Winter's coming, time to take stock of the cold weather gear...

This video shows how to dress for South Pole weather conditions during the winter (down to -100ºF). Filmed in the library of the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station during winter 2010.

hat tip: Elle

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I've seen people in here in Los Angeles get dressed up like that when the the temperature goes below 50 degrees. They stay home and burn furniture to keep warm if it's below 40 degrees.

It's really hard to burn things at -80F. You better know how to manipulate your fire tetrahedron.

Right! To burn wood, the heat needed to produce the gases is about 460 degrees F above the current temperature if, say you are making smores up at Camp Widjiwagan in August. But to do it at Ice Station Zebra (or whatever) in the dark of the polar night, you've got to raise the wood 620 degrees F. Big difference!

Imagine my distress realizing that the emergency plan for catastrophic events at Ice Station Zebra is white gas. We actually had to heat the fuel before we could burn it.

Tell me how comforting that is for a winter over??!!!

Hmm... if you are at an Antarctic research station together with Curt Russell and find The Thing, making sure it is dead by cremating the organic remains of the alien is going to be difficult :)

BTW, ice is supposed to have several different molecular configurations, depending on things like temperature, pressure, etc. Does any place on Earth get cold enough for ice to assume a different configuration, with different density, etc ?

By Birger Johansson (not verified) on 13 Oct 2010 #permalink

@Birger: Yes, according to Wikipedia. The kind of ice that forms as liquid water freezes is Ice Ih (roman numeral I), which is a hexagonal crystal with a density of 0.917 g/cm^3. At temperatures below 220 K (which is -53 C; I have encountered temperatures that low in Alaska) you can get cubic crystals, Ice Ic, which sometimes occur in clouds and will revert to Ice Ih if heated above 240 K. At low temperatures the lowest energy state is Ice XI, which is orthorhombic; it has been found in Antarctic ice more than 100 years old, and requires temperatures below 240 K. Wikipedia does not give densities for Ice Ic or Ice XI.

By Eric Lund (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Winter is NOT coming. Remember, global warming has melted all the ice, killed all the polar bears, and turned winter into a tropical paradise. Winter is no more. Global warming defeated the cold. Go buy yourself some shorts and have fun at the north pole beach.

By Weatherman (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Actually, from where I sit, winter does indeed appear to not be coming. Should have been here by now. In fact, the last several years have been unbelievably warm. It's almost like the climate has indeed changed and warmed up so the average winter is warmer than it used to be, even if the occasional cold snap still happens now and then.

Summers too. Where I live, having a few days or more over 90 degrees was at one time very unusual. Now, it is very unusual to NOT have a couple of weeks over 90 degrees in the summer. Warmer summers, warmer winters, even if sometimes we have a cool period during the summer and a coldish period during the winter.

At this point even the person who is only capable of seeing the hand in front of his face can't possibly miss that global warming is real. Those who claim it is not are telling lies, plain and simple.

You think stephanie Z would wield a sword and a mask and mark everyone with a Z.

Climate change is real. However, man has nothing to do with it. Well, there was this one time a long time ago when the entire earth's climate changed and has never been the same since. Just ask Noah what it must have been like to see water falling from the sky (it had never rained before). Now, that's global climate change.

All the eco-nazis just kiss my big ole hairy stale butt if they think I'm going to give up anything on the account of this global sca they are running. I'll keep my real light bulbs and old appliances, and I'll alsom drive a real car and fill it with gasoline that does not have corn in it. How bout that for your "fundaMENTAL transformation"?

Everyone knows this whole game is about redistribution of wealth (communism). That's why no one takes the eco-nazis serious about this. Who wants socialism when we can have freedom? That's satanically insane.

By Weatherman (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Redistribution of wealth = good. Weatherman, you would probably benefit yourself.

Ok. Suppose I would benefit financially. I do not feel right STEALING what someone else worked for. That is a crime.

If you are a Marxist, you are very dangerous. Marxists are not Americans, they are anti-Americans.

Ellen. Show me in the constitution where our founders had the authority to consfiscate one's personal belonging and distribute them to whom the government sees fit.Show it to me. I wish to see this myself. I think marxists should have to pay double taxes since they believe in high taxes so much. That or be excommunicated form the country. Marxist though it derived from Satan. Hitler would be proud and so would all other evil tyrants who believe as you do.

Wealth redistribution leads to revolution. If the government starts illegally redistributing wealth my suggestion to the welathy would be to close all bank accounts and keep the cahs at home and shut down anything thye own and tell the government to fuck off. Only when govenment acts right, will they re-open thousands of businesses and free up their money. Otherwise thety would rather burn the money and shoot themsleves rather tahn have it stolen from them by a bunch of pesky turd licker government officials. That's what needs to happen. People need to take control of their lives and their own money and tell the government to go fuck a camel and get their paws off our stuff.

My weather prediction for marxist freaks:

Hellfire and brimstone will rain down upon you for your crimes against humanity. Your mass murder (population control), your filthy lies (global warming hoax), your sexual sins (gayism), and your blasphemy (evolution) and your theft (wealth redistribution/socalism/communism).

Oh, Ellen. Also, tell me what country your little dictatorship has worked in? Russia? Vietnam? Germany? Where has it worked. Socialism leads to mass murder every single time. Read your history book and learn something.

By Weatherman (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Ok. Suppose I would benefit financially. I do not feel right STEALING what someone else worked for. That is a crime.

So, every rich person's dollar was obtained by them cleanly? A little progressive taxation is going to hurt the selfish bastards that got where they are stepping on your spindly neck?

If you are a Marxist, you are very dangerous. Marxists are not Americans, they are anti-Americans.

Do you know what Milton Friedman said about "wealth redistribution"?

Greg, do you feel the same way about Geoege Soros?

"pregressive" taxation? What? So, you are going to hike taxes even higher fro those who employ you? Guess who ends up paying your "progressive" tax? The very people (the poor) you say that you defend.

Example: If I make a product that costs me $1000 to make and I charge $1500 for that product, that is a $500 dollar profit. Subtract your massive taxes and it leaves me with about a $175 profit. Guess what? If you increase my taxes, then i increase the price of the product to make the differnece. If you say no, I close the door and everyone looses their job and then you get significantly less revenue in. Your taxation costs jobs, not to mention making merchandise more expensive for those who can barely afford it to start with.

Extra taxation never works. Those who are victims of yor hell in taxes always pass it along to the customers and possibly to the employees. Your way of running things costs the poor more than it costs the wealthy. Greg, you are hurting those you so dearly defend.

I realize there are som poor people in America. However, i know of none. I know people who claim to be poor, but own two or three cars, have cable telelvision, high speed internet, a decent house with modern appliances, a dmaned pesky cells phone with all the bells and whisltes, nice clothes and are fat becuase they always seem to find money to buy thing to stuff in their face.

Most of those items except food, clothing and shelter are not necessities, they are available luxuries. If you can afford luxuries outside of food, clothing, shelter, then you need not deem yourself "poor". Did it sink in?

By Weatherman (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Greg, have you actually gained a second right-wing loon, or does this particular set of meds finally allow the first one to say, "fuck"?