Elevation: Close to sea level Maximum and Minimum temperatures: -6 °C & -2 °C In the morning we had a teleconference with NSF in Washington D.C. to prepare next year’s season. Further, we gave a brief summary of our experiences from this year’s season. In the afternoon we had a guided tour to New Zealand’s Scott Base (see photo). It was with excitement we visited Sir Edmund Hillary’s room from when the station was built, i.e. during IGY in 1957. Thereafter, PolarPalooza showed us the podcasts they have prepared from our expedition so far. The quality was excellent; now we really hope they can obtain acc...

Date: 23 January 2008 Altitude: Close to sea level Maximum and Minimum Temperatures: - 2 degrees C (McMurdo) & - 35 degrees C (South Pole) We had a 3 hours comfortable flight from South Pole to McMurdo this morning. We were picked up by a bus at the airfield that is located on the sea ice some 10 km from the US McMurdo Station. When we arrived at McMurdo Station we received a brief from the NSF Representative and had an interesting guided tour to Scott’s hut. It feels like having been arrived in a big city when we suddenly are surrounded by more than 1000 persons. - Jan-Gunnar ...

Date: 23 January 2008 Altitude: Close to sea level Maximum and Minimum Temperatures: - 2 degrees C (McMurdo) & - 35 degrees C (South Pole) We had a 3 hours comfortable flight from South Pole to McMurdo this morning. We were picked up by a bus at the airfield that is located on the sea ice some 10 km from the US McMurdo Station. When we arrived at McMurdo Station we received a brief from the NSF Representative and had an interesting guided tour to Scott’s hut. It feels like having been arrived in a big city when we suddenly are surrounded by more than 1000 persons. - Jan-Gunnar ...

20th January 2008 So we were done! Finished at Patriot Hills. Now we just had to take advantage of the glorious still weather and wait for the Air National Guard to come pick us up. It felt brilliant to be finished. We had packed and palletized all our gear and expected the call that the Hercules was coming at any minute. No call. Followed a little later by the lack of call. Followed just a while later by nothing. Followed somewhat later by a cancellation notice. “Must be the weather at McMurdo” Someone suggested. “Nope” – according to Mac Weather we, at Patriot Hills, were having terrible weather. You know what, they were right. It was cloudy, there was seven of ‘em. I know, I...

Position: 90 °S, 0 °E Elevation: 2836 masl Maximum and Minimum temperatures: -26 °C & -35 °C At 3 a.m. in the night Jan-Gunnar had a video teleconference with the Norwegian Prime Minister Mr. Jens Stoltenberg at Troll. The Prime Minister congratulated the expedition with its achievements and important contribution to climate research. The teleconference also included a press conference where the press at Troll had questions for Jan-Gunnar. Then in the afternoon, the remaining expedition members arrived at the South Pole. It was a moment of happiness when we all were together again. Thus, the expedition has almost come to an end and we are excited having completed this major undertaking. In the evening we had a gathering with some of the NSF...

Position: 90 °S, 0 °E Elevation: 2836 masl Maximum and Minimum temperatures: -26 °C & -35 °C At 3 a.m. in the night Jan-Gunnar had a video teleconference with the Norwegian Prime Minister Mr. Jens Stoltenberg at Troll. The Prime Minister congratulated the expedition with its achievements and important contribution to climate research. The teleconference also included a press conference where the press at Troll had questions for Jan-Gunnar. Then in the afternoon, the remaining expedition members arrived at the South Pole. It was a moment of happiness when we all were together again. Thus, the expedition has almost come to an end and we are excited having completed this major undertaking. In the evening we had a gathering with some of the NSF...

Report from the Swedish part of the Japanese-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, JASE, Report no 20. We arrived today in late afternoon to the Svea Station (74o34’S, 11o13’W). The view from the station is magnificent over the large blue ice areas of Scharffenbergbotnen, surrounded by alpine mountain walls. The weather is excellent and we are all excited by the incredible environment, though we have seen it before. However, the experience is probably enhanced by the fact that we only have watched the snowy horizon of the Polar Plateau for more than a month. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful place. The decent from the Polar Plateau went smooth and quick. We climbed down 1200 metres in altitude on one day and today we have been driving along the Heim...

Report from the Swedish part of the Japanese-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, JASE. Report no 19. We have now reached 75oS, 10oW which is our last science stop on our traverse. Here the ice surface is undulating as a result of a very strong bedrock relief underneath us. The ice depth varies between 500 and 3000 m over short distances. The mountains can only be seen on the radar screen but they tell a story of how the ice sheet once was formed here for some 20 million years ago. We will spend a day of detailed mapping of a section of these mountains for a landscape development analysis. The travel from the Kohnen station to this site went very smoothly. The weather was fine and the snow conditions have greatly improved since we passed here in the beginning of Dece...

Position: 90 °S, 0 °E Elevation: 2836 masl Maximum and Minimum temperatures: -24 °C & -32 °C We arrived in beautiful weather 5.30 in the morning and were met by a small delegation of representatives of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and a photographer from PolarPalooza. It is an impressive infrastructure here – the new station that opened only a week ago is modern and contains whatever you may need – store, post office, games room, gym, computer facilities and much more. It was a big contrast from the primitive field life we have been living for more than two months. Later in the day, we had two flights to the camp and almost all of our ice cores were brought to South Pole. After resting, the pilot and his crew will continue the operation and ho...

86.80033 deg S, 54.45187 deg E 3151 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum Temperatures: - 27 °C to - 36 °C We continued packing, washing and gradually things came in order. We worked more on our joint presentation that will be held at South Pole tomorrow. Also, flight operations started and John and Jan-Gunnar were busy organizing with ALCI and Troll Station. Late in the day, the Basler that is going to fly us to the Pole was reported on its way and expected to land around 3 a.m. local time tomorrow, i.e. New Zealand time. Half of the group continues directly to the South Pole while the rest will be in Camp Winter for another day or so. The Prime Minister of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, as the first Norwegian Prime Minister in Antarctica, landed...