******************************************************** CLOTHING ******************************************************** *************** KEEPING WARM *************** __________ QUESTION: Does the sun feel as warm in Antarctica as it does in Colorado on a wintry day? How many layers of clothing do you need to stay warm? What fabrics and insulation work best? Does the temperature on any given day fluctuate a lot like it does here? What about the wind chill factor? ANSWER from Deane Rink Remember that the broadcast you saw occurred on December 16, 1994 (Antarctic time; Dec. 15, 1994 USA time). Since seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, that would be in the heart of the austral summer, the equivalent from your location to June 16. If Antarctica is at its warmest, and it was still just below freezing in the bright sun, imagine what it must be like during its coldest (about 50 degrees lower!). You've all been out on a warm December day when the sun was high and the wind low and the temperature around 32 degrees F. You will remember on days like that, you can easily go without a hat or earmuffs. But you still want a warm jacket on, and warm pants, and that is just what Diana and our other live guest, Carsten Kooyman, were wearing. People working in the field down here are given four or five layers of clothing, and they make up their own mind which layers and in what combination they will wear to make them the most comfortable. Diana was at the bottom of Taylor Valley which is surrounded by high peaks; these peaks shelter the base of the valley from the winds, and it is the winds, not the temperature, that gets you in the austral summer. The outer layer of these special winter clothing are almost always made of a water-resistant fabric like Gortex, and the inner layers are polyesters (which are more comfortable than the old woolen inner linings which tended to itch). The parkas you saw aren't much different than ski parkas, except that they are a little thicker. I have been here a little more than seven weeks. The highest it has gotten is about 35 degrees F, and the lowest I have experienced is around -5 degrees F. But that will change in two days when I go to the South Pole to prepare for "Live From Antarctica #3"; the pole averages about -20 degrees during the summer, and has been known to go down to - 35 or so. The South Pole is on a plateau of ice about two miles thick, so the elevation is higher, the winds are greater, and there are no natural barriers to keep the weather out like there are around McMurdo Sound, where all the locations you saw for the first two programs were based. When most people think of Antarctica, they think of the South Pole, and indeed it is on the polar plateau where the world's coldest temperature was recorded during one miserable winter: -146 degrees F. Polar temperatures are so low, and winds frequently so high, that the charts for wind chill factor rarely apply. Nowhere else in the world is the combination of these two factors so devastating. __________ QUESTION: What kind of special clothing and equipment are necessary for living and doing scientific research in Antarctica. ANSWER from Katy McNitt on January 5, 1995: I live and work at the South Pole, so I can tell you what kind of clothing we wear here, though people working in the field camps might have some different ideas! It's summertime here now, and lately we've had "warm" (-25 C) sunny weather, so people tend to go outside in the same types of clothes you wear in the wintertime in New Jersey: bluejeans and sweaters, warm boots, light jacket, hat, sunglasses, gloves. Can you guess what we wear during the winter? Bluejeans and sweaters, of course! ;-) But some folks wear long underwear underneath, and everyone wears insulated pants when they go outside. You probably know by now that the important things about dressing for cold weather are to stay DRY, to wear lots of layers, and to protect yourself from the wind. The National Science Foundation issues warm clothes to all U.S. Antarctic Program participants, so you should contact them if you want more detailed information about how the gear is chosen. This is what I wear outside during the winter, when the ambient temperature is so cold (-74 C/ -100 F) you don't even want to THINK about the wind-chill factor: -long underwear -thick wool socks -insulated boots, either rubber or canvas, with extra-thick soles -jeans & a sweater -insulated canvas pants -down-filled parka -wool glove liners and thick leather mittens -balaclava (polar fleece "hat" that covers your ears and neck, too -neck gaiter (polar fleece tube worn around the neck -warm hat with earflaps -goggles If I'm going to be outside for a long time, I put chemical hand warmers in my mittens and boots. As far as equipment goes, there are all kinds of problems associated with the cold, dry environment. Can you think of some things you use at home that wouldn't work at -100 F? Like airplanes, for instance: the South Pole is "closed" for eight months of the year because it's too cold to land here. Water thrown into the air freezes before it hits the ground. Grease is no longer a good lubricant for mechanical equipment because it freezes solid. If you had to design a vehicle that would work at the South Pole during the winter, what would it look like? How would you keep the moving parts lubricated, and what would you use for fuel? *************** NIGHT CLOTHES **************** __________ QUESTION: What do you guys wear to bed? ANSWER from Jack Dibb on December 19, 1994 It depends where one is working. At the various stations the berthing areas are heated (usually overheated if you spend much time outside). The choice of bed clothes is an individual one, not much different than it would be at home. At remote field camps, you are basically winter camping. Again, choice varies among different people. I try to wear as little as possible, and trust that the sleeping bag is warm enough. Usually long underwear and a hat is enough. The fun part is that any thing that got slightly damp during the day (outer socks, gloves, shirts, boot liners) plus things like sunscreen or saline solution for contact lenses will freeze overnight. To avoid this, all of these things get to share your sleeping bag! ********************* WEIGHT OF CLOTHES ********************* __________ QUESTION: How much do all of the layers of clothes weigh? ANSWER by Ann Stevens on Feb. 9 1995 If you were to wear all the layers of clothes that are provided by the clothing distribution center, they would weigh about 35 lbs. The bunny boots alone weigh 6 lbs. *********************** WHY ORANGE JACKETS? *********************** __________ QUESTION: If black absorbs heat, why don't you wear black jackets instead of orange? ANSWER from Jack Dibb, Glacier Research Group, University of New Hampshire, on December 19, 1994: It is probably felt that the bright orange or red coats are more visible if someone gets lost. (Yes, black would seem to be a pretty good contrast against snow, but many groups work in the mountains on partly bare rocks.) Also, staying warm is not so hard with all of the layering. In fact, if the layers are working, any heat from absorbing sun on your outermost layer should have a hard time penetrating down to your body. On the other hand, the USAP standard issue wind pants are all black. I suspect there is some kind of fashion statement behind these decisions. ********************************* WET CLOTHES AT REMOTE CAMPS ********************************* __________ QUESTION: How do you keep belongings from getting wet when you go to the remote camps? The following answer was supplied by Buck Tilley, one of the survival instructors at the Berg Field Center in McMurdo. Your belongings do get wet, usually from sweat, when you're out in the field. Luckily, humidity here is very low, so clothing dries out very quickly. Wet socks are usually dried by placing them on your thighs between you and your long Johns while you sleep. Your thighs don't sweat much, but they generate lots of heat. In warmer areas, such as those that are consistently warmer than -20 degrees Fahrenheit, sweat evaporating off sleeping bodies will not necessarily freeze inside the insulation of a sleeping bag. It will evaporate into the atmosphere. In colder locations, sweat will freeze into the insulation night after night. Bags get heavier and heavier and are almost impossible to dry out. So, people just get colder and colder. Last year, I went to the Wilkes Basin to help out a party that had been in the field for 60 days. Their bags were consistently wet enough that it took 3-4 hours every night to warm them up enough to get to sleep.