Article
BAMOS May 2026
9
Balloon launches were a regular part of the rhythm on station, and easily one of the more memorable aspects of the job. There’ s something uniquely grounding about preparing and releasing a radiosonde in that environment, handling delicate equipment, watching the balloon rise steadily into an endless sky, and knowing that the data it collects will travel far beyond the isolated coastline of Davis Station, up to 30 km into the atmosphere. Even on more challenging days, with wind tugging at the balloon or bitingly cold temperatures, there was a real sense of purpose in getting those launches away successfully.
I looked forward to each Wednesday’ s ozone launch, where we would spend the preceding two weeks preparing the ozonespecific payload, before heading into the office well before the rest of the station community awoke( with the exception of one friendly, yet sleep-deprived chippy) to complete the final preparations and launch the ozonesonde at 12Z or 6am local time. A mere few hours later, our ozone guru Matt Tully, Global Supervisor Atmosphere Watch & Data Delivery at the Bureau, would provide an enthusiastic overview of our data and what that meant in terms of the hole in the ozone layer, both at the present moment and comparatively against yearly and historical trends.
What stood out to me over time was how closely connected you become to the weather you’ re observing. At Davis, you’ re very aware of the patterns shaping each day: the build-up of weather gaining momentum across the Plateau before losing steam across the Vestfold Hills, and at other times arriving with intensity, reshaping the look and feel of the station within hours. Then there are the quieter periods, where everything settles, and the landscape feels vast and still. Experiencing those shifts firsthand adds a layer of understanding that’ s hard to replicate elsewhere.
Looking back, my time at Davis wasn’ t just about developing technical skills, although that certainly came with it. It was about gaining a deeper appreciation for the environment we work in and the role meteorology plays within it. Like Shackleton, I embraced an Antarctic winter to reach beyond my comfort zone and find where I fit in – and oddly enough, it turns out that place lies somewhere beyond 60 ° S. I can’ t wait to return to the Antarctic, and whatever form that takes, I will always bring the skills I developed during my Bureau season at Davis along in my toolkit. Whilst I hope my scientific contributions to the Antarctic help to understand and conserve it, I also hope we never tame it and that this special place stays as wild and transcendental as it is today.
Typical Davis 11Z weather balloon launch, featuring blue skies and an aesthetic layer of altocumulus. Credit: Kasey Williams