Here are the final questions and answers I received from Beth Rhyne's class at Myrtle Grove Middle School, 14 March 2003:
1. What do you use for transportation if the Hagglands break down?
There are several alternatives in this event. The first choice would be to use quads, a four-wheel off-road motorcycle similar to what we have in the states. These run real well over snow, but you can't carry as much gear on them as in a Hagg. If the Hagg broke down with all our samples and field equipment, we would have to make several trips back and forth with the quads to get everything back to station. The next alternative is going by skis (cross-country), but this means even less could be carried. Fortunately, the Haggs are pretty reliable and we never had any trouble with them except for the one bogging incident.
2. Do the seals affect your research and if so how?
In some areas, the elephant seals will congregate late in the summer to molt on ice-free areas where penguins have bred or used to breed. However, they usually stay close to the beach and do not get in the way that much. In the Casey area they were not a problem at all. However, I have seen them come ashore in other parts of Antarctica and move right through penguin colonies, smashing eggs and nests as the birds run out of their way. It doesn't happen that often though.
3. If you or anyone on Antarctica were stuck in the elements, what do they do?
This is a good question and it is a situation that could happen at any time in the field. That's why it's important to have the field training at the beginning of the season. First, we learned to always keep a survival pack near us when in the field because you never know when the weather might suddenly change and you find yourself in a blizzard and can't move. Sometimes a blizzard can last several days, so you have to be prepared for the worst. In the survival pack we have extra clothing, thermals, a down sleeping bag, pad, bivey bag (a plastic cover for your sleeping bag that you can fit inside of to be out of the wind), and some food. We're also trained on how to find or make a good spot in the snow to avoid the wind and how to stay warm as much as possible. These skills have saved people in the past down here while others, caught unprepared, have been seriously injured by frost bite or have died.
4. Could you write a short paragraph using Australian words and phrases describing a typical day in Antarctica?
Oi, this will be a shocker! No worries. I get up in the morn around 7 and prepare to go in the field. It's bright out, so I put on sun cream and grab my sunnies before I leave my donga. I find my mates and our work will be either in the field or lab. If the latter, I may stop for smoko at 10am, or wait until lunch and have a sanger. All the tradies go to smoko because they start work real early and are outside in the cold much of the time. They also help the boffins a lot to keep their projects going. So, they get pretty hungry, especially if they skipped breakkie. In the arvo, it's back to work with a break for a cuppa around 3pm. Maybe late in the day there will be time for a jolly. Tea is at 6pm and there may be a film worth seeing in the odeon afterwards. I retire to my donga by 11-12 pm for a good night's rest. Ta.
5. Have you become ill while in Antarctica and what do you do if so?
All of us have been real healthy all season, not even a cold. In fact, I didn't see anybody on station get a cold or get sick while we were there. All the fresh air and exercise helps for this. If you did get sick, there is a doctor on station year-round (a new doctor comes in each year). The 'hospital' in the station is well equipped for emergencies as well as for minor cuts and bruises. There is a small pharmacy, an x-ray machine, operating table, etc., so that many types of injuries or illnesses, from broken bones to minor surgery, could be completed here. It's important to have this especially for those who stay at Casey in the winter. If injured then, there's no way to get someone out of Antarctica until the spring (October).