February 19

Sunday night in McMurdo brought low overcast and snow. This did not look good for the trip tomorrow. There was still no departure time posted. Also, not a good sign.

Snow fall at McMurdo Station.

However, Monday started clear and not too windy. We were told to be at the Post Office at 1pm to be taken to the airplane. That gave us a chance to eat lunch. The more experienced members of the group
recommended that we go by the sandwich bar and get some food for the trip.

Finally we get on the all-terrain bus for the trip to the air strip. It took about an hour. We took the road to Scott Base on the other side of the mountain (see the earlier pictures). Then we drove on the ice shelf on roads marked by flags.

There were seals around Scott Base, which means that there is ocean water under the ice. Not a comforting thought.

We finally arrive at the airport, it that is the right word. There are a few C130 planes parked on the ice. There are a few buildings, a short control tower an a number of containers. The air strip is a groomed path on the ice.

We were discharged from the bus. We were told that we would load in a few hours. In the meantime, we could stand around.

John in front of the C17, waiting to board

It is now clear why we are told to wear all of our cold weather gear. In the background is the airplane. It arrived about noon from Christchurch, New Zealand and will return shortly.

After a while, the plane was unloaded. Then the pallets of our stuff are loaded. Eventually we are invited aboard.

C17 interior, looking towards back

There are over 100 of us on the trip. This is clearly a cargo plane with some sideways mounted web seats. Not as uncomfortable as they look. We were given foam hearing protection; and we needed it.

In C17, looking towards front

The trip to Christchurch took about six hours. Once airborne, we could walk around which was nice. Most of us changed out of our cold gear and put on more comfortable shoes. It is summer in New Zealand, after all.

We arrived at Christchurch about 10pm. It was dark. A new experience for us after such a long time in the far south. We cleared customs then walked the quarter mile or so to the Antarctic Centre where we would leave the cold weather clothes and get our hotel reservations and flight information for the return home.

As with all of the Raytheon organization, everything was organized. By 11pm, we had been taken to the hotels by shuttle. I debated finding a place to eat, but I did not have any NZ dollars, I was not sure what was near the hotel (everything looked closed), and I had a flight out the next morning at 930am.

So, I got shower and went to sleep. I left the window open to smell plants and experience humidity.

Tuesday is Valentines Day. For me, it lasted two days. Many of us left Christchurch for Auckland, about an hour flying time. We spent about 6 hours in Auckland, New Zealand before boarding a flight that afternoon for Los Angeles, California.

The overnight flight (about 12 hrs) landed in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning (Valentines Day). We got back the day we had lost on the boat when we crossed the International Date line.

After a few hours in Los Angeles, I went to Dallas, Texas, then to Norfolk, Virginia. I arrived on time about 10pm.

That was tuesday night. My old life has resumed, although it is taking me a while to return to this time zone. As I have mentioned before, time did not have much meaning to me. I am not sure what my time zone was.

Well, that was my Ross Sea adventure. We have more work to do to analyzed the observations made on the cruise. There will be a couple of years of meetings, analysis, writing papers and giving
presentations.

Thanks for your interest in this trip.

February 11

We arrived in McMurdo station yesterday morning (picture below). We left the ship around noon and were assigned rooms in McMurdo Housing. By early afternoon, we had our bags moved and we became tourists.

McMurdo Station is at the end of the summer season. Many of the science camps are closed and people and equipment has moved back to the station. The current population, according to a bulletin board is about 1000 people. The supply ships will be here in a week or so. And then, most people will leave the station, except those who overwinter.

One of the first spots to visit is Scott's hut, which was built the first time R.F. Scott came to this place. It was used several times by other groups coming to Antarctica trying to reach the South Pole. We were able to go inside (Dennis arranged for the guide to come unlock the hut). Some food and equipment is still inside.

Scott's Hut.

About 3 in the afternoon, the Palmer left (picture below) to return to Punta Arenas to get the next science party who are going to the far south of the Weddell Sea (far south Atlantic on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula).

The ice pier was in bad shape. Apparently, the previous winter was not cold enough (or a storm caused it to crack). In any case, they decided to separate it from the land and rebuild it (picture below). (There were a number of other stories of what was going on so I am not sure of the truth). In any case, much of the station came out to watch.

