Halley Diary — October 2009
31 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As the last month of solitude for the wintering Halley eleven starts, the base gears up for the first of the new intruders to arrive by air. Everyone is busy …
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King Edward Point Diary – October 2009
31 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
October on South Georgia is the most amazing month. From having seen the first elephant seals arrive in September and the first pups born around the vernal equinox, the massive …
Rothera Diary — October 2009
30 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
End of winter, planes, new faces and freshies All good things come to an end, also the winter of 2009. This happened on the 10th day of this month. One …
Bird Island Diary — September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
September is a busy time on Bird Island, a time of transition from the quiet times of winter, both for work and wildlife, to the start of the summer breeding …
Halley Diary — September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
September saw the first attempt of building an Igloo to which a great deal of time and effort only rewarded us with a half built igloo, which would be nice …
King Edward Point Diary – September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
September heralded springtime for us here at KEP. It will go down in my memory as the month of the great melt but thankfully the snow held out long enough …
Rothera Diary — September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Hello, and welcome to the Rothera diary entry for September. I would like to give you an insight to base life from my own personal perspective. I am Tony McLaughlan, …
Bird Island Diary — August 2009
31 August, 2009 Stacey Adlard
This month we have been treated to some gorgeous weather, which is such a rare treat on Bird Island. We have had full days of blue skies and sunshine and …
Halley Diary — August 2009
31 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Halley 89022, Antarctica 89022 is the international weather station number for Halley, a figure I write several times a day in the meteorological register and various other places. It has …
Dancing Skies over Antarctica
31 August, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
During the winter months on the Antarctic continent not only do we experience 24 hour darkness but we are privileged to see the aurora australis. Here at Halley Station we …
Deep Down into the Antarctic Ice
31 August, 2009 John Eager
It’s early Sunday morning at Halley Research Station, Antarctica. The sun is rising quickly on the horizon, the wind is low and the temperature outside is a modest −18 degrees …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2009
31 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
August was a month of mixed weather here at KEP, it started with a pretty drastic thaw, which made the keen skiers amongst us a little worried that it may …
Rothera Diary — August 2009
30 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Spring As I sit here waiting to leave base and head out into the field for my week long winter trip, I thought now would be a good time to …
Halley Diary — July 2009
31 July, 2009 Nicholas Gregory
As the pandemonium of midwinter subsides the reality of Antarctic winter grips us firmly by the throat, a deep red floods the afternoon sky allowing a hint of blue to …
King Edward Point Diary – July 2009
31 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
So July started off with myself getting another year older and yet again spending it away from home. I received some great gifts from the gang here. Thanks guys and …
Rothera Diary — July 2009
31 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Water, ice and steam It’s 10pm Friday 31st July. Mug of coffee in hand, I am awaiting the return of James and Jonny with a bundle of newspapers for the …
Bird Island Diary — July 2009
30 July, 2009 Stacey Adlard
Wildlife: July started in a rather lazy way, as we all recovered from the hectic midwinter celebrations of the week before. On the 1st, we were lucky enough to find …
North Sea ramblings
28 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings from the North Sea, the Shackleton has had a busy time of it since you last heard from us. After The Norwegian job and demob in Kristiansund the ship headed …
Bird Island Diary — June 2009
30 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As the island and its inhabitants settle further into winters icy grip (well, more slush than ice I’m afraid!) the last of the summer breeding birds vacates the island, leaving …
Halley Diary — June 2009
30 June, 2009 Karen Fowler
Midwinter This is a particularly special month for all of us down here at Halley. It marks the middle of our year and sees the start of our week-long celebration …
Extreme Cold, Extreme South, Extreme Science
30 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As I take off from the ice runway at the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley base, situated on the Brunt Ice Shelf (75°34′S 26°34′W), I finally realise I am living and …
King Edward Point Diary – June 2009
30 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The month started with a team expedition up to the repeater. The repeater is used to maintain VHF contact with field parties and the boats within the area that cannot …
Grab Sampling in the Norwegain Sea
3 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
On her latest charter the RRS Ernest Shackleton has been involved in Environmental Monitoring for Statoilhydro in the Norwegian Sea. Since the 1980’s, Norwegian legislation has enforced Environmental Monitoring around …
The Humber to Norway
3 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings once again, well here we are, floating about in the North Sea on contract and earning our keep. After a fairly hectic stay in Immingham with repairs and new …
Bird Island Diary — May 2009
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
May is considered to be the month of change at Bird Island, between the mild summer and the Antarctic winter… and it is at Bird Island that those changes on …
Halley Diary — May 2009
