Updates from the field!
Wednesday 28th November Today we took all but essential living kit (leaving behind the pyramid tent, P-bags, tent box, pots box, medical box and 1 manfood box) out to the depot. I had two sledges with my orange BAS kitbag, rucksack, 1 rock box, and the red geology trunk. So a reasonable load, perhaps slightly […]
Part 7: Move to Fossil Bluff Read More »
Friday 23rd November It has been an exciting few days as we near the end of our third week. Yesterday we had a good, fruitful day in Unnamed Valley and today we walked right to the head of Ablation Valley. We climbed to the top of The Mound, a large bedrock hump in the middle
Part 6: Fieldwork III Read More »
Thursday 15th November Today, like yesterday, was relatively warm, wet, windy, overcast and foggy. Pretty miserable weather with a cold wet wind and snow. I prefer it when it is colder but dry – this temperature (-03°C, wet, humid), is most unpleasant. Like an English winter!
Part 5: Fieldwork II Read More »
Friday 9th November And so fieldwork begins. Today we have had exceptionally good weather. -08°C, clear, sunny, no wind. Yesterday was rather windier with many snow snakes that I spent ages (rather unsuccessfully) trying to photograph.
Part 4: Initial Fieldwork Read More »
Monday 5th November We were dropped into Ablation Valley in the afternoon following a morning of waiting for a weather window. We finally departed around 4 pm following the arrival of the Dash-7 at 3:01 pm local time.
Part 3: Deployment to Ablation Point Massif Read More »
Thursday 1st November Today our training for deep field began in earnest. We were given a more extended tour, taught how to safely drive skidoos, how to avoid being eaten by aeroplane propellers (Rothera is a busy airport with one of the few gravel strip runways in the area), how to use the items in
Part 2: Training and preparation Read More »
Introducing the Antarctic Diaries. This series of blog articles is about my exploits at Rothera and Alexander Island with Michael Hambrey, a professor at Aberystwyth University.
Part 1: Arrival at Rothera Read More »
I am on Twitter (@AntarcticGlacie). And so are many other field-based scientists. When I started using the hashtag #FieldPhotoFriday, so many people joined in that I had to storify it. We had photographs capturing a whole gamut of field experiences from a range of sciences. The places people go and what they get up to
It’s now less than two months until we depart for Ablation Point, Alexander Island on the Antarctic Peninsula, and it’s important that you’re fit and healthy. I’ve been doing lots of exercise recently, and am trying to climb a mountain every weekend in preparation! Fortunately there are lots to choose from in Aberystwyth. You also
Training for Antarctica Read More »
Fieldwork plans to Alexander Island are firming up – watch this space. We’ll be flying to Rothera on 1st November, and we’ll be deployed to George VI Ice Shelf by Twin Otter aircraft (with skis instead of wheels) shortly afterwards. Then we’ll have a busy month at Ablation Valley, before being picked up towards the
Fieldwork plans to Alexander Island Read More »
