A message from the ITASC IPY 0809 expedition February 25 — We are in the middle of the Southern Ocean at 51 degrees south, tracking the Greenwich Meridian still six days out of Cape Town, and unfortunately we cannot join you in Geneva tonight.   We are with you in spirit though and celebrating the IPY tonight with a toast onboard the South African Antarctic research vessel SA Agulhas. On behalf of ITASC expedition leader Ntsikelelo Ntshingila, crew members Erika Blumenfeld, Lotter Kock and myself, and all the scientists and engineers who joined us at the ICEPAC IPY Base during its insta...

We've been on base for almost two weeks now, which we have mostly spent unpacking boxes and testing instruments. This has been our number one priority as the last cargo flight before winter is on February 20 in just six days time, so if we've forgotten anything important, we'd better find out now! The last passenger flight is due to arrive on February 23 and that will take home the last of the summer base crew leaving just 26 of us for the winter. To get to know each other better and learn survival skills that could prove vital in the coming months, half of the wintering-over crew spent the last two days taking part in winter Antarctic Field Training. As well as learning the ins and outs of the most common types of tent used down here, we were also given a given a masterclass in makin...

With all our scientific equipment staged with ANZ in Christchurch, ready to fly down to the Ice, all that remains for me and Alex is to pack a few good books, set our lives in order for the next nine and half months and bid farewell to those around us - the latter possibly being the hardest part of all. Last night, to mark our imminent departure, we met with friends and colleagues from the University of Otago at the Carey’s Bay Hotel, just outside Port Chalmers – the last port of call for many early Antarctic expedition including those of Scott and Shackleton. The hotel is reputedly the location Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s last meal before setting sail from New Zealand on his fateful journey to Antarctica in November, 1910. Although were unable to confirm this story, it did make fo...

Photo Credit - AGAP team There were many times in the last two months where it seemed that the Antarctic Continent would win, keeping hidden the extensive landscape of subglacial lakes and mountains beneath the several kilometers of ice on Dome A. All the advance planning and negotiating with program leaders and logistics groups for enough days in the field to run the airborne geophysics were of little importance once we arrived on Antarctica. At this point we were negotiating with the continent herself, and we learned she can drive a hard bargain! The group at AGAP S camp had anticipated...