Answers for Mrs. Cooperman's First Grade Class

Mrs. Cooperman's First Grade Class  asked:

Our first grade class just began learning about Antarctica. We are fascinated by the frigid temperatures and that animals are able to survive. Do you know how penguins are able to survive the cold? Also, we read on your blog that when you are out on field study, it can take a few days to complete your experiments... Is is difficult to sleep in a tent when the wind is blowing so hard? We learned that some winds can be up to 200 miles and hour! Also, when you put up your tent, have you ever had to pitch it on ice? Do you actually sleep well? Also, we want to know about electricity in Antarctica!

Thanks for the questions!  I don't really know much about penguins, but most of the larger animals, like seals and penguins, can survive because they have lots of insulation in the form of fat or blubber.  My guess is that they eat as much as they can, and then their bodies use that energy to produce enough heat to keep them from freezing, and their fat keeps the heat from escaping their bodies.  I'm sure there is a lot more going on with these amazing animals to help them survive.  I will see if I can find anything else out.  

Here is a picture of a juvenile emperor penguin.  The first emperor I've seen in person!

Sleeping in a tent here is a lot like sleeping in a tent back home, during a winter day.  Tents tend to act like a greenhouse by letting light in, but not letting the energy escape.  So if it is sunny, the tent can get pretty warm (like 50 degrees F), even if it is cold outside.  We also get really warm sleeping bags and sleeping pads.  I really like sleeping in tents, so I think it is a pretty comfortable situation.  The light doesn't keep me awake, especially if I'm really tired after a long day of field work.  

It can get pretty windy here, but I haven't experienced 200 mph winds.  We had a katabatic wind storm a couple of weeks ago where a few unoccupied tents were blown away.  Katabatic winds occur when dense cold air falls from a high place (like a mountain, or the polar plateau where the south pole is) to a low place (like the McMurdo Dry Valleys).  I made sure my tent was secure so I didn't have to worry about it blowing away.

Solar panels at Lake Hoare Camp, McMurdo Dry Valleys

Solar panels and the main hut at Lake Hoare Camp

The field camps I have been to all have electricity.  Most of the science projects require instruments and tools that need electricity, so the field stations are well equipped.  I have seen solar panels at all of the field stations I have been to, and there are also wind generators at some of them.  Ironically, one of the wind generators was damaged by high winds during a katabatic wind storm last year.  There are also diesel generators that serve as a backup if we don't get enough power from the sun.  It seems the solar panels do the trick, because we haven't had to run the diesel generator at the field camps while I have been out there this year.  

We do use diesel to power a heater in main hut where we cook and eat, and we use propane to power a stove and refrigerators and freezers for food and science samples (we keep samples and food in different freezers).