Back to the Antarctic

Another long delay, but hopefully the start of several Antarctic posts over the next few weeks.

Despite the fact that this is my 7th season down here, it is all new for me this year. For a start I am on a different ship, and secondly I am getting the chance to visit places that I haven't ventured to before, while also to carring out work that is entirely new to me.

For this season, and hopefully many more to come I have transferred across to the RRS Ernest Shackleton. She is the sister ship to the James Clark Ross on which I have spent all my previous time south. The biggest difference between the 2 ships is that the Shackleton tends to do more logistics work, with the JCR tending to do more science work.

I joined the Shackleton in the Falklands on the 19th January, then had a very pleasant week alongside in Stanley while gear was made ready, and the science team arrived for the current cruise. While we waiting, the RRS James Cook paid her first visit to the islands.

We sailed from the Falklands last Friday, heading out for a 7 week science and logistics cruise. The cruise will be a real mix, with the logistics taking me to BAS's furthest south base at Halley, which is located on the ice shelf, deep in the Weddell Sea. We have also already made a flying visit to Signy, and will return later in the trip to close down the base for the winter and pick up all the base staff.

As for the science, it will be a real mixture. It has started well with lots of fun for me crunching through pack ice to find locations to deploy scientific instruments. We have managed 4 so far, but have lots more to deploy in various locations. We will also be heading out onto ice flows to tag Weddell seals and to collect ice cores. All in all it should be a really interesting and varied few weeks.

In the mean time I will leave you with a selection of pictures taken over the last few days as we have headed through the pack ice, to our present position just of the ice shelf to the east of the base at Halley.