You have to be careful to drink lots of fluids when you work here. Every winter a research team travels to Antarctica to study the ice flow. Since we want to understand why glaciers are changing, we tend to work on the most active glaciers. We take professional mountaineers, folks who climb mountains and cross glaciers. They know how to work the ropes and stay safe in heavily crevassed regions.
Crevasses are narrow, deep cracks in the glacier.
It is dangerous if it is covered with weak snow because the bridge might break if we step on it. To measure motion on a glacier, we work in teams of 5. This work is done only on very clear days. We all wear crash helmets that are sturdier than motorcycle helmets. We attach harnesses around our shoulders and legs so that we are secured by many points on our bodies.