Good day all, welcome to another thrilling update from the oil patch of Iraq...today we are going to discuss climate and entomology. I hope that you enjoy it...
Let me tell you about summer in Basra, Iraq...it is hot, very hot! Today it is 51 degrees C (that's 124 degrees Farenheit for those of us from the US). It is like walking out into a blast furnace everytime you leave a building to venture outside. It literally steals your breath away like being puched in the ribs by some hot-handed brute. It actually makes your insides feel hot, and your exhalation seems cool as it blows back onto your skin. Let me tell you something else about the summer here...it is windy, very windy! Everyday for the past ten days (I am told) we have experienced 30 to 40 knot winds ALL day. These winds, called shamals, carry sand and pebbles, so you feel raw if you spend too much time out in them. If I were a man more vain perhaps I would appreciate the natural exfoliation as it would save me some time at night using masks and creams to rid myself of my layer of dead skin; sadly as I am not THAT guy I just find it annoying as hell. Just for fun and to give a bit more information on them, here is what Wikipedia has to say:
"A shamal is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter. The resulting wind typically creates large sandstorms that impact Iraq, most sand having been picked up from Jordan and Syria...
According to folklore, the first major shamal occurring around May 25 is known as the Al-Haffar, or driller, since it drills huge depressions in desert sand dunes. The second, arriving in early June, coincides with the dawn star, Thorayya (Pleiades), and is therefore named Barih Thorayya. During this event, which is more violent than the others, fishermen usually remain in port because ancient folklore tells them that this wind devours ships. Near the end of June, the last shamal arrives, known as the Al-Dabaran, or the follower. It is violent and continues for several days. Local residents keep doors and windows firmly shut as this shamal includes an all-penetrating fine dust which gets into everything."
The interesting thing here for me is that the sand which is rubbing me raw and invading my clothes and sleeper trailer comes from as far away as the ergs of the Kingdom of Jordan and the bloody mess that is Syria. It is almost like travelling to these places without travelling at all...I will bring home the sands of the entire Middle East from the relative comforts of the base here in Basra.
Heavy winds are anathema to shooting a land seismic survey as the geophones register the winds creating huge amounts of noise in the data; seeing as we are here to shoot seismic and not to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of this place it is frustrating to go on standby every day due to wind noise.
That brings me to another fun fact about the deserts of Iraq...nothing grows here; there is no green as far as the eyes can see in any direction, just windswept hardpan, rusting tanks and cars and oil drums, and the occasional oilfield structure. Despite the absolute and austere desolation of the place insects and creepy-crawling things seem to exist in greater abundance and variety here than in almost anywhere else I have ever been. Beetles and crickets and spiders and centipedes and scorpions and moths and flies and mosquitoes abound here in the land of nowhere. There are all varieties...beetles are huge, hulking black tanks as well as little petite dung beetles and medium sized metallic flashy beetles. It strikes me as amusing that the morning brings a landscape in the yard riddled with the dessicated corpses of all these beatles which mirrors the greater landscape where tanks and cars rust out in the sun slowing decomposing to rust. There seems to be all sorts of crickets of varying size and each seems to have something to say throughout the twilight hours. There are terrifying looking centipedes here, though the largest specimen I have seen was only about three inches long. I have only seen a single scorpion, but it was black and armored and roughly the size of my palm...a nasty looking thing. Last night I saw a moth as large as a bat...I don't know what I would have done if it had landed on me, perhaps the camp would have thought that our first female had come to visit. And the flies, the air is simply thick with them; it is thoroughly disusting. And that brings me to the spiders...spiders are everywhere and of all shapes and sizes. Most appear relatively unworrisome, but you come across the occassional one which definitely looks like it means business. I saw an enormous wolf spider last night (at least I think it was a wolf spider, all hairy and with fangs that you could clearly see). Lastly, there is my least favorite denizen of all, the camel spider, or more correctly the solifugid or wind scorpion. These creatures look like ten-legged mutant ninja spiders...they have huge mandibles which are absolutely razor sharp and are said to have the strongest bite per weight of any animal in the world. They are aggresive too, like they don't know their own size (they can be quite large...I saw one about the size of my fist yesterday), so they have a tendency to charge at you if you startle them. One charged me a couple of days ago, and I believe that my jump might have medalled me in both the High- and Long-jumps at the Olympics on a bad year. God, but I do hate nearly all of these things...too many things to bite you, too many things to discover as unwelcome bedmates.
Turns out that we also seem to have developed a bit of a snake infestation in camp as well, so that's really great. I haven't seen one yet myself, but many have encountered them sitting under stairs or sunning in the yard. Luckily I have little real fear of snakes, though obviously I respect their ability to hurt you.
So, those are my thoughts on Iraq for today...it is still early yet, so perhaps a new adventure or challenge will arise before the day is done to populate a posting for tomorrow. I sure hope so...life out here can get a bit dull if you don't look for things to keep you occupied and interested.