Ice pier being separated from land.

As part of being a tourist, I walked around Observation Hill (yesterday) and climbed Observation Hill (today). From the south side of the hill, you can see Scott Base which is the New Zealand Antarctic Base. It is a cluster of green buildings on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. I took several pictures of the Ross Ice Shelf, but it is too vast to capture in a photography. It is a wide, flat expanse of white that fades into the distance. I don't know how Scott and his party could look into that distance and continue south to the Pole.

Scott base.

In the picture below I am enjoying the hike, with Scott base in the background.

John on Observation Hill.

From the top of Observation Hill, it is possible to see most of McMurdo Station. It has all of the charm of a mining town. It is all snow, ice and dirt. There are vehicles everywhere and they raise dust when they move around. One truck is used to spray water on the road to keep the dust down.

McMurdo Station.

On the top of Observation hill is a cross as a memorial to R.F. Scott and his party who died on the return from the South Pole. The wooden cross (picture below) was erected in 1913. In spite of being 100 years old, it is not the least damaged by time.

Scott cross.

Tonight we take our luggage to the post office to surrender it to the airlift folks. We can keep one bag, along with our cold weather gear which we need to take on the plane.

We are supposed to fly out tomorrow. There are two flights leaving. We will go on the C17 military transport. There is a Boeing 757 which is taking another group. The planes will fly in tomorrow and return to Christchurch, New Zealand in the afternoon. It all depends on weather. We will see how it works.

February 8

Today is a very sunny day. It feels warm outside even though air temperature is around -3C (25F). It helps to stay in the sun, of course.

As we sit here waiting for paperwork and time to go by, we have all taken the habit of whale watching. There is a large open area in the ice behind the ship and whales come there to breath.

Anna, Randy, Bettina, Peter stand at the stern gate (picture below) hoping for that great whale photo. Cold eventually drives us inside but we reappear in an hour or so to try again.

Below are some photos of minke whales. They don't come too far out of the water so you are only able to see part of their back. This is not SeaWorld, after all.

A minke is at surface breathing (see mist).

 

 

A minke along ice edge.

A minke at surface.

Several people have seen orcas at a distance, in the ice rubble farther away but no one has gotten a good picture. Orcas do not visit the open area by the ship for some reason.

Some folks have also seen seals, in particular trying to get out of the water and up on the ice. We have seen very few penguins out here. It may be that we are too far from the colony.

The pictures below show more scenery of rugged mountains surrounding McMurdo Sound and the icebreaker posing in front of Mt Erebus.

Mountains around McMurdo Sound.

Icebreaker in front of Mt. Erebus.

February 7

We met the Italian vessel Italica at around 8am as scheduled. The contract icebreaker was also nearby, but was not needed.

The Italica, our refueling vessel. The icebreaker is in the background.

The Palmer had cut a short channel into the ice for the Italica. It turns out to be more of a freighter than a research vessel. Its main role is to resupply the Italian Antarctic Base at Terra Nova Bay (about 150 miles north of McMurdo Station). It has an ice strengthened hull but the engines are not strong enough to push it through ice of any thickness. However, the Italica made its way into the channel.

The Italica.

With good handling skill, Vladimir, the ice pilot, put the Palmer right next to the Italica. An interesting feature of doing this in the ice is that the sea ice acts as a buffer between the two ships. Notice that the ice between the ships in the picture below is several feet thick.

As the ships were moving into place, a C130 transport plane flew by, I guess on its way to New Zealand. The pilots turned towards the ships to see what was going on.

Within an hour, the two captains and the two chief engineers had discussed fueling and it started. While that was going on, the companies from the two ships socialized. Several scientists had lunch on the Italica. Several members of the Italica party were shown through the Palmer. Then Palmer people visted the Italica. We were tranferred, four at a time, between the two ships in a metal basket lifted by a crane. It reminded me of a carnival ride, with all of its shakes and wobbles.

View of the stern of the Palmer from the Italica.

We were shown the science labs as well as the various sampling equipment. Much of it looked like the ones we have been using. The labs were smaller rooms and scattered about. That is to be expected for a ship originally designed to be a freighter and not a research vessel.

