and who is aged 16-23, then BSES (the British Schools Exploring Society) is for you! Contrary to our name, we take people from outside Britain and who have left school. You just need a lust for adventure and an interest in environmental science. Upcoming expeditions for 2009 include 10 weeks in spring in Svalbard (600 miles from the North Pole), and a month in July/Aug Greenland, Arctic Norway, the Himalayas and the Peruvian Amazon. Check out our website www.bses.org.uk for more info or follow the link in Tamsin's blog above!
Kate Wright:
Hi Tamsin - loved the photos on your blog! I was lucky enough to visit Rothera about 9 years ago as a PhD student doing research on the JCR (which is the RRS James Clark Ross - the British Antactic Survey research ship). Got some good results for the project and also a good result for myself as I met my husband on the ship! Then I did 2 years research at McGill University, Montreal on climate change focused on the Arctic. Then, babies intervened and after 3-4 years in a part-time job that I did not enjoy but was convenient(!) I got in touch with the UKRC and now have two part time jobs that are much more fun and get to be counted as a UKRC Woman Returner! Not quite back into research science but do get to use my skills now as I work as a lecturer in adult numeracy (learners with difficulties and disabilities) and also as a researcher. So, it is officially a small world. Look forward to reading more and seeing the photos!
Alison McLure:
Hi Tamsin, Like you, I managed to land my dream job and spent some time at Rothera Research Station as their weather forecaster. I was a weather forecaster with the Met Office at the time and grabbed at the chance to go to such a fantastic place. My current job is promoting physics in Scotland for the Institute of Physics. Imagine my delight when I travelled with British Schools Exploring Society to South Georgia last year as their chief scientist. It was great to be in the south again and even met some old pals from Rothera. It's fantastic to hear of the great jobs you can have from studing Maths, Science or Engineering. If you would like to see some more fascinating careers, there are some case studies on the Institute of Physics website http://www.iopscotland.org/activity/careers/Case-studies/index.html Keep up the good work and I look forward to hearing more of your adventures.
Linda Capper:
Hi everyone reading Tamsin's blog (and hi to the former Rothera gals) British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a fantastic place to work - whether you are based in our labs at Cambridge or in deepest Antarctica. Tamsin is just one of our talented and vibrant young scientists. Be inspired and find out more about working for BAS at: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment/career_areas/index.php Check out some of the profiles of people who work for us including Rebecca Korb: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment/profiles/profile_rebecca_sci.php,
Ruth wilson (UKRC moderator):
This was one person kindly willing to write a blog entry for us where I felt UKRC really should send me to meet them in person! Sadly the budget doesn't reach to that. But its great getting so many comments in from people inspired by polar regions and science, and Kate I am so glad to hear UKRC could help you get back into work. We work with women at all career stages, but we know that women who have time out can face a lot of barriers. Thanks everyone for the links you are sending in.
Tamsin Gray:
Thanks Tamsin Spain for your comment, in response: I'm here now for no more than 2 or 3 months at a time but last year I spent 18 months in Antarctica without a break. Some of the people here left the UK in October 2006 and won't go back until 2009! It takes a while to readjust to the wide world out there after that kind of period of isolation. For me it was a bit of a shock going from a flat white Antarctic ice shelf to Cape town. I found the buzz of life there overwhelming at first. All the colours, plants, trees, people and shops. It's an exciting experience and the effect of my year away still hasn't worn off as I still relish the sight of rain drops on a green leaf or the choice of multicoloured items in a market. In terms of highs and lows of being down here there are definitely moments that stick in your mind. In fact, last night was one. As several weeks of bad weather finally gave way to an idyllic sunny evening, I headed out on the hill with my snowboard. I was hastily strapping my board to my feet when I spotted a pod of killer whales breaching in the bay below. The last rays of sun were lighting up the icebergs at the same time and I realised how lucky I was to be here in this deserted and beautiful corner of the world. Lows for me are times like Christmas when I'd rather be with friends and family back home. Overall, I thoroughly recommend working down here, the highs far outweigh the lows!
