2013-12-02 Davis Station

Hello Everybody

today a quick update out of sequence.

Over the past weeks we had a relative productive time at Mawson conducting glaciological measurements in the Framnes Mountains. Sunday December 1, 2013 we made our way safely back to Davis Station and are enjoying since then the great hospitality here on Station.
At the present we are reevaluating like many others the impact of the helicopter crash on the Amery Ice Shelf on our field season program.


In part I will use the next few days to catch up with posting the long backlog of blogs.

Greetings from Davis.

Good Bye Mawson

Glimpse onto the Amery Ice Shelf

Arrival at Davis Station

Day 21 - Arrival Davis - Transfer to Mawson

Iceberg Alley

Today I had set my Alarm to get up early and get the last things – battery chargers – into the approximate boxes and bags and be fully prepared as directed for a possible fly-off anytime after 8 am ships time. Getting up early also allowed me to be up and running and taking pictures as we were sailing into ice berg Alley and into the fast ice zone offshore of Davis Station. The scenery of ice bergs grounded on shallower banks a few kilometres off shore, the magnificent lighting of an early morning made this arrival spectacular. 

A quick breakfast, then another briefing, actually most of the announcements came out of the loudspeakers. Priority list A people – to meet in the starboard side lobby at 8 am sharp – fully clothed and ready for departure – all carry-on bags to be deposited in the D-Deck cinema - … . A typical  Hurry up and Wait situation – fully appropriate, we all wanted to use the magnificent fair weather window and great flying conditions for a fast transfer to Mawson Station. After the briefing we had about half an hour time to get a few more things organised, may grab another bite and a drink, then regroup again in the lobby. Group 1 and 2 already had left, group 3 was ahead of us in group 4. Up to the helicopter deck, and well a small change of plans, back down and regroup in 30 minutes. Another quick good bye’s to our fellow travellers and then it was our turn. Survival gear on hand, a small backpack and the camera ready for departure w stepped onto the scale, yes everything needs to be weight and recorded in the manifest. And there we go off in the helicopter for a short ride to the sea-ice runway a few hundred meters away from Davis Station and reaching solid ground, stepping back onto Antarctic Soil.

Broken Ice

Leaving Ship

 One two three four more round trips of the helicopter and all of our luggage for the day was transferred as well. Off we went, into the Basler aircraft, a quick flight briefing, the usual about seat- belts and emergency exit and emergency procedures and then we took off. Further west along the coast line, passing by some glaciers, the sun glistening on the sea-ice and reflecting of the blue ice of the stranded ice bergs in Ice Berg Alley.

Aurora Australis in Iceberg Alley, with heli operation in fullswing

 

Loose Tooth - Amery Ice Shelf

 Then on the left hand side, a large white flat expanse opened up. The Amery Ice Shelf in the south, the ice shelf edge as a thin line and flat white all the way to the southern horizon. Excitement – to see my study area for the past 2 years for the first time with my own eyes. Grandioso, amazing, tantalizing – I have no words. There – the Loose Tooth – a large area of the ice shelf which has partially separated from the mother ship through kilometre long cracks, holding on only on thin thread. Further west the journey went taking tons of pictures of almost the entire ice shelf edge until we entered McRobertson Land.    

Coastline

Landing Approach

Mawson Station

Day 20 - Live Horse Races on Board - Melbourne Cups

The morning on board of the Aurora Australis started with another Recci flight of the helicopter, checking on the route we have been taking and ensuring that we are actually following the leads which will get us out of the heavy – thick sea-ice and out into the polynia and closer to our destination. The Recci flight confirmed that the direction we have been taking has gotten us closer to our destination and provides new imagery for the ships crew to find the best way out of this constantly shifting maze of thick ice, which we can pass, thinner ice, which we can push away and cut across, and small channels along we can cruise like a cruiser boat on the channels of Ireland.