We visited the bridge. Everyone commented on the small wheel that is used to direct the ship. It looked more traditional than the levers and joysticks that area used on the Palmer.  The Italica was originally built in Russia. All of the labels on the bridge were in Russian, with Italian translations posted beside them.

At the end of the tour, we were invited to the galley for a treat. They offered us beer, wine and bottled water, along with nuts and crackers. We chatted with the science party on the boat. A few ounces of wine had a strong effect given our weeks without alcohol.

There were only 14 scientists on board. Typically, there are 30 or more. They had been on the ship about 2 months which is about the same for us. The ship is based in New Zealand. It takes a week or two, depending on weather and sea state, to get to the Italian Base from Christchurch, New Zealand.

They told of harsh conditions in their trip south. Winds and waves were a problem. Ice was in the way, so they had to go far to the east to get around the ice. It took twice as long to get to the Ross Sea as normal.

When they leave us, they will go north to Terra Nova Bay to do a bit more sampling and then get the remaining scientists at the base. On the trip back to New Zealand, they expect to have 100 people on board, It is going to be a very crowded ship.

The visit emphasized how small our social world has become. It was a real treat to talk to new people. There was an instant connection between the two groups. We were each doing similar work. We had similar experiences. We were looking forward to going home. We appreciated good conversation. It was a very nice visit.

The skies cleared during the day. Mount Erebus had only a thin wisp of clouds. I have taken a bunch of pictures and could not resist the urge to share yet another one with you.

Mount Erebus

February 6

We arrived in McMurdo Sound yesterday morning around 2 am. We are about 6 miles from McMurdo Station across a field of fast ice, which is sea ice that is frozen to the land. This sea ice tends to be here year around in most years.

The heavy red line is the ship track.

We will be here for most of a week until we can move to the ice pier at McMurdo station. So, the location maps will not change.  The pier is about 0.2 miles from the station. At that point we will be able to get off the ship and walk to the station. But, not yet.  As you can see from the picture below we are in the sea ice and land is in view.

All science activities stopped yesterday when we got to the fast ice. All of the groups are packing the equipment  that they set up two months ago. No one is complaining because it means that we can go home soon.

So, why are we here? We are waiting for the Italian Antarctic research vessel, Italica. They will offload extra fuel so the Palmer can get back to Punta Arenas, Chile - a two week (more or less) trip. The Italica is supposed to appear some time this morning (it is about 5 am now).

There will be a long discussion between the two ships crews about how to arrange the ships, how to move hoses, how to avoid fuel spills, etc, etc. At some point, the two ships will be placed "starboard side to", which is nautical for "the ships facing opposite direction with the right (starboard) side of the ships next to each other". This might involve a bit of moving around as the Italica is not an ice breaker so the Palmer will help get the Italica in the ice.

I was on the midnight to noon watch. I have started shifting to a "normal" schedule of working during the "day" and sleeping during the "night". It is still light 24 hours so these time are set artificially by the clock and not by any light/dark cues. I had dinner last night for the first time in a while. Dinner is the "fancy" meal with special treats. At least it is not breakfast...

I got up about 4 am and the ship was very quiet. Most of the science party is still asleep. Most of the equipment in the labs has been taken apart and is being packed. The ship is not moving. It is quiet and peaceful--oddly so.

McMurdo Sound is a small embayment (20 to 30 mi wide and about the same long) surrounded by mountains (picture below). Mount Erebus is the most prominent mountain (actually volcano). Most of the mountains have snow fields and glaciers.

The ship is keeping a little forward thrust on the propellers which keeps an area of open water behind the ship. Various people have seen minke whales and orcas surface in the open area. Some skuas have come to visit. Very few penguins have come by.

It is odd to see another ship. The picture below  is the Russian icebreaker which is opening a channel through the sea ice into McMurdo Station for the supply ships. It does this by driving through the ice in parallel lines close together and breaking up the sea ice. The winds may move some of the ice away. Other ice may melt in place.

Russian icebreaker at McMurdo. 

 

 

The photo below is a view towards the northwest across the sea ice that is covered with snow. The mountains in the distance are either the Asgard or Olympus Range (I think). The colors here are subdued being white, blues and grays and sometimes black. There is a distinct lack of reds and greens here. It will be a shock to get to New Zealand (our stop after leaving McMurdo) which is in the height of summer. And, it should be warm, which will be a big change too.

