The object in the image below, propped up on a bench for maintenance, might not look like much. But that brass weight is a very important object for life at the South Pole. Without it, they wouldn’t have a source of drinking water. It contains heaters that melt ice in the Rodwell, a large reservoir below the surface that recirculates heated water to maintain the well’s operation. Overall, last week was fairly busy at the Pole. IceCube’s winterovers completed several Upgrade calibration operations and carried out the monthly IceTop DOM calibrations. The station had an emergency response training exercise that involved a simulated glycol leak and practice with the associated decontamination procedure.
