Antarctic Acronyms, Abbrevs, & Lingo
I've spent 3 summer seasons (Oct - Feb) working at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. From the second you arrive on station you are bombarded with ridiculous amounts of acronyms, abbreviations, and lingo. It's pretty overwhelming. This is a growing list, so please help me fill it out by leaving a comment if you there's something missing. Also keep in mind that the ALL CAPS items are pronounced by sounding-out each letter individually, accept when specified {inside curly brackets}.
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155 [the main building on station: dorms, galley, etc]
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AGAP [Antarctic GAmburtsev Province, field camp - {a gap}]
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AGE [Air Ground Equipment]
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Andrill [Antarctic Drilling Project]
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ANG [Air National Guard]
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Apple [red, domed, igloo-like, fiberglass, warming hut]
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ARG [Acronym Reduction Group]
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Arrival Heights [strange, off-limits area near Hut Point Loop trail]
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ATO [Antarctic Terminal Operations, Cargo Handlers]
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Bag Drag [checking your luggage the day before you leave]
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Basler [Retrofitted Douglas DC-3s, smallish passenger plane]
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Beaker [scientist - see Grantee]
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Bertha [the 20-foot beast of a dishwasher in the Galley]
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BFC [Berg Field Center, issues all gear for field camps]
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Big Red [big, red, puffy, coat issued to all as part of ECW]
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Boomerang [a flight that has to turn around after take-off]
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Boondoggle [any outing away from the usual work routine]
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Bunny Boots [large, white, rubber boots; part of ECW]
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C-17 [large, jet-powered military cargo plane]
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C-130 or Herc [medium, prop-powered military cargo plane]
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Carp [Carpenter]
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Castle Rock [1400-foot bold rock crag, hikable from McMurdo]
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CDC [Clothing Distribution Center in CHC]
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The Chalet [the main NSF & RPSC administrative building]
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CHC [Christchurch, NZ - {cheech}]
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COD [Crush Of the Day]
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Condition 1-3 [weather: 3 = good, 2 = bad, 1 = horrible]
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Crary [Building 001, the main science lab on station]
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Crud [a general sickness that makes you feel like crud]
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DA [Dining Attendant, all-purpose Galley Slave]
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Day Bar [bar hours for the MidRats - 7am to noon]
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Day Sleeper [night shift worker - see MidRats]
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Delta [wierd old Navy transport vehicle]
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DHQ [Denver Headquarters, home office for RPSC]
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DNF [Do Not Freeze, a type of cargo]
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DV [Distinguished Visitor, usually a government official]
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ECW [Extreme Cold Weather gear, issued at the CDC]
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eFoot Plan [must be filled out for some hikes around McMurdo]
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Erebus [Mount Erebus, a 14,000-foot active volcano]
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Fata Morgana [a mirage really far out on the sea ice]
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FEMC [Facitlities, Engineering, Maintenance, & Construction]
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FDX boots [a newer, bluer version of Bunny Boots]
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Fines [very fine-grained volcanic sand used as non-slip]
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Fleet Ops [truck fleet & heavy equipment operations]
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FNG [Fucking New Guy, a new person on station - {fingee}]
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Freshies [perishable foods delivered weekly from CHC]
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Frosty Boy [soft serve ice cream]
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FTSP [Field Safety Training Program - {f stop}]
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Fuelie [Fuels Operator]
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GA [General Assistant, all-purpose laborer]
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Gallagher's [Gallagher's Pub, the non-smoking bar]
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Galley [Old Navy term used to describe the dining facility]
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Gear Issue [free gear rental: skis, climbing shoes, costumes]
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Gerbil Gym [the workout facility with a focus on treadmills]
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Goat Trail [dirt path connecting main FEMC shop to Carp Shop]
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Golf Ball [weird communications structure]
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Grantee [scientist who got a grant from the NSF]
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Green Brain [small green notebook given to everyone]
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Happy Camper [basic field camp survival training]
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HazWaste [Hazardous Waste]
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Helo Ops [Helicopter Operations]
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Highway 1 and 2 [the two main hallways in 155]
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HoCal or Hotel Cal [Hotel California, Building 166, dormitory]
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House Mouse [community janitorial duties during winter]
