Water is everywhere in Antarctica. In fact, 98% of the continent is covered by ice, enough to raise the sea level by 60 metres, if it were to all melt. This accounts for over 70% of the world’s fresh water supply. Despite this, Antarctica is classified as a desert – the coldest, windiest and driest place on Earth. Annual precipitation can be as low as 2 centimetres per year. But due to the cold temperatures, the water remains frozen as snow and ice and is moved around the continent by the wind.
As we all know, water is essential to our survival; not only for drinking and cooking purposes, but also for the base’s heating system, sewage and showers. Fortunately, we have an ample supply; unfortunately, it is not in a useful form. In order to produce and store liquid water, the snow and ice must first be smelted in the snow smelter or “smelly” and then pumped up to the base into tanks. The smelly is located about 150 metres away from the base so that the prevailing winds can regularly replenish the area with fresh snow. This is also designated a “clean” area so that the snow is not contaminated in any way, because whatever goes in the smelly, ultimately comes out of the tap; there are no fancy filtration or purification systems of which I am aware.
There is no automated way to get the snow into the smelly to make water, so one has to physically be there to shovel the snow into it, an act dubbed “throwing smelly”. This is quite a demanding exercise that is best done in small teams at frequent intervals. I believe the popular song “Everyday I’m shovelling” actually came from this. Less than half the volume of snow that you throw into the smelly is actually converted into water, so one really learns to appreciate the elbow-grease that goes into every drop.
Once the smelter has produced enough water, the tanks have to be emptied by pumping the water up to the base. The smelter is connected to the base’s water tanks via the “smelly-line”, a pipe with a special heating tape inside it to prevent the water from freezing and causing a blockage. Once inside the tanks in the base, the water is distributed to the various essential systems, followed by the toilets, laundry room and showers.
If you do not throw smelly, then there is no water, simple. The laundry facilities and the showers are the first systems to be shut down, if there is a water shortage. This is usually not due to any laziness on the part of the team, but due to the weather. White-out conditions can prevent anybody from going outside and making the trip to the smelly. It is potentially very dangerous to go out in complete white-out conditions, as there is no contrast or reference for you to follow, so you can easily get lost.
When the weather does retreat for a time, one has to seize the opportunity to throw a little smelly. The video shows some of us going out in 35 knot winds. These are considered mild conditions, in fact, had the weather been any worse, I probably would not have been able to film anything because it would just be white.
We threw enough to maybe allow us to wash dishes for a couple more days; I probably will not get a shower until the weather improves though. Oh well.