Let me tell you about summer in Basra, Iraq...it is hot, very hot! Today it is 51 degrees C (that's 124 degrees Farenheit for those of us from the US). It is like walking out into a blast furnace everytime you leave a building to venture outside. It literally steals your breath away like being puched in the ribs by some hot-handed brute. It actually makes your insides feel hot, and your exhalation seems cool as it blows back onto your skin. Let me tell you something else about the summer here...it is windy, very windy! Everyday for the past ten days (I am told) we have experienced 30 to 40 knot winds ALL day. These winds, called shamals, carry sand and pebbles, so you feel raw if you spend too much time out in them. If I were a man more vain perhaps I would appreciate the natural exfoliation as it would save me some time at night using masks and creams to rid myself of my layer of dead skin; sadly as I am not THAT guy I just find it annoying as hell. Just for fun and to give a bit more information on them, here is what Wikipedia has to say:
"A shamal is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter. The resulting wind typically creates large sandstorms that impact Iraq, most sand having been picked up from Jordan and Syria...
According to folklore, the first major shamal occurring around May 25 is known as the Al-Haffar, or driller, since it drills huge depressions in desert sand dunes. The second, arriving in early June, coincides with the dawn star, Thorayya (Pleiades), and is therefore named Barih Thorayya. During this event, which is more violent than the others, fishermen usually remain in port because ancient folklore tells them that this wind devours ships. Near the end of June, the last shamal arrives, known as the Al-Dabaran, or the follower. It is violent and continues for several days. Local residents keep doors and windows firmly shut as this shamal includes an all-penetrating fine dust which gets into everything."
The interesting thing here for me is that the sand which is rubbing me raw and invading my clothes and sleeper trailer comes from as far away as the ergs of the Kingdom of Jordan and the bloody mess that is Syria. It is almost like travelling to these places without travelling at all...I will bring home the sands of the entire Middle East from the relative comforts of the base here in Basra.
Heavy winds are anathema to shooting a land seismic survey as the geophones register the winds creating huge amounts of noise in the data; seeing as we are here to shoot seismic and not to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of this place it is frustrating to go on standby every day due to wind noise.
 |
| This is what I landed in yesterday, and they result from the shamal winds. Seriously, it looked just like this. |
That brings me to another fun fact about the deserts of Iraq...nothing grows here; there is no green as far as the eyes can see in any direction, just windswept hardpan, rusting tanks and cars and oil drums, and the occasional oilfield structure. Despite the absolute and austere desolation of the place insects and creepy-crawling things seem to exist in greater abundance and variety here than in almost anywhere else I have ever been. Beetles and crickets and spiders and centipedes and scorpions and moths and flies and mosquitoes abound here in the land of nowhere. There are all varieties...beetles are huge, hulking black tanks as well as little petite dung beetles and medium sized metallic flashy beetles. It strikes me as amusing that the morning brings a landscape in the yard riddled with the dessicated corpses of all these beatles which mirrors the greater landscape where tanks and cars rust out in the sun slowing decomposing to rust. There seems to be all sorts of crickets of varying size and each seems to have something to say throughout the twilight hours. There are terrifying looking centipedes here, though the largest specimen I have seen was only about three inches long. I have only seen a single scorpion, but it was black and armored and roughly the size of my palm...a nasty looking thing. Last night I saw a moth as large as a bat...I don't know what I would have done if it had landed on me, perhaps the camp would have thought that our first female had come to visit. And the flies, the air is simply thick with them; it is thoroughly disusting. And that brings me to the spiders...spiders are everywhere and of all shapes and sizes. Most appear relatively unworrisome, but you come across the occassional one which definitely looks like it means business. I saw an enormous wolf spider last night (at least I think it was a wolf spider, all hairy and with fangs that you could clearly see). Lastly, there is my least favorite denizen of all, the camel spider, or more correctly the solifugid or wind scorpion. These creatures look like ten-legged mutant ninja spiders...they have huge mandibles which are absolutely razor sharp and are said to have the strongest bite per weight of any animal in the world. They are aggresive too, like they don't know their own size (they can be quite large...I saw one about the size of my fist yesterday), so they have a tendency to charge at you if you startle them. One charged me a couple of days ago, and I believe that my jump might have medalled me in both the High- and Long-jumps at the Olympics on a bad year. God, but I do hate nearly all of these things...too many things to bite you, too many things to discover as unwelcome bedmates.
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| Camel Spiders...the WORST! |
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| Can you dig why they freak me out so much? |
Turns out that we also seem to have developed a bit of a snake infestation in camp as well, so that's really great. I haven't seen one yet myself, but many have encountered them sitting under stairs or sunning in the yard. Luckily I have little real fear of snakes, though obviously I respect their ability to hurt you.
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| Looks cute right, snuggled into this guy's boot...sadly, very venomous. |
So, those are my thoughts on Iraq for today...it is still early yet, so perhaps a new adventure or challenge will arise before the day is done to populate a posting for tomorrow. I sure hope so...life out here can get a bit dull if you don't look for things to keep you occupied and interested.
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