World holds its breath for Russian scientists drilling in Antarctic (No Contact)

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | February 4, 2012 | Rob Cooper and Thomas Durante

[PJ-Comix]

The scientific community is holding its breath for a team of Russian scientists that has been out of contact with colleagues in the U.S for six days, as they drill into a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 20 million years.

They have to evacuate their station by Tuesday - when winter proper kicks in and temperatures start to drop to an inhospitable minus 90C.

The scientists are currently battling conditions of up to minus 66C at Lake Vostok as they raced to drill into a lake buried two miles beneath the ice before the weather closed in.

They were hoping water in the lake, the most inhospitable region of the planet, would reveal more about ancient life on our planet - but they have fallen silent just days before the deadly winter is due to begin.

[Salamander]

Separated at birth?

[Larry Lucido]

Yeah just realized antarctic is the other way.

But then....how does “winter proper” start on Tuesday?

Again, ignorant.

[KarlInOhio]

The world's lowest temperature was -89.2°C at Vostok Station, so the article's estimate of -90°C is pretty close.

[Justa]

Gee, lets see, drill into a lake with millions of tons of ice pressing down on it. What could go wrong? Look for the scientists at the bottom of the ice volcano.

[cripplecreek]

Rong rost ruv child.

[palmer]

Antarctica had an unusual cold snap. Could be Gore effect because he is visiting another part of that continent. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/02/02/the-gore-effect-kicks-in-plus-ca-change/

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Something swallowed them up. The Creature from the Antarctic. /s

It is definately creepy.***

Giant maneating penguins like in AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by H P LOVECRAFT.

[unkus]

Look for the scientists at the bottom of the ice volcano.

---

In that case, they’ll never be found.

[KarlInOhio]

Yeah, that doesn't make sense. Around here the highest temperatures of the year are in late July. so maybe the author is confused about when the average temperature peaks and starts to go downhill vs.. "the start of winter". Weatherundergroud.com predicts that it will get up to a balmy -26°F next weekend.

[jjotto]

http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/antarctica%20environment/climate_graph/vostok_south_pole_mcmurdo.htm

[Ditto]

Maybe their radio is broken? Just a thought.

But I do hope they are ok. It's a job I wouldn't want.

[crghill]

Pflr

[Semper911]

conditions of up to minus 66C

That's some serious shrinkage right there.

[ml/nj]

Those temperatures must be Fahrenheit(F) not Centigrade(C)..

At -40 they're equal.

I.e. -40F = -40C.

ML/NJ

[Fightin Whitey]

Last line of story: “Former Vice President Al Gore is currently on an unrelated expedition near the Weddell Sea with Virgin magnate Richard Branson, filmmaker James Cameron and dozens of others.”

One: God only knows what role the Abominable Goreman might have played in the Russian scientist mystery.

Two: Beyond all that, how ineffably stupid must Cameron, Branson et al. actually be to be stuck on a South Pole expedition with that stupid boring lying bloated gaseous bag of s-—?

Heaven help us all with men like that in positions of influence.

[Treeless Branch]

I... Can’t... Breathe... (Based on the headline).

[cripplecreek]

C'mon people, let's be rational. They've obviously found the entrance to hollow earth and are relaxing in a tropical paradise.

[nascarnation]

it is safe to make yellow snow

I've been in Canada doing cold weather vehicle testing when it was -40 and no way I'm pulling out my junk to test that premise.

[mardi59]

God be with these men.

This terrifies me. I just thought of that movie “The Thing” with Kurt Russell and it gave me the chills.

I hope they are okay.

[HiTech RedNeck]

“Winter proper” in the Southern Hemisphere would begin in late June, no?

I think they’re just talking about this storm. Even the summers in Antarctica are frighteningly frigid.

Scientist-sicles. You’d think they’d keep constantly on the radio or something.