Original article by Evan Mason, Southampton Oceanography Centre. A first hand account of an oceanographer’s trip to the Southern land of ice.

Introduction

On the 18^th December 2002, oceanography student, Evan Mason set sail from the Falkland Islands on the British Antarctic Survey ship, the James Clark Ross. His mission: to take measurements of the temperature and saltiness of the Southern Ocean to provide scientists with an up to date record of ocean circulation. These data are vital for climate change research. What follows is the first of his informal letters from Antarctica.

A classic tabular Iceberg in Antarctica. Photo: C.Gilbert, British Antarctic Survey

Sections in this article

• The start of it all
• Delays
• The Ascension Islands
• The Falklands
• The Ship
• The Work

The start of it all

Hi,

For a good number of you this email will be a surprise, particularly as I'm writing from a ship in the South Atlantic, just south of the Falklands at present. So the next paragraph is for those of you who don't know why I'm here and what I am doing.

Over the last year I have completed a Masters in Oceanography at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in the UK. In June or July an email was sent out to the Masters students: one of the oceanographers was looking for an assistant to help out on a cruise between the Falklands and
Antarctica. I applied and was the lucky person.

Delays

So, on Sunday 15 December I took the train from London down to Southampton, where I met three others from our group. We then took a taxi up to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where our flight was due to leave at 11pm. Flying with the Royal Air Force, we were all confident that the flight down to the Falklands, where we were to meet up with our ship, would be straightforward. It wasn't. They announced that there was a technical problem with the plane, and that there would be a delay of a few hours. Half an hour later a few hours became 24 hours. So we were all put into very basic RAF accommodation for the night. The next day, in order to pass the time, we took a bus to Oxford. There we walked around, went to a few pubs, had supper, and returned to the airfield at about 7pm. This time we got as far as the departure lounge, before they told us that there was now a problem with the replacement plane, and we would not be leaving until 3pm the following day.  Back to the RAF hostel for a second night. Fortunately, it was third time lucky, and so we were finally on our way.

The Ascension Islands

The first leg of the flight was about 8 hours, taking us to the Ascension Islands to refuel.  It was midnight when we arrived there, and we stayed about an hour and a half.  The island was very small, volcanic, and seemed to be full of military activity.  It was also nice and warm, even in the middle of the night. So most of us stayed outside while we waited. Landing and take-off were interesting because the runway had been cut right through a small hill, so that in the dark it seemed like the tips of the wings were about to touch the sides. The second leg of the journey, also 8 hours, took us to Mount Pleasant Airport in the Falklands. From the airport we took a bus to Stanley, some 30km away, to join the ship.

The Falklands

This trip enabled me to see that the Falklands are rather bleak. There are almost no trees at all, the land is generally quite flat. The colours reminded me of the Yorkshire moors - so it is in fact quite beautiful, but bleak nonetheless. It also has a very "big" sky, and I am sure that there must be some very beautiful sunsets there. Stanley itself appeared to be just a collection of wooden bungalows, all painted different colours that lie in no apparent order on the side of a hill. Below is the water, and that is where the ship was waiting.

The Ship

The ship is called the James Clark Ross, and it is owned by the British Antarctic Survey. It's big, though I've no idea how long it is. I have a cabin to myself - it's comfortable, clean and warm, and with an en-suite bathroom. It has a fairly large window, with the water 2-3m below. The ship has a large bar area and dining room. At the bar we can help ourselves to drinks at any time, and we are trusted to write down what we have, and pay for it later. The food has been quite good so far, breakfast is early, 7.30am, and lunch at 12.30. For supper, which is at 6.30pm, we are all required to wear shirt and tie. I've been told that the reason for this is to ensure that all the scientists do actually stop work and come for their supper!

We arrived on the ship at about 9am, had a safety briefing, and were told that we'd be leaving right away at 10am. But because there was a strong wind blowing us onshore, and no tugboats available, the ship was unable to move. So we had to wait until 5pm, when the wind finally dropped, to get going. After dinner, once it was dark, and before going to bed, I went up to the bridge. The bridge is kept in total darkness, and it was great to look out ahead at the sea, lit by the moon. We were heading south, away from the Falklands and towards Antarctica.

The Work

That was last night. Today is Thursday and I was kind of busy this morning going over all of the equipment that we will be using. The real work will happen during the return trip. We will be stopping to take measurements every 30km along our way. Sensors will be dropped slowly to the seabed, up to 4000m below, and they will take continuous measurements of the temperature and salinity of the water, right down to the bottom. This work is done routinely every year, providing oceanographers with a picture of the ocean circulation around Antarctica.

The sea state has been quite calm so far, though that's not to say the ship isn't moving around. I've not felt sick so far, but everyone assures me that it will come sooner or later. I'm happy to wait. We stopped for an hour or so this morning, in order to retrieve a bottom pressure recorder that had been left on the seabed last year.

Unfortunately it failed to surface, but I took the opportunity to go out on deck and have a look at all the seabirds that have joined the ship. I've never been particularly interested in birdlife, but out here it is something extra to do. Most people seem to know the names of all the birds, and as there are so few different types, I may even learn them myself.

The plan for the rest of the trip is to arrive at Rothera, one of the UK Antarctic bases, in 3 or 4 days time. We'll stay there for Christmas. We will then travel along the peninsula (can't remember its name, but it's the peninsula south of South America.) When we get to the end of the peninsula we head north, and the work begins.

I hope to keep writing and sending out these emails over this time.

Ok, that's all for now,

Evan

Where next?

On ClimateX.org

You can also read about the breaking up of Antarctic iceberg Larsen B in 2002 in ‘Larsen Ice Shelf B'.

External links

The British Antarctic Survey has an excellent website for those who want to keep up to date with their research.

And in 2002 The United Nations launched an online Atlas of the Oceans.