Thursday, 3 January In between a lot of research on board of the R.V. Polarstern which is focussed on very small animals like nematodes, amphipods and all kinds of (epi) benthic and planktonic life there is the group of the Dutch Wageningen Imares Institute located on the island of Texel which is also working with animals up to 50 tonnes in weight. These are whales which roam across the Southern Oceans and the Lazarev Sea where the R.V. Polarstern is now finding its way through the pack-ice. My name is Bram Feij, 37 years old and living on the island of Texel. But for about 2 months, together wi...

12 Jan 2008 3251 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 26 to - 36 °C We received a very pleasant visit of an international VIP-group this morning. This group is supported by Antarctic Logistics Expedition and led by a Swedish explorer. They landed at our traverse with a Twin Otter on their way to the Pole of Inaccessibility. The group consisted of VIP persons from Australia, Canada, Dubai, Germany, Russia, Scotland and Sweden. Later this afternoon the transmission transfer-case on Sembla broke. Since we have no spare parts Sembla will be placed on a sledge and riding ...

Friday 11th January 2008 It is heresy to say this out loud when our key projects are dependent on being in open water - but I do enjoy being in the ice. We have shared the company of many large tabular bergs as well as some scattered bergy bits today. I have learned about the ship sinkers - the growlers, and correctly identified brash ice. I've seen pancake and fused and rafted, know a bummock from a hummock, and have seen frazzle, and grease and slush. It was Toby that pointed out an odd feature in the distant sea. He had his binoculars straight onto it. "It's black... sticking up out ...

11 Jan 2008 3273 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 26 to - 38 °C Roald Amundsen left his spare tent at the South Pole after his visit there in December 1911. The father of Finn Ronne, whom one of our modules is named after, made this tent for Amundsen. The tent Amundsen used on his way back from the South Pole is exhibited at the Fram Museum at Bygdøy in Oslo. Most likely his spare tent is located under about 15 meters of snow. However, due to airdrops during the building of the first South Pole Station in 1957 there are many other items buried in the snow in this area. At the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Stockholm in 2005 the tent of Roald Amundsen was protected based on a proposal from USA and supported by consensus among ...

Thursday 10th January 2008 I woke to the jolting and whoosh of the ship going through pack ice. We are working the CASO grid south again but the ice has forced a change, so we head westwards to skirt the pack and come in on a parallel that offers open sea. Icebergs and floes are the habitat of the beautiful, pure white Snow Petrel. It is hard to say which of the Antarctic birds is the most captivating but this small bird is a striking sight against sea or sky. The Cape Petrel (someone called it the 'magpie' of Antarctica) has careless splodges of black and white across its wings while...

Thursday 10th January 2008 I woke to the jolting and whoosh of the ship going through pack ice. We are working the CASO grid south again but the ice has forced a change, so we head westwards to skirt the pack and come in on a parallel that offers open sea. Icebergs and floes are the habitat of the beautiful, pure white Snow Petrel. It is hard to say which of the Antarctic birds is the most captivating but this small bird is a striking sight against sea or sky. The Cape Petrel (someone called it the 'magpie' of Antarctica) has careless splodges of black and white across its wings while...

Written January 10, 2008 Position: , 3350 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 27 to - 32 °C For the first time in weeks, strong winds and blowing snow were with us all day. In these cold, dry snow conditions, it takes a wind speed of approximately 5 m/s (10 miles per hour) for the snow to start being transported by the wind. As the snow particles bounce and roll along the surface they are exposed to the dry air above and continually sublimate (go from solid ice to vapor) as they move along with the wind. The snow particles can be blown about 3 km (2 miles) before they sublimate/disappear completely. ...

Wednesday 9th January 2008 The emergency stations muster signal is seven long and one short sounding on bells and whistle. The ringing alarm today marked the passing of another week on the 'Aurora Australis'. These musters are held regularly so that everyone on the ship knows exactly where to go, how to get there and what to bring. On hearing the bells I scramble into the freezer suit, stow the first aid and field manuals in my pocket, lace the big Canadian Sorell boots, drag the lifejacket over my head and grab the red survival bag with warm clothing. Now at twice my normal size, I make a clumsy beeline for my muster station starboard side of the helideck. ...

9 Jan 2008 3425 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 26 to - 38 °C Lighter loads, good snow conditions and driving down hill over the last days combined with no technical problems led us to hope that we had left the differential breakdowns behind. But, that was not the case. This afternoon, the rear differential on Chinook broke down for the third time. The replacement started immediately – Kjetil and Einar went out in the cold winds of Antarctica to get us back on the road again as soon as possible. - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Unfortunately, this is how our sled...

8 Jan 2008 3463 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 24 to - 37 °C We are at about one fourth of the distance between the Pole of Inaccessibility and the South Pole. Here a short science stop was planned and the ice core drillings (totally 40 meters) and snow pit studies were accomplished in a very efficient manner. We are quite well “drilled” by now! In the evening, we watched a movie (again). We can not complain about the facilities – they are of a very high standard and appreciated by everyone. - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Our living/kitchen module – the ...