2022-2023 Science Planning Summary
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2022-2023 USAP Field Season
Project Detail

Project Title

Dry Valley seismic project


Bull Pass. Photo by Dave Haney, courtesy of the NSF/USAP Photo Library.  Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
G-078-M Research Location(s): Bull Pass, Dry Valleys.

Summary

Event Number:
G-078-M
NSF/PLR-DoD MOA

Program Director:
Dr. Michael Jackson

ASC POC/Implementer:
John Rand / Jenny Cunningham


Principal Investigator(s)

Mr. Paul A Bertrand
paul.bertrand@us.af.mil
United States Air Force
AFTAC


Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: Bull Pass, Dry Valleys.


Description

The Dry Valley seismic project monitors regional and global seismicity. The Dry Valleys' stations near McMurdo Station are part of the Air Force Technical Applications Center’s (AFTAC) southern network, which accumulates near-real-time data from nine locations in the Southern Hemisphere. The data are transmitted to the National Data Center in Florida and made available to the international scientific community.


Field Season Overview

Four participants will deploy to accomplish maintenance activities at the AFTAC seismic stations at Mount Newall and Bull Pass. They will first focus on Mt. Newall, putting in to camp there with a substantial load of new batteries to be installed. They will spend nearly two weeks there working on the battery install and Hybrid Power System (HPS), with one trip back to McMurdo in between for a few nights to resupply and work on equipment. The team will then move to the camp at Bull Pass for two weeks to work on HPS and seismic equipment maintenance there. All movements of personnel and cargo to and from the field will be supported by helicopters. At McMurdo, the team will review inventory and conduct data path maintenance on their telemetry and computer systems.


Deploying Team Members

  • Evan Estrada (Team Leader)