Time-Lapse Movie of the nzTABS Miers Valley site
To capture the dynamics of snowfall and snow accumulation, a time-lapse camera was deployed in the Miers Valley in February 2009. The camera is a Pentax K200D controlled by a special timer and kept inside a custom housing. The set up is powered by a solar panel and three (very big) lithium polymer batteries, although we were all certain at the time that it will not survive the Antarctic winter. Amazingly, after we retrieved the photos from the camera in November 2009, we found that the camera had not only survived, but took photos throughout the year.
In addition to making the mesmerizing movie you see here, the photos were used to examine snow coverage and accumulation on the valley floor. Because the Dry Valleys are more than often under clouds, we cannot rely on satellite imagery for ground snow information, and the deployment of a time-lapse camera over winter (a first for Dry Valley research) has allowed us to obtain some very valuable information that will be incorporated into our biocomplexity model. The camera remains in place in 2010, and we hope to see it clicking away when we visit it during the 10/11 field season!
Each year, Scott Base supports 20 to 30 science projects
