Anti whaling activities in the Southern Ocean headlined this morning's daily onboard newspaper "Australia Today". The paper comprises four A4 pages printed from News on Board services via TEAMtalk Satellite. Anything from our part of the world, the Southern Ocean, generates animated conversation. Two Sea Shepherd Conservation Society members from the ship the 'Steve Irwin' boarded the Japanese ship the Yushin Maru No 2 to deliver a letter to the captain advising him that he was illegally killing whales in the Southern Whale Sanctuary. They were promptly taken into custody on the ship, where they remain. Notions of law at sea were bandied about at lunch along with the practicalities of regulation, prosecution, anarchy and foolhardiness. Opinion was divided....

86.80033 deg S 54.45187 deg E 3151 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 21 to - 30 °C A fundamental approach is to direct all vehicles and modules against the direction where we expect the storms to come from. We consulted the meteorologists at South Pole before we placed our sledges and modules side-by-side with some 50 meters distance between them. Also, to avoid snow drift it is important to get equipment above ground. Most of our gear is carefully strapped down on sledges and thus fine. However, we had to build a berm for one of the vehicles. We decided to use empty fuel drums as the platform (see photo). Thus, we secured the drums and made a decent platform for the TL-6 vehicle in one go. - Jan-Gunnar ...

POLENET is pioneering podcasts on IPY.org.... and IPY.org is rapidly developing to be able to show not only videos, but also audio. Keep checking over the next few weeks... but in the mean-time, enjoy the first POLENET podcast here. All subsequent podcasts can be viewed at the POLENET podcast feed. If you would like to contribute to this material, please email Rhian Salmon, IPY Educati...

The Norwegian Ski Adventure Story –Celebrating The International Polar Day on December 13 2007 The museum celebrated the International Polar Day as a part of a school week at the centre. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday was allocated to secondary schools. The schools had lectures about the situation in polar areas and how people can have influence on the climate. Beforehand, the students were challenged to decorate a Christmas tree with garbage to focus on our consumption right before Christmas (see picture). The students also watched the movie by Al Gore: ”The Inconvenient Truth

Press release Exploration of lake hidden beneath Antarctica's ice sheet begins 15 January 2008 PR No. 1/2008 A four-man science team led by British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) Dr Andy Smith has begun exploring an ancient lake hidden deep beneath Antarctica's ice sheet. The lake - the size of Lake Windermere (UK) - could yield vital clues to life on Earth, climate change and future sea-level rise. Glaciologist Dr Smith and his colleagues from the Universities of Edinburgh and Northumbria are camped out at one of the most remote places on Earth conducting a series of experiments on the ice. He says, "This is the first phase of what we think is an incredibly exciting project. We know the lake is 3.2km beneath the ice; l...

The Last Polar Bear records and celebrates one of nature’s most majestic creatures — the polar bear — and examines how global warming is affecting the fragile, complex Arctic environment. Polar bears use sea ice to move about, find mates and hunt for seals. As temperatures warm, the loss of the pack ice directly impacts their ability to survive. Scientists agree that Arctic ice is disappearing at an alarming rate. Last summer, sea ice levels plummeted to their lowest since satellite measurements began in 1979. And a new scientific study by the U.S. Geological Survey, released last fall, predicts that two-thirds of the world’s polar bears, including Alaska’s entire population, may disapp...

86.80033 deg S, 54.45187 deg E 3151 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 22 to - 33 °C We are now in a situation where it is impossible to get all our equipment to the South Pole this season. The alternative to go onwards with two vehicles and light loads, even receiving assistance if this light traverse experiences problems, was considered unfavorable. We would then have ended up in a situation where our vehicles and equipment were located at two different places at the start of next season. Thus, we have decided to establish a winter camp here. Personnel, scientific samples, instruments and all other gear that can not stand the cold winter will be airlifted to South Pole with a Basler aircraft from Antarctic Logistics Centre International...

86.80033 deg S, 54.45187 deg E 3151 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 23 to - 34 °C We spent much of the day exploring alternatives for completion of the first traverse season. A US tractor traverse has been turned around on its way from South Pole to McMurdo Station, and arrived at South Pole late this evening. This traverse will stand-by at South Pole for a few days to assist us if we experience further break-downs on our last stretch. Due to the situation we have received permission to travel through the Clean Air Sector, a specially managed area in the vicinity of the South Pole, in order to shorten our remaining distance. It is clear that we can not pull all our equipment with the two operative vehicles and thus some equipment will ...

86.80033 deg S, 54.45187 deg E 3151 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 25 to - 35 °C Today we experienced a break-down of the transmission transfer-case on Chinook. This means that Chinook shares the same destiny as Sembla and is not operative anymore. Functional spare parts are unfortunately not available. Thus, we are not able to pull all our equipment to the South Pole without receiving support. Currently, we are exploring the possibilities to receive support from the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Sastrugis – Nature’s beautiful creation (Photo: Jan-Gunnar Winther) This contribution is from the log of the Norwegian-US Scientific Traver...

News of a change of plan and that we were going in closer to the continent brought nearly everyone onto the bridge late last night as we moved into uncharted waters. The echo sounder was closely monitored as we sought a narrow but very deep channel between the icebergs. A hush of concentration fell as we passed through a gallery of carved ice. Sheer and sharp planes alternated with piled ice rubble and blue honeycombs of collapsing walls. On one side a majestic flotilla of ragged peaks receded into the distance like mystical Chinese prints. On the other a midnight sunset backlit the stratus cloud over the continent in garish stripes of pinks and yellows and orange. I sat high in the navigator's chair, watching a strange twilight illuminating the soft band of ...