We spent another 6+ hours today moving, packing, and banding cargo for next year's (2019-20) passive seismic deployment at our two sites on Thwaites Glacier. The Thwaites research program is so large that NSF has urged us to ship all possible cargo from McMurdo Station to WAIS Divide Camp where the equipment will winter-over in berms. We are using 14 passive seismic installations designed and owned by the IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center. The solar panels, panel mounts, and battery/ datalogger enclosures will be shipped to WAIS Divide this year, and the "do-not-freeze" (DNF) storage will stay in McMurdo until next Antarctic summer season (likely around October).
These seismometers will stay out on Thwaites Glacier for 2 years recording vibrations and ice movements in the glacier. They can measure everything from cracking ice to planes taking off and landing to earthquakes (often earthquakes even 1000+ km away from the station). These seismic recordings will help us to better understand the dynamics of the glacier margin, including seasonal changes in the glacier dynamics.
Together with PASSCAL, this week we've also organized the solar panels, mounts, and bolts for shipment to WAIS Divide to power the passive seismic instruments. PASSCAL and the carpentry shop at McMurdo arranged for beautiful wooden boxes to be made to protect the solar panel "lampshades" (3 solar panels in a triangular set-up) during the harsh winter. We greatly appreciate all of the work PASSCAL has done to prepare and provide the seismic equipment and station supplies for our team.