Aside from the routine operation of breaking ice and making progress towards our destination, today is Melbourne Cup. Assemble a bunch of people of all ages and all trades on boat and you will unleash a lot of creativity. Events like Melbourne Cup are most suitable for such an unleashing of creativity. We had a live horse race with one horse and one jockey, a lot of nicely dressed up people of the High Aurora Society, we had bets running and most of the money was going towards the good cause of Camp Quality, the fundraising favorite on the ship.

The afternoon I spent an hour or two on deck. We were sailing through some thinner – may be 20 cm thick - sea-ice – making great progress. Standing on the back of the ship looking out over the ice, watching some penguins and philosophing about how old this ice may be, I was fully aware that this most likely will be our last day cruising seemingly effortless through the ice. It was stunning to watch the unique pattern of each ice floe, to watch the reflection of the sky, clouds and sun.

A briefing in the early evening after dinner confirmed that we had made excellent progress and that we are expected to arrive at the fast ice edge close to Davis Station in the Early Morning. While most of us will disembark and stay at Davis Station a few of us will be heading onward from Davis to Mawson Station by aircraft. The delays caused by the slow progress through the heavy pack ice zone – prediction of us encountering some of the heaviest ice conditions in a long long time were correct – gave some urgency to a speedy onward travel. With this we were asked to prepare for a fly-off in the early morning – weather permitting off course. With this we had a couple of busy hours ahead.

Making sure that everything was packed properly, correctly labelled and accounted for. Emptying out our closets and packing everything into our bags. Sorting through our equipment and packing a few selected items which had been in our WOV – Wanted on Voyage – cargo to have the equipment ready for the fly-off. Some of the equipment which we wanted to have handy was some camera gear and associated accessories. Flying along the coast line I wanted to get good imagery of the Amery Ice Shelf as well as the adjoining coastal area. This also meant to top up and double check our batteries and making sure that everything is fully charged and ready for take-off in the morning. Taking a few more pictures of another spectacular sunset, was just obligatory. Then it was off to bed, mostly the last night for some time on this ship.

Day 19 - Groundhog Day and BIG THANK YOU

Waking up to the familiar noise of the running engines, to the sound of ice scratching against the hull of the ship, another bright day on the Aurora starts. Tomorrwo three weeks ago we departed from Hobart. Across the Southern Ocean we headed South, waiting for the Big Waves to hit and rock the boat, then we were excited about hitting the ice, the rocking of the boat to easy and the peacefulness of the ice. Now having been in the ice the talk is “can’t wait until we are in Davis”. It’s a kind of restlessness, always waiting for the next seems to be the notion of the day. Is this the restless of our society, always wanting, always restless never arriving and living in the moment. As I am writing this I am actually sitting a few hundred miles away in the bar of Mawson Station. We certainly arrived, and I can only say that I have entirely enjoyed every moment along the Journey, I enjoyed the friendship of my fellow travellers, the fun times of our Morning Yoga, Pilates, Zumba exercise party, common meals the great hospitality of the Aurora Crew, the good food prepared by the cooks and kitchen fairies, The Captain with his first, second and third mates, the ships engineers and all the helping helpful hands. Our Voyage management team which made the journey seemingly effortless.

Overall a great team working together to get all of us to our destinations and our mission of resupplying Davis Station accomplished. Not to forget all the people outside of the ship, who in Kingston, Hobart, work relentless to provide for example reports about sea-ice, downloading , interpreting and providing Satellite imagery used to guide the ship towards leads in the sea-ice. The helicopter team which weather permitting have been flying Recci flight to guide us through the ice, as well the aircraft support of the Ken Borek Basler aircraft providing the same service from Davis Station. Today our travels made significant progress towards Davis Station and it seems as if finally are on the move and getting closer to destination.

With this a BIG BIG THANKS to everyone involved in this endeavour.

On the work side, I did more reading and some emailing, started to repack our gear for arrival at Davis and onward transfer to Mawson Station. In the evening another interesting science talk about ice sheet history and deciphering ice history from the rebound of the Earth’s crust after glacier retreat, removing loading on the Earth’s crust. 

After Sunset- another beautiful sunset before putting my head down for the night

Sun Pillar