All entries under 'Living in Antarctica'

Download Antarctic Legend

Music thanks to Audio Network

Lunch with the Uruguayans yesterday and this evening Alejo came round for tea, as Russell would say, so the evening meal rather than the hot drink. Alejo Contreras has supported 2041 for many years and is an Antarctic legend in his own right.

Stuart asked whether Alejo had been to the South Pole. ‘Yes, yes, seventeen times. Once was by walking, twice by skidoo and the rest was flying,’ was the casual reply.

He regaled us with tales of life in Antarctica, dropping into conversation such snippets as climbing Mount Vinson with Reinhold Messner, having a cup of tea with Prince Andrew and how to survive an avalanche.

Jonny has been filming interviews with him over the past couple of days and we will be putting up a video later this week. ‘There’s enough here for a full documentary,’ was Jonny’s first comment, reviewing the tapes this evening. Let’s hope someone commissions one soon!

Download Keeping warm

Music thanks to Audio Network

Another video that the E-Base team have created as part of the E-Base Live 365 expedition. The video complements the 2041 Journey to Antarctica Curriculum (see the Layers, layers, layers section of the curriculum for further resources).

You can try the experiment at home or at school. What kind of materials would you use to insulate yourself in Antarctica? Test these out to see how they will stop a bowl of water from getting cold if you put it outside or in the fridge.

If you have any questions that you would like the team to answer whilst they are in Antarctica, please post them on the Message Wall. We can’t promise to answer all of them, but we’ll do our best!

Download Save electricity, save Antarctica

Music thanks to Audio Network

This is the third in our series of education videos from the E-Base team.The video complements npower’s Climate Cops education programme (see the Climate Cops website for further resources).

In this video we look at easy ways to save energy around the home. Things as small as leaving a mobile charger plugged in overnight can make a big difference.

If you have any questions that you would like the team to answer whilst they are in Antarctica, please post them on the Message Wall.

I can’t remember a day when I have worked so hard. We were up at 06:30 and after a breakfast of porridge and tinned fruit we started putting the first turbine up.

Things were going pretty well, the rest of team got on with getting the tower and ground anchors ready, and I fitted the blades to the hub and assembled the turbine. The ground anchors that we were using to hold the guy wires for the turbine tower drove in worrying easily, and when we put the turbine up and raised the tower for the first time, they started to pull out. What a nightmare – this turbine needed to stay up through an Antarctic winter, and as it was it probably wouldn’t survive the week.

Read more