1/2/02 1545 hrs.
64 20 S
57 45 W
Crystal clear, 41 F and no wind
New Year's Day was spent in the Erebus and Terror Gulf working in worsening weather. Winds were sustained at 45 knots with gusts over 50 knots. These winds combined with a temperature just below freezing generated a wind chill around 3 above zero. As the morning turned to afternoon the winds dropped somewhat and the temperatures started to rise, as did hopes for work on two stations planned in the gulf. Unfortunately the winds returned, this time accompanied by a heavy rain lasting most of the afternoon. An alternative plan was developed and the ship moved into the seldom traveled Admiralty Sound on the south side of James Ross Island.
The Antarctic Pilot lists this passage as having not been navigated as when it was published in the 1970s. Charts of the area show soundings along a single track through the sound. During the night watch the ship traveled down the sound, passing between James Ross Island and Snow Hill Island. This is an area famous in the early exploration of the Antarctic.
Snow Hill Island is the site of Nils Nordenskjold's famous 1902 expedition, the first to winter over in the peninsula region. Nordenskjold and five others set up a hut on Snow Hill Island to spend the winter while their ship Antarctic returned to the Falkland Islands for the winter. The ship returned the next austral summer but was unable to get through the ice in the Antarctic Sound at the tip of the peninsula. Three men were put off on the ice and planned to walk the 192 miles from Hope Bay to Snow Hill Island. After the men set off, the ship headed out of the Antarctic Sound, only to be caught in the ice, crushed and sunk. The date was February 12, 1903. The remaining men who had been on the ship traveled over the ice 24 miles in 14 days to Paulet Island. The Hope Bay men finding their way to Snow Hill Island blocked by open water returned to Hope Bay to await pick-up by the Antarctica, which now lay at the bottom of the Antarctic Sound. Three groups of men now spent the winter in the Antarctic, the Snow Hill Island group their second in a row. In late September, Nordenskjold and another member of the Snow Hill Island group started sledging north on a research expedition across the frozen waters of what is now Admiralty Sound, around James Ross Island and up the channel now named for Prince Gustav. Meanwhile, the Hope Bay group headed south with the hopes of finding a frozen path to Snow Hill Island. On October 12th the two groups met. The point where they joined is now called "Cape Well Met". This entire group began the trek back to Snow Hill Island where the rest of the original party waited.
On October 31, Captain Larsen of the Antarctic led a small group of the Paulet Island men, traveling by open boat, in search of the Hope Bay group. Landing at Hope Bay they found a note indicating the men had headed south for Snow Hill Island. Following a water route that paralleled the land route taken by the Hope Bay men, Larsen met the entire party.
Meanwhile, with no word from the expedition in almost 3 years, a rescue was initiated. An Argentinean naval ship headed for Snow Hill Island. On November 8th the rescue ship landed on Seymour Island, located next to Snow Hill Island and found two of the Snow Hill Island group sleeping in a tent. They had been collecting fossils on Seymour Island. This group returned to Snow Hill Island camp and shortly after their arrival the group consisting of Nordenskjold, Larsen and their companions came into camp. The Argentinean ship took these men and picked up the men remaining on Paulet Island back to Argentina.
A historic marker now stands near the site of Nordenskjold's hut on the northern end of Snow Hill Island.
We sailed past Snow Hill Island early this morning and are now in an unnamed bay in front of the Swift Glacier.
Today's warm weather and that of yesterday afternoon has produced large amounts of melting on the glacier and the seawater in front of the glacier is laden with sediment being washed into the ocean. This is exactly the setting that Dr.'s Domack, Gilbert and Berger have been looking for to study the contribution of terrestrial sediments into the marine sedimentary record. The water surrounding the ship is visibly laden with sediment and CTDT casts indicate tongues of sediment laden water at depth along the glacier front. Work will continue in this and adjacent bays today and tomorrow before we head back to the Erebus and Terror Gulf to complete the work started there yesterday.
Enjoy the spectacular images of this seldom seen area on a perfect day.
Cheers,
Dave
64 20 S
57 45 W
Crystal clear, 41 F and no wind
New Year's Day was spent in the Erebus and Terror Gulf working in worsening weather. Winds were sustained at 45 knots with gusts over 50 knots. These winds combined with a temperature just below freezing generated a wind chill around 3 above zero. As the morning turned to afternoon the winds dropped somewhat and the temperatures started to rise, as did hopes for work on two stations planned in the gulf. Unfortunately the winds returned, this time accompanied by a heavy rain lasting most of the afternoon. An alternative plan was developed and the ship moved into the seldom traveled Admiralty Sound on the south side of James Ross Island.
