Palmer Station SitRep for Period Ending 4 April 79

1. Fuel Consumption: 1467 /Tank one 78,845/Tank two 89,083/ Total DFM on hand (less day tanks) 167,928/Day tanks 6,000.
2. Station population 10/Hero 25
3. Power Readings: High 85.8 VA/Low 48.0 KVA/ Avg 61.9 KVA.
4. Weather: High temp 2C(2)/Low temp -2C(29,30,31,1,3,4)/Avg temp -1C/High pressure .1012.8 MB (1)/ Low pressure 977.5 MB (3) / Avg pressure 977.3 MB/peak wind 15 m/s at 210 deg (4)/ Avg wind 4 m/s prevailing wind dir 30 deg/avg cld cvr 9/10 nmbr of clear days 0/ nmbr prtly cldy days 2 / nmber cldy days 5 / nmbr days visibility less then 400 mtrs 0.
5. Winter at Palmer Station officially began on Friday morning, 30 March, when R/V Hero steamed out of sight around Bonaparte Point. The previous day had been spent loading Hero and trying to organize the aftermath of a busy summer. Winterover krill were transferred from the KARLs to Tanks in the wet lab by S-008 (McWhinnie) personnel. The two aquarium buildings were drained and winterized. A station meeting/pizza party was held that night to explain travel arrangements to departing personnel and to prepare digestive systems for the voyage across the Drake. Watching the Hero pull away from the dock was as strange and exciting as had been imagined. Warm good-byes were exchanged with the people who were headed northward, and then it was winter. The afternoon was spent remarking on how quite it was. The weather gods took Hero’s departure as their cue and have provided low temperatures, high winds, and the first real accumulation of snow throughout the week. Hero’s mooring lines were pulled in, measured, and stored on the hose rack near the bulk tanks. New lines will be fabricated for next season. Two full days of cleaning and floor waxing had the station looking more like a home then ever. Duane built an enormous parachute tent (with central heating) over the Galion crane and has been rebuilding the engine. Cull’s cold weather cuisine prepared a memorable surf and turf dinner on Monday night. A berm was built out of pallets to elevate the drums of biodegradable waste above the drifting snow. Jerry started work on his reorganization of biosupply and winterized doors that had been letting little snowdrifts into the building. The submersible pump in the fresh water pond froze up on Tuesday night, and Pat and Jerry had it thawed out and pumping by Wednesday. The pump will be stored indoors after usage from now on. A faulty thermostat on the cooling tower for generator number one was replaced with a substitute and is now 100 per cent operational. Jon Wells ran tests on the MARS net and we are now able to send and receive marsgrams via teletype. Many thanks to all the folks who have made this a successful summer season.
   Regards, Konecki