humming creation

I've recently attended some science lectures and talked to a variety of scientists about their work here in Antarctica.

There's a fascinating project going on at the South Pole called the Ice Cube Project. They are putting devices in the ground that measure and track neutrinos as they pass through the earth and the astro-physicists are hoping to find out how they pass through the universe. Check out and download this weeks Antarctic Sun for more info: http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/2006-2007/sctn11-12-2006.cfm

On Sunday, our lecture was on the Sea Ice, Ice Bergs and how they move in and around Antarctica in reaction to different factors around the world. These can range from earthquakes, storms, and ocean currents or weather conditions. Part of the lecture focused on the big b15 iceberg. It broke off in the size of Lebanon and carried enough water to run the Nile for 50 years. Another mind-boggling note is that when the Sumatra tsunami hit, the sea ice on the Ross Sea Ice Shelf rose 40cm and then fell again!

I spoke with a New Zealand scientist who has been in the drilling field for years. He said the Andrill drilling project is to the point that it is uncovering parts of the sea floor that were never covered by an ice shelf (90000 years ago?). They are anxious to study these samples, because in far less than that time (perhaps in my lifetime) we may be at the point again where there is not an ice shelf here. He also indicated that this warming of the earth is a man-made malady, noting that the amount of fossil fuel carbon dioxide can be measured in the atmosphere and differentiated from the natural carbon dioxide that is released. When toxins are released into the atmosphere down here, the damage is noticeable (see picture below). The scientist emphasized that even on an individual level we can exercise more restraint in the amount of pollution we cause.There are ongoing studies watching the weather and ocean currents from Alaska and their effects on the sea and ice conditions all the way down here. The basic consensus is that the entire world is more interconnected than we could ever imagine. From neutrinos passing through seams between particles, to drilling into our past to help us understand our nearly-certain future, to weather and ocean currents, there is a relationship that amazingly reverberates over the entire earth and through the universe we are in!