Written Monday 24th December
These are early days in the trawl program and these first stations are taking some time as the equipment is tested and the process fine-tuned.
Martin reports “Each haul of the sleds and trawls is bringing up new and interesting material, a highlight this morning being the first Antarctic record for a particular group of molluscs. Yesterday the first run of the GA underwater video camera allowed us to see what the sea-bed we are sampling actually looks like.”
Rob Beaman has pictures of the sea-bed. He flicks through his computer screens to show images from the side-scanner which returned this morning with images taken beneath the ship representing a sweep of half a kilometre. He explains with relish the marvel of a seabed scoured by glacial movement. The edges of the furrows, which may be 8 metres deep, provide habitat for a rich concentration of marine life. And maps made using a multi beam can show where the deep sediment beds are found – a rich source for the scientists to sample.
Today the trawls in the fine sediment floor brought in such diverse animals as sea-cucumbers, brittle and feather stars.
The cloud is closing in and the wind is rising. A long, low swell rises one or two metres undulating the pack with a hypnotisingly beautiful rhythm. The pack is scattered and intermittently opens onto a mercury sea, which lifts the ice in massive, slow ripples like a giant’s sleeping breath.
The weather-man is forecasting some light snow falls overnight so we may wake to a white Christmas.
Margot Foster is a journalist currently on board the Australian Aurora Australis, an Australian research vessel currently participating in the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML, IPY project 53). She works with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
