Travel day!

Time to head south for the summer!  I will be leaving this afternoon to begin my long journey south; I will fly from Baltimore, MD, stop in Atlanta, Georgia, and then carry on to Buenos Aires, Argentina (I posted my flight path in an earlier entry).  The flight to Buenos Aires is a little over 10 hours long and is an over night flight.  Once arriving in Buenos Aires, where it is currently summer (75-80 degrees F), I will board another plane to Ushuaia, Argentina--the southern-most city in the world.  Though it is also summer in Ushuaia (and throughout the Southern Hemisphere) it will be cooler in Ushuaia than Buenos Aires as it is much further south (it is currently 48 degrees F in Ushuaia). 


So, including layovers I will be traveling for about 24 hours, arriving in Ushuaia tomorrow afternoon.


To answer Zach's question from Troy, Kansas: Are you in a different time zone? If so which one? Argentina is on ART (Argentina Time) which is 2 hours later than Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the United States.  Antarctica's standard time is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and does not operate under daylight savings time.  The time zone varies around Antarctica--many bases and stations tend to use the time zone from their home country (see map).  However, on ships one usually operates in the time zone from the port of departure which for me will be ART.


What is the weather going to be like in the Antarctic Peninsula?  Today, the max temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula is right around 35 degrees F.  In comparison, the current temperature at the South Pole is -26 degrees F, brrrrr!
If you would like to follow weather conditions in the region in which I will be traveling, click here and look for the weather at Palmer Station.  

Care for a dip?

Michael from Troy, Kansas asked: How cold is the water in the Antarctic Peninsula?  The average water temperature is about 33 degrees F.  Salt water freezes at a much lower temperature than fresh; ocean water needs to drop below 28 degrees F before it will start to freeze.  Many brave souls traveling in the Antarctic Peninsula do the "Polar Plunge" while at Deception Island...jumping into the freezing cold water in bathing suits!  For the sake of comparison, the ocean temperature off of the mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. is about 50 degrees F right now.


Want to know more about Antarctica?  Check out: http://www.coolantarctica.com