Environmental Monitoring at Mawsons Huts

One of the tasks for the materials conservator on this years expedition has been to download the data collected by the two datalogging systems which monitor temperature, relative humidity and vibration in the hut and upgrade the system initially installed in 1999. The systems have been measuring and storing the data on these three parameters since the 2006 expedition left, continuing the long term monitoring program which began in 1999. The information collected has been important in the development of the long term preservation strategy for Mawsons Huts. Analysis of this years data will indicate the effect, if any, that last years over cladding of the roof of the main living area has had on the internal environment. Two systems were used, a stand alone series of data loggers which were each removed and downloaded separately and a centralised logging system which transmitted data from several sensors to a central datalogger. This second system has been designed to transmit the data via modem and satellite phone to Australian based researchers so that conditions within the huts can be monitored during the year. The centralised system required a new satillite phone and modem, as well as an upgrade of the sensors. The old sensors having been exposed to such extreme conditions are at the end of their life and their accuracy is expected to be declining. With the help of Tony, our medic, who has secret skills in the field of electronics, the new phone and modem have been installed and the old sensors are currently being checked for accuracy. Once the best of the old sensors have been identified, five new sensors and a sixth old sensor will be selected for installation; two will be installed externally and four internally in the workshop and the main living area. The two original external sensors which were important for establishing the relationship between the outside environment and the interior environment of the hut had been damaged by the weight of accumulated snow so the trick is finding a location on the exterior which won't be submerged by snow drifts but that can be accessed easily enough to both bolt the sensors in position and feed the cabling through an existing aperture in the hut to the datalogger. Given that last years team were confronted with the huts buried to their peaks in snow this might be a shade difficult, however we will give it a go. Michelle Berry, Materials Conservator