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Hut 10 [a small house that can be reserved for private parties]
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Hut Point [the location of Scott's Discovery Hut, a nice walk]
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The Ice [Antarctica]
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Ice Pier [a pier made of ice, where the supply ships dock]
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Ice Shelf [a floating platform of ice, hundreds of feet thick]
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Ivan [the Terra Bus, a very large bus]
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Jamesway [portable, rigid-frame, insulated, dome tent]
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Jano [Janitor]
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KBA [Kenn Borek Air, Canadian air support sub-contractor]
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Kiwi [New Zealander]
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LDB [Long Duration Balloon project]
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Little Red [stripped-down windbreaker version of Big Red]
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MAAG [McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery - {maug}]
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Mac Ops [Field Operation Communications Center (FOCC)]
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Mattracks [rubber track conversion systems for 4x4 vehicles]
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MCC [Movement Control Center, mainly around runways]
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MCI [Mass Casualty Incident, also a training simulation drill]
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MCM [McMurdo Station, the largest base in Antarctica]
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MEC [Mechanical Equipment Center]
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MedEvac [Medical Evacuation]
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Mid-Rats [Midnight Rations, also 3rd shifters themselves]
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MMI [Mammouth Mountain Inn, Building 188, dormitory]
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Muffin Monster [macerator, chops up waste as it enters WWTP]
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NANA [Galley, Housing, & Rec sub-contractor - {neh nuh}]
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NAVCHAPS [Navy Cargo Handling Personnel - {nav chaps}]
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NPX [South Pole Station, usually referred to simply as Pole]
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NSF [National Science Foundation]
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OAE [Old Antarctic Explorer, special status for program veterans]
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Ob Hill [Observation Hill, a popular climbing spot near town]
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Oden [the Icebreaker, opens the channel for resupply vessels]
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Off-Load [Cargo & Supply operations with The Vessel, early Feb]
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Ops [Operations]
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Pax [passengers]
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Pegasus [Runway, primarily for landing C-17s]
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Pickle [small forklift]
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PistenBully [a weird-looking vehicle with tracks like a tank]
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POC [Point Of Contact]
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Polar Plunge [a refreshing dip into sub-freezing water]
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Polie [South Pole worker]
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PQ [Physically Qualified, physically approved for deployment]
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Pressure Ridges [collision of the ice shelf and the sea ice]
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RPSC [Raytheon Polar Services Company, primary contractor]
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RTSC [Raytheon Technical Service Company, parent of RPSC]
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SAR [Search And Rescue {sar}]
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Scott Base [Kiwi base between McMurdo & Willy Field]
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Sea Ice [frozen ocean, usually thaws out each summer]
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Skua [large brown scavanger seagull, also Antarctic Freecycle]
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Slim [steam sanitizer in the Pot Room]
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SOPP [?]
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Southern [Southern Exposure, the smoking bar]
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SSC [Science Support Center]
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The Tanker [fuel resupply vessel]
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TDY [Temporary Duty, off-ice office work at DHQ]
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Transition [where a road spans the transition from rock to ice]
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Twin Otter [small passenger plane]
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Uppercase Dorms [the 3-story dormitories]
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USAP [United States Antarctic Program]
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The Vessel [general resupply ship: frozen & dry foods, parts, etc]
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VMF [Vehicle Maintenance Facility, also called the Heavy Shop]
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Wastie [Trash Collector & Sorter]
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WAIS [West Antarctic Ice Sheet, deep field camp]
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Willy Field [Williams Field Runway: C-130s, Baslers, Twin Otters]
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WinFly [Winter Fly-in, the transition between Winter & Summer]
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WWTP [Waste Water Treatment Plant]
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Yak Tracks [detachable grips for the bottom of your shoes]
Comments
Great.
This is a great list, e.
What about NANA? I sort of think COD (crush of the day) should be included for posterity. AND you forgot a BIG one, Big Red... Ice Wings, Apple (warming hut), and what do they call a mass casualty drill, I know there was an abbrev for that. Slim (in the pot room). Golf Ball (weird NASA thing on the hill).
Oh, little red (windbreaker)
Thanks, Ruby!
Ah, great list!
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