The Antarctic Pilot lists this passage as having not been navigated as when it was published in the 1970s. Charts of the area show soundings along a single track through the sound. During the night watch the ship traveled down the sound, passing between James Ross Island and Snow Hill Island. This is an area famous in the early exploration of the Antarctic.
Snow Hill Island is the site of Nils Nordenskjold's famous 1902 expedition, the first to winter over in the peninsula region. Nordenskjold and five others set up a hut on Snow Hill Island to spend the winter while their ship Antarctic returned to the Falkland Islands for the winter. The ship returned the next austral summer but was unable to get through the ice in the Antarctic Sound at the tip of the peninsula. Three men were put off on the ice and planned to walk the 192 miles from Hope Bay to Snow Hill Island. After the men set off, the ship headed out of the Antarctic Sound, only to be caught in the ice, crushed and sunk. The date was February 12, 1903. The remaining men who had been on the ship traveled over the ice 24 miles in 14 days to Paulet Island. The Hope Bay men finding their way to Snow Hill Island blocked by open water returned to Hope Bay to await pick-up by the Antarctica, which now lay at the bottom of the Antarctic Sound. Three groups of men now spent the winter in the Antarctic, the Snow Hill Island group their second in a row. In late September, Nordenskjold and another member of the Snow Hill Island group started sledging north on a research expedition across the frozen waters of what is now Admiralty Sound, around James Ross Island and up the channel now named for Prince Gustav. Meanwhile, the Hope Bay group headed south with the hopes of finding a frozen path to Snow Hill Island. On October 12th the two groups met. The point where they joined is now called "Cape Well Met". This entire group began the trek back to Snow Hill Island where the rest of the original party waited.
On October 31, Captain Larsen of the Antarctic led a small group of the Paulet Island men, traveling by open boat, in search of the Hope Bay group. Landing at Hope Bay they found a note indicating the men had headed south for Snow Hill Island. Following a water route that paralleled the land route taken by the Hope Bay men, Larsen met the entire party.
Meanwhile, with no word from the expedition in almost 3 years, a rescue was initiated. An Argentinean naval ship headed for Snow Hill Island. On November 8th the rescue ship landed on Seymour Island, located next to Snow Hill Island and found two of the Snow Hill Island group sleeping in a tent. They had been collecting fossils on Seymour Island. This group returned to Snow Hill Island camp and shortly after their arrival the group consisting of Nordenskjold, Larsen and their companions came into camp. The Argentinean ship took these men and picked up the men remaining on Paulet Island back to Argentina.
A historic marker now stands near the site of Nordenskjold's hut on the northern end of Snow Hill Island.
We sailed past Snow Hill Island early this morning and are now in an unnamed bay in front of the Swift Glacier.
Today's warm weather and that of yesterday afternoon has produced large amounts of melting on the glacier and the seawater in front of the glacier is laden with sediment being washed into the ocean. This is exactly the setting that Dr.'s Domack, Gilbert and Berger have been looking for to study the contribution of terrestrial sediments into the marine sedimentary record. The water surrounding the ship is visibly laden with sediment and CTDT casts indicate tongues of sediment laden water at depth along the glacier front. Work will continue in this and adjacent bays today and tomorrow before we head back to the Erebus and Terror Gulf to complete the work started there yesterday.
Enjoy the spectacular images of this seldom seen area on a perfect day.
Cheers,
Dave
(Click image for larger version.) Photo caption: Plume of sediment laden surface water can be seen moving past the stern of the ship.
(Click image for larger version.) Photo caption: CTDT and water sampling rosette is lowered from the Baltic Room door of the ship into the waters in front of the Swift Glacier. Transmissometer readings indicate sediment laden water plumes at various depths. Individual bottles will be triggered remotely to capture water in these various plumes. Note the person standing in the Baltic Room doorway for scale.
(Click image for larger version.) Photo caption: Early morning in Admiralty Sound, unnamed peak on the south side of James Ross Island. Notice the small glacier flowing from the ice cap on the top of the peak. These resistant peaks appear to be layered volcanics.
(Click image for larger version.) Photo caption: Icefall on a small glacial tongue leading directly into the bay in front of the Swift Glacier. Note the waterfall on the rocks just to the right of the icefall. Today's warm temperatures produced large amounts of meltwater on the Swift Glacier and it's tributaries.
