Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you going?
I'm going to work on an Antarctic Research Station called Halley, managing the data from the upper atmospheric science they do there. Its biggest claim to fame is that data from Halley found the hole in the ozone layer.
Where exactly is it?
Halley is Britain's most southerly and most isolated research station. Here's a map:
Map from Expedia
It's located on the Brunt Ice Shelf so it's exact location changes each year. The approximate latitude/longitude are 75.5°S, 26.65°W
How will you get there?
There are various routes to the Antarctic, but I'll be taking a normal commerical flight from London Heathrow to Montevideo in Uruguay, where I'll board the RRS Ernest Shackleton (an icebreaking resupply ship). We'll head to the Falkland Islands first, then through the pack ice to the coast of the Weddell Sea. From there it's about 12km inland to Halley on a Sno-Cat.
How long would you be gone for?
I'll be leaving the UK on 19th November 2003 and I'll get back around May 2006, so that's two and a half years.
What is the Research Station like?
This aerial view gives an idea of what the place is like:
Image courtesy of BAS
The large building in the bottom right is the Laws Platform, which is the main accommodation building which houses all the living facilities such as the library, bar, gym, galley, plus living space.
The smaller platform on the right is the Piggott platform where I'd be working (only a short commute in the morning and very little traffic!). The work there is focused on upper atmospheric science. The other similar looking platform to the far left is the Simpson platform where the meteorlogical work is done.
The line of antennae in the background is the SHARE radar, one of the twelve or so instruments that gather the data at Halley that I'd be responsible for. Other than that, there's the clean air zone plus the summer accommodation building (out of shot).
As you can see, there's not much else around - in the winter our nearest neighbours are around 800 kilometres away!
More questions?
If there's anything else you'd like to know, drop me a line and I'll add it.