Antarctic weather observer not fazed by 40-hour blizzard, frozen fingers and dark winter days
By Georgie BurgessSupplied: Craig Butsch
)Antarctic weather observer Craig Butsch was not fazed about spending 40 hours trapped inside a shipping container.
He and a team were returning from a multi-day traverse near Antarctica's Casey Station when a blizzard came through.
"The safest thing to do was to stay put," he said.
Supplied: Craig Butsch
)Mr Butsch is one of 11 Bureau of Meteorology observers at Casey, Mawson and Davis Stations, and Macquarie Island.
The team had been checking on the Law Dome Summit automatic weather station (AWS), which involved a 10-hour drive one-way -- if the weather is favourable.
Sitting at 1,340 metres above sea level, Law Dome Summit is 120 kilometres from Casey Station and usually 10 degrees Celsius colder, making it about minus 35 when the team visited.
Supplied: Craig Butsch
)Hunkering down 'quite enjoyable'
The AWS at Law Dome Summit collects important weather data, including information for pilots using the ice runway near Casey Station.
"We need good forecasts for that," Mr Butsch said.
Supplied: Craig Butsch
)"But the data is recorded and used for all sorts of reasons; aviation is just one of them.
"It gets ingested into the climate records so we have a long-term record of what the weather and climate has been doing."
The data is used by a range of groups, including government, scientists, the military, and shipping.
The AWS is one of eight scattered around Casey Station and needs servicing once a year, and last week it turned into a four-day mission.
"Everything was going really well, we finished all the work by late morning on the second day," Mr Butsch said.
But during the return traverse a forecast blizzard hit harder than expected.
The wind speed was about 100kph and picked up loose, dry snow that reduced visibility down to 10 metres.
On the traverse the team took a tractor with tank tracks, two other tank-like vehicles, a shipping container with six bunks for accommodation, plus a sled to carry fuel.
"The blizzard was a fairly constant wind speed, which makes a humming sound and the wind going around the shipping container vibrated it.
"It was quite a comfortable feeling knowing you're inside nice and safe."
The blizzard lasted 40 hours.
"It was quite enjoyable," Mr Butsch said.
Supplied: Craig Butsch
)'Plenty to do in winter'
Mr Butsch has spent three winters in Antarctica, and preferred it to summer.
"There's plenty to do down here and the lack of sunlight doesn't affect how busy you keep yourself, it just changes what you do," he said.
Supplied: Craig Butsch
)The weather observers take data every three hours for climate records and forecasts.
They also release weather balloons twice a day to record temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and air pressure.
The information gets sent back to Melbourne, where it is ingested into computer systems.
Mr Butsch arrived in October last year and has two months to go.
He said it did not feel like winter had dragged on.
"It's fun to get off-station and do some walking and take lots of photos," he said.
Aurora photography is his favourite pastime.
He also enjoyed seeing the environment and wildlife change.
"The difference between summer and winter down here is extreme," he said.
"In the summer there's 24 hours of sunlight and in winter we get a lot of darkness and the sea freezes over.
"It's easier to travel in the local area because you can go out onto the sea ice."
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