Emailing Antarctica

[Kathleen1957]

Does anyone know if it is possible to email back and forth with any of the people living and doing reserach in Antarctica?

Thanks for your help....

Kathleen

[drummy]

Hi Kathleen,

Most bases now have e-mail facilities but bandwidth is extremely tight and work always takes priority. If you already know someone who is down south then it should be possible to send short personal e-mails. If you are looking to strike up an e-mail link with base members the likelihood of success is extremely low. Research and base duties always take priority. By all means give it a try but don't expect miracles. It might also be worthwhile doing a search for antarctic blogs as this is another way of contacting people who are down there.

Drummy

[Kathleen1957]

Drummy

Thanks for your quick response. I don't know anyone in Antarctica, infact I am new to this site. I have always been so curious about the place I thought it would be interesting to commuinicate with someone there, but I understand what you said about the problems in doing so.
If you don't mind me asking, but how do you know so much about this?
I would be interested to know.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
You live in Scotland? Does it snow there?

Regards
Kathleen

[drummy]

Hi Kathleen,

To answer your questions in turn.

If you don't mind me asking, but how do you know so much about this?

I would not consider myself an expert but like like some other people who are members of this site, I have lived and worked in Antarctica albeit in the dim and distant past (1970s). I was a dog sledge driver for 2 years at the British Antarctic Survey's Stonington Island Base on the Antarctic Peninsula (approx 68?S 67?W). Paul Ward, our webmaster was also with BAS on Signy Island in the 1980s. Jenny Doctor was at the Rothera base more recently in the early years of this decade. We all have photographs in the Members' Pictures section which should give you a good flavour of what life in the deep freeze is like. Once the Antarctic gets its claws into you it doesn't let go! I keep up with events by reading the websites of the main Antarctic research programmes such as BAS (UK), USAP (USA) and those of Australia, New Zealand, etc. You'll find that a fair number of members have also visited the Antarctic as tourists.

You live in Scotland? Does it snow there?

I'm on the West coast of Scotland which has a mainly mild, damp climate thanks to the Gulf Stream so we don't have the extremes of weather between winter and summer that you see, for example, in New England. Global warming has resulted in less frost and snow than I recall from my childhood but funnily enough we do have snow forecast for today but it hasn't arrived as yet. Fingers crossed for a good fall!

Regards.

Drummy

[Kathleen1957]

Drummy
That is so cool that you got to experience living in Antarctica....I am totally jealous. What a wonderful experience it must of been. I saw your pictures, they are great. How did you get involved in something like that?
Hope you don't mind that I have so many questions. What are you doing now? I grew up in the snow in Quebec. There is nothing like the way the cold, ice and snow insulates the enivornmnet. I really miss living in such extreme conditions. It's funny how people think snow is so terrible when in reality it is better than a spring day.