Another warm and beautiful day here in the Dry Valleys! Everyone dove again today. There were several core samples collected from various depths. Hal seems to be performing very well in Lake Fryxell! Kay had readjusted the leg distribution on the frame of Hal which seems to have relieved some excess tension in the system and is letting everything run fairly smoothly. One of the challenges of working in environments like this is that instruments don't always behave the same way they do in more typical environments. That means that unexpected problems arise that must be troubleshot and solved. Sometimes it's trial and error, sometimes it's clear what the problem is and how to fix it. With a few adjustments for the cold and tension, Hal is running quite nicely.
One of the most interesting parts of the dive for me today was swimming in the sulfide zone. It was like swimming through the rings of Saturn. The free living sulfur bacteria that live in this zone form a cloudy layer, but it seems to take on a pattern of bands - like Saturn's rings. It was beautiful - I did my best to pass through gently so as not to cause much disturbance!
The verdict is in.... my dry suit valve is toast! I took it all apart last night and this morning; the diaphragm (that forms the seal to keep the water out) is all out of kilter and can not be repositioned, and the spring is broken. Kay let me borrow an extra one he happened to have and the dive locker in McMurdo is sending out a replacement valve as well. Knowing I was coming to a remote environment, I brought "backups" for just about everything. Backup dry suit gloves, neck seal, wrist cuffs, fin straps, suit patching materials, computer cables, camera, batteries, chargers, etc. Don't you know, the one thing I break is one of the few things for which I have no backup! Thanks to Kay, I'm in the water today. Almost dry, but there is a trickle coming in from somewhere - more detective work to be done!
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Dry so far! Ready to collect samples and take pictures.
(I ended up getting wet towards the end of the dive)
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Looking into the ice from inside the ice tube. It seems you can see forever!
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Another view into the blue!
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My hand is pressed flat against the ice tube. It is so solid, there is no air in it and you can see right through! It makes me want to swim in there! NO such luck - this is SOLID ice!
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Just below the dive hole, the mat is very rough and has pinnacle like structures sticking up.
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The "honeycomb" pattern seen here may actually be a strategy of the organisms living in the mat to gain more oxygen. There is a theory that the open spaces allow more oxygen to flow into the mat from above.
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This is the type of mat that Hal is currently measuring. It is down in the sulfide zone, so it should yield some very interesting data!
Hal's probes are positioned over a flat area of the same kind of mat. That way, the probes won't drag through the pinnacle parts of the mat. This could damage the mat as well as most likely break the probes!
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A flat part similar to what Hal is over.
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This is the "trios" hanging just below the ice. This instrument measures the spectrum of light that is penetrating through the ice into the lake.
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Just what we don't want - the moat to melt! Some stream beds are visible on the hillside coming into the open part of the moat. The edge of the moat is starting to melt and parts throughout the moat are melting as well. I got a boot full of Lake Fryxell today when the ice caved in and the water came up over the top. I guess I'm destined to get wet at Fryxell!
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10:30 pm at Lake Fryxell. The Canada Glacier is seeping in from the right. It is so quiet and peaceful; it is a wonderful spot to pause and reflect!
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