Sarah Jones:
Thanks for the fascinating blog! Antarctica is a place I would really like to visit but I am unlikely to get the chance. My interest started when I was analysing some fascinating data for a family friend about the biology of Weddell seals that was gathered in Antarctica. In any case, it's probably best if the number of tourists visiting the area is kept to a minimum. I am interested to know what it is like to work in that environment. How many hours a day/week do you work? How physically demanding is it? How much time do you spend outside? Are you warm and comfortable? Do they feed you well? What leisure facilities do you have? Does it make any difference whether you are male or female (facilities, physical element of work, etc)? (sorry for all the questions!)
Christine Wheatley:
Hi Tamsin I read your blog with interest as I lived in Canada for several years brrrrrr! I was asked by a friend if the ice presently melting from the Arctic at such a fast rate is salty or fresh water. I was certain it was fresh is this correct? I would like to know if the same melting is occurring on Antartica? We have had a bit of snow here in Lancashire this week and I slipped over on the icy road no damage, thankfully. Best Wishes
Tamsin Gray,:
I just want to say thanks for the comments and questions and it's great to hear from some other folk lucky enough to have experienced the beauty of Rothera! I shall try to post some more responses to questions in the near future.
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi, its great to be hearing from everyone... Tamsin is having some logistical problems with posting comments from Antarctica. Hopefully they will be resolved soon as I am also looking forward to learning more about working life in Antarctica, and some of the science that goes on. Sarah's question about male and female is an interesting one - and Alison, when we met this year we talked about Scott's expedition to the Antarctic. I wondered if you or anyone knew who was the first woman explorer in the region?
Jackie Longworth:
Hi Tamsin, I\'m a newcomer to your blog, found through this UKRC link. Wow! I\'m fulfilling a longheld ambition to visit Antarctica in the new year - as a mere tourist, so not as exciting as your work there but I hope to get at least one photo half as good as yours! I\'m at the other end of my career - an ex-Physicist and past President of the Women\'s Engineering Society - any chance of meeting up whilst I\'m there?! Well done and best wishes for 2009. Jackie L
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Jackie, thanks for getting in touch, and I am very envious of your trip to Antarctica. And I agree about Tamsin's photos! Tamsin has had some difficulties logging on from and Antarctica. I shall email her separately for you, and try to put you in touch with eachother.
Alison McLure:
In answer to Sarah\'s question about differences between men and women on Antarctic bases, I was the only woman on Rothera Base for most of the time. I didn\'t find this much of a problem, having been used to working with mostly men anyway. Although we shared a bathroom, I tended to be up and showered before anyone else, which helped matters. Most heavy work was done by machinery, so there wasn\'t much need for strength, although rolling fuel drums onto aircraft took some doing. Felicity Aston, in an article for Geographical Magazine, noted that women arrived in the Antarctic fairly early. The wife of a Norwegian captain, Caroline Mikkelson, was the first woman in 1935, 23 years after Amundsen and Scott. Two Americans were the first women to winter in Antarctica in 1947.
Ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
Hi Alison, thanks for this really interesting post. Is it still the case that there may be only one woman at Rothera at a time, or has that changed? Great to hear about the women who got there early. Here's the wikipedia link on Caroline Mikkelson (a mountain on Antarcitca is named after her): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Mikkelsen And here is an article by Ellyn Hament about women going to Antarctica: http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/people/women.html It seems the 'lack of facilities' argument has been used, along with other arguments about 'the weaker sex' to keep women away from Antarctica for a long time... The US refused to allow women to set foot on their Antarctic territory until the 1960s. Its a great article, with a short bibliography and some good links.
ruth Wilson (UKRC moderator):
A final snippet from Ellyn Hament's article (referenced above): http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/people/women.html "Jerri Nielsen, sole South Pole physician wintering over in 1999, gained notoriety for performing a biopsy on herself when she took ill at the remote outpost. She was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer and, with the help of non-physician helpers, self-administered chemotherapy until her rescue." More about Jerri here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerri_Nielsen
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