May 15, 2000

Prince Gustav Channel

Sunrise is around 8:30 and sunset around 3:30 this time of year. This photo was taken around 10 am and shows a section of the Prince Gustav Channel filled with pack ice. The island in the center is Red Island which appears to be subglacially erupted volcanics. Orange cast to the ice in the left foreground is caused by the reflection of the sun off the orange hull of the ship.

We are currently partway down the Prince Gustav Channel which runs between the Antarctic Peninsula and James Ross Island. The channel is mainly ice free, with occasional dense patches of wind driven pack ice. Strong winds blowing off the high peaks of the peninsula and up the channel move these patches of pack ice up the channel at amazing speeds. Earlier today we had winds over 80 knots which made it very difficult to work out on deck. The winds have subsided somewhat, averaging around 40-50 knots. Luckily the temperature is a mild 34 F, the sky is clear and the sun is shining. The high winds are causing a lot of drifting of the ice pack, and this thick pack ice is causing problems with the air gun seismic system. We are currently underway to try to find some more open water to begin collecting seismic data.

The Prince Gustav Channel is spectacular and very different from the western side of the peninsula where we were last year. This side of the peninsula is influenced by dry winds originating out of the Weddell Sea and the continent itself as well as being in the precipitation shadow of the mountains on the western side of the peninsula. This makes for an area of low precipitation that looks much more like the dry valleys, a snow free area in the Trans Antarctic mountains near the Ross Sea, than the scenery we are used to on the western side of the peninsula. As we move through the channel we are alternating between open water and dense pack ice along with nice tabular icebergs. Crabeater seals and Adalie penguins populate the larger ice floes and provide great entertainment as they watch the ship pass.

Almost 3 in the afternoon so it's off to bed soon so I can be up at 11 pm to begin my day. The night shift are discussing how to greet each other as we begin our shift. Good morning does not seem right in the middle of the night and good night sounds like you are leaving.

We will come up with something. the other big ship news its that starting tonight at midnight a number of members of the ship's staff and some of the scientists will begin the cabbage soup diet. This entails a diet of cabbage in multiple forms for the next 6-10 days.

Rest assured I am not part of the cabbage patch crew.


Dave Tewksbury
tewksbda@nbp.polar.org

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