May 2, 2017

Many different tasks in one day

The drill trench 2016 (left) and 2017 (right). The roof has come down by 50 cm in one year.


Although it is still cold and windy, there was no snow drift, and work continued on the surface and in the trenches. It was a big step forward as both water systems came on-line. We now have wash basins, toilets, a dish-washer and drinking water. For a remote camp like this, these are important factors. The new cooks snow melter (in fact, it is a sausage cooker from the Danish food industry) seems to do the job well.
The drillers were busy in the drill trench, as can be seen in the first drillers report this year. Sepp and Bo planned the future lay out of the science trench and the flow of ice cores through the processing line. Everybody did a good job and mood in camp is good. Right now there is a film on in the main dome.

What we did today:

  1. Main snow melter is running. We have running water.
  2. After a few modifications, new cooks snow melter is on-line. We now have drinking water from taps.
  3. Work in the drilling trench.
  4. Work on lay out of the science trench completed.
  5. Work on local computer network.
  6. Staircase shaft and elevator shaft now open and covered by tents.
  7. Measuring deformation of balloon trenches and analyzing data. Roof apex height at tower: 3.83 m. At drillers workshop: 3.56 m. Science trench: 3.80 m. Extraction tunnel: 3.39 m. Passage tunnel: 2.80 m.
  8. Work on the South West power line. This line will power the satellite dish and the water vapour sampling.
  9. Outhouse no.2 now open.
  10. Water vapour sampling site under construction.
  11. Snow sampling.

Ad.3: Drillers report:

  1. Cleaned, greased and tested deep drill winch.
  2. Installed 2nd winch control.
  3. Preparing for cable termination.
  4. Installed plumbing from surface for drilling fluid.
  5. Started preparation for connecting drill fluid vacuum tank.

Ad.7: The deformation of the trenches look like the deformation results from the NEEM test balloon trench. The roof of trenches and tunnels has come down by 40-60 cm in the last year. Next year the roof is expected to come down by another 25 cm, and the following year by 17 cm as the rate of deformation decreases exponentially. As in the test, all tunnels and trenches have a slight increase in width. The bottom of both vertical shafts changed diameter from 3.55 m to 3.52 m.

Weather today: Clear all day, with moderate wind. Temp. -15°C to -29°C. Wind: 12 kt to 18 kt from SSW. Visibility: To horizon.

FL, J.P. Steffensen