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| 2000 Team |
Bert Yankielun
Electrical Engineer
Cold Regions
Research and Engineering Lab
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hi, my friends call me Bert. I'm an electrical engineer doing research, developing and building radar systems that look into the ground, snow cover, or ice to see what is hidden beneath the surface. I enjoy using the equipment I develop in my laboratory out in the field to learn new things about the earth. These radar systems provide important data and information to other scientists who study the earth, climate, snow, and glaciers. In Antarctica we will use a radar system to find locations along our route where the subsurface ice conditions and structure are suitable for experiments by other scientists on the team. We'll also use radar as we travel along to look for crevasses, so we won't fall in.
I have made several trips to Arctic Alaska during the early spring months and I once spent a month camping out on the snow-covered tundra north of the Arctic Circle. We traveled 125 miles (200 km) while using a radar system I designed to measure the thickness of the snow and view the stratigraphy (layers of accumulated snow from different storms and drifting). I have also spent three weeks camped on a glacier in Alaska using a radar I built to look at layering in the glacial ice. On another trip to Alaska, I used one of my radar systems from a helicopter, to look into glacial ice. Flying over the glacier was fun but despite my many adventures in Alaska I have never seen a polar bear in the wild.
I have been to Antarctica once before; on a six-week scientific ocean cruise during the late Antarctic autumn (April-May). There, I used a radar that I designed to measure the snow depth on top of the sea ice. The days were very short -- only two or three hours of daylight every 24 hours, and the temperatures were as low as -30 °F (-34 °C). We spent lots of time working onboard the ship and even got to go out on the sea ice to take measurements of snow depth and ice thickness. On that trip I saw many penguins.
I love winter and enjoy hiking, skiing, and camping. I'm a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT), a handy first aid skill to have when spending time far away from civilization. I also plan to bring an amateur radio station on this trip and use it to talk to folks back home -- if time and conditions permit. If you are an amateur radio operator and hear KC4/WA1O on the air, (my radio call letters in Antarctica) give me a call!