Antarctic mountains.

February 2

We have returned to the southwestern Ross Sea where we studied several eddies. We also looked at the difference between two regions with different biological activity.  We need to be in McMurdo Sound in a few days to meet the the Italian ship, Italica, that is going to refuel the Palmer. We are staying nearby so we don't have to spend too much time traveling to meet the Italica.

The heavy red line is the ship track.

Yesterday morning a storm blew up quickly.  At midnight it was clear and sunny and the winds were light.  By about 3 a.m. the winds were over 40 kt and the seas developed to 10 feet or larger.  It snowed an inch or so.  By noon the winds were back down below 10 kt and the seas were becoming calmer. Basically, we went from calm to a strong storm to calm in less than 24 hours.  Such is the weather in the far south.

We moved close to Franklin Island which was thought to be a area where hydrothermal vents occur.  These are the places were hot fluids and other materials from deep inside the Earth escape into the ocean - sort of like what happens at volcanoes.  These vents might be a source of iron to the ocean, which is why we are interested in measuring them.  We had to get close to Franklin Island where the vents are located, which required us to navigate in waters about 100 m (330 ft) deep.   Most of this area is not well surveyed, so the captain took his time moving around.  Luckily, we did not find any shallow places. We also had to deal with sea ice that still covered most of the area.  It did give us an opportunity to see the island up close.

The picture below shows Franklin Island from a distance. It is clearly a big rock with a glacier (and snow) on top.  We were not sure which "Franklin" the island was named for, so we looked it up. It was not "Ben" but rather "John" who was the captain of the ill-fated expedition in the Arctic Ocean in the late 1800s.  All members of this expedition died of exposure (I think).

Franklin Island

The picture below shows a thick layer of ice (compressed snow, a glacier) draped over Franklin Island that is sliding into the ocean.

Franklin Island - close up. 

 

 

 

The thickness of the glacier is clear in this area where part of the glacier has fallen off a cliff (picture below).

Glacier on Franklin Island.

After sampling near Franklin Island, we headed back to the vicinity of Ross Island. The dominant feature on the island is Mt Erebus, the active volcano.  The picture below is a view of the volcano with an iceberg in the foreground.

Mount Erebus

The low sun this morning (it is about 8am) shows the rugged features of the iceberg.  These beautiful morning vistas are a benefit of working the midnight to noon watch.

January 31

Yesterday we finished sampling in the northwest near the shelf break. We found the warm oceanic water where we expected, but we also found it over some banks (shallow spots). We are going back to the our numerical circulation model solutions to see how well the model is doing at producing warm water in this region. This will be a real test of the model skill - not something we usually have the opportunity to do.

The heavy red line is the ship track.

We then headed south to return to the place where we sampled after leaving the Korean fishermen at McMurdo Station. As you can see from the maps, we have wandered over much of the western Ross Sea. The part near the western coast is still covered in sea ice, so we cannot get into that area.  

We will stay in the southwest for the rest of the cruise. We are re-doing some samples to see how conditions have changed. We are seeing much fresher water in a place where there used to be sea ice. The melting ice has changed the salt structure near the surface.

We started to work on our styrofoam cups. A tradition on cruises making CTD casts is to take foam cups and send them down attached to the CTD. The higher pressure underwater crushes the cups making them into shot glass sized containers. We decorate the cups so that different patterns emerge.

The bag with decorated styrafoam cups that is attached to the CTD.

The conditions here are a bit marginal for good cup crushing. The deepest water around here is between 800 and 900 meters (2600 to 3000 ft). It sounds like a lot but it will only reduce the cup sizes by about a third or a half. To get a dramatic change, the CTD needs to take them down to 2000 or 4000 meters (you can figure how many feet, if you want). We would need to be off the shelf in the ocean to see those depths. We have not been off the shelf since we arrived in early January.

As you see from the pictures below, the styrafoam cups were crushed a bit. The white cups at the top show the original size.  Although the cups are not as small as they would be from a deeper CTD cast, everyone who participated got
something rare to take home.