May 16, 2000

Night in the Weddell Sea

This is a view from the bridge as the ship breaks through the ice around 2 am. The landscape is lit by a nearly full moon, and spotlights from the ship reach out to light up icebergs that may be in our path.

Start of the night shift and it's beautiful outside. The moon is setting in the west, we are breaking through thin snow covered ice and the dry snow is flying up in clouds around the ship sparkling in the moon light. Seals are visible on the ice and swimming in the open water.

Current location is 64 52 south, 60 01 west, outside air temperature 1 F.

The ship was able to clear the dense pack ice that had halted our progress yesterday and we are working our way south towards the edge of the Larsen Ice Shelf. This area of the Weddell Sea was covered by the Larsen Ice Shelf until about 10 years ago when a large section of the shelf broke free and drifted out to sea. We should have a spectacular view when the sun comes up as we will be near the fracture line of the ice shelf.

more later,

Dave Tewksbury
tewksbda@nbp.polar.org


Sunrise in the Weddell Sea. Current temperature is 1 degree above zero, with wind chill of 30 below.

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