Human Waste

December 7, 2008

A lot of people have been asking about basic amenities in our field camp. One of the most basic systems is human waste, so I think it deserves a few words.

Nothing decomposes in Antarctica, so all waste is shipped out. Inside our outhouse is a foam seat over a plastic bucket. When the bucket fills up, you close it, put it outside to freeze, and start a new one. The frozen buckets go out on the next available helicopter to McMurdo Station, where they are put on a ship to Washington state for disposal. A funnel takes urine from the outhouse to a barrel, where it is stored with other gray water.

If you have to go #2 while you’re in the penguin colony, tough luck. Human waste can’t be left there, and it’s a 45-minute hike uphill back to the hut. In an emergency, we take poo bags to carry it home. The threat of such unpleasantness is great motivation for a regular bowel schedule. If you need to pee at night, we have “pee bottles” (a Nalgene with the letter P written on the side). Mistaking a pee bottle for your water bottle is one way to become legendary in Antarctica.

Today was sunny and calm, and, for the first time in nine days, I changed my underwear. I found a penguin nest with three eggs, which either means both parents are female (which happens quite regularly, actually), or one of the eggs was stolen from another nest. Kirsten saw a penguin with its leg missing, bleeding and limping around on the beach, no doubt a Leopard Seal victim. Chicks are hatching all over the place. Life continues.