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Where’s the sun? After the high winds that blew the last days of April away, we wondered if the breeze would abate to allow us a glimpse of the sun …
Living in Antarctica – A Chance of a lifetime
31 May, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
Introducing Halley Station (75°34′S 26°34′W), located on the 150m thick, continually moving, Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Named after the Astronomer Edmond Halley, the current station (Halley V) is the …
King Edward Point Diary – May 2009
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Winter arrived in earnest at KEP in May with some good dumps of snow and also lots of nice cold clear days so on our days off we were able …
Rothera Diary — May 2009
30 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Say Goodbye to the Sun Welcome everyone to the month of May at Rothera Research Station. My name is Andy Webster and I am the Communications Manager here on station. …
Stanley to the Humber
12 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings once again, it has been quite a while since we you heard from us. Much water has passed under the hull since then and we are currently heading for …
Bird Island Diary — April 2009
30 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The month of April had an interesting but late start for me on Bird Island, arriving back from a two-week stay (or as some less sympathetic base members have called …
Halley Diary — April 2009
30 April, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
Extreme is a word I could use to describe April at Halley this year. We hear it often when referred to living in the Antarctic. It was drummed into us …
King Edward Point Diary – April 2009
30 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
And finally… the April diary entry for KEP. As Luke in March gave you the most comprehensive and poetic description of South Georgia’s wildlife, ecosystems and sporting glory, I shall …
Rothera Diary — April 2009
30 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Winter training In keeping to winter traditions, I am writing the April diary entry between the hours of 1am to 6am. Yes, I’m on nightwatch and it’s currently 4am on …
Crew Change – Stanley to Rothera
26 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Capt. John Mashall’s team duly arrived in Stanley and joined the ship on the Tuesday the 10th March. We spent three days in Stanley which was a good opportunity to …
Wilkins ice bridge snaps
7 April, 2009 Andrew Fleming
Satellite pictures, from the European Space Agency (ESA), revealed that the 40-km (25 mile) long strip of floating ice believed to pin the Wilkins Ice Shelf in place had snapped …
Bird Island Diary — March 2009
31 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Last month on Bird Island… After a little more than two years on this amazing island, sharing my daily life with great people and thousands of penguins, albatrosses, petrels and …
Halley Diary — March 2009
31 March, 2009 John Eager
As time is called on March 2009, the 54th Halley wintering team completed its first month alone on the Brunt ice shelf. Nights lengthen and darken, temperatures plummet and the …
King Edward Point Diary – March 2009
31 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
March of the Penguins. And March they did indeed, to their deathbeds of moulted feathers blowing away in the wind with their last breath. Shaggy coats of half-moulted feathers, worn …
Rothera Diary — March 2009
30 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Preparing for Winter I am Dr Matt A Edwards, medical officer for the British Antarctic Survey research facility on the Antarctic Peninsula known as Rothera. It is an honour to …
Some Earth Observation Imagery used on JR200
25 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
jr200 Autumn Science Cruise in the Scotia Sea The current series of Ecosystem Science cruises have run since 2006. The series is examining latitudinal changes in the biology of the …
About
23 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The RRS Ernest Shackleton was built by Kverner Klevin Leirvik A/S, Norway as the MV Polar Queen for the Rieber Shipping of Bergen in 1995. She was deployed in the …
Bird Island Diary — February 2009
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
February is high summer on Bird Island. Although the days have started to get shorter, for the last two years February has brought some fine, settled days, perfect for exploring …
Halley Diary — February 2009
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings from everyone at Halley base. February was a month where the summer season was in full swing and there were the usual preparations and maintenance programmes being carried out …
King Edward Point Diary – February 2009
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
February has been a wonderful month at King Edward Point. It’s a great time to get out and about, up a peak, fossick on a beach or sit and watch …
Okay, Okay, so it’s C-o-l-d
19 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
TEMPERATURES DROP IN ANTARCTICA Since I have working for the Antarctic Survey, I have been telling people back home that it is NOT so cold down here in Summer. You …
South Georgia Visit
13 February, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The RRS James Clark Ross made a brief visit to Grytviken and King Edward Point on Thursday morning. Members of the science team managed to get ashore and enjoy the …
The Shackleton in February 2009
12 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
SO WHERE ARE WE PRESENTLY ? Presently, the RRS Ernest Shackleton is in the Weddell Sea of Antarctica. And what are we doing here ? Science… The Shackleton is primarily …
When is a Ship not a Ship ??….
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
When it’s an aquarium ! One of the many jobs undertaken onboard the Shackleton is a continual battle against the elements to ensure the ship remains in tip-top condition. From …
The RRS Ernest Shackleton is back On Line …
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Following the demise of the Shackleton Diaries, we introduce the new Shackleton Blog Site. No particular times for updates, just a continuous appearance of anything of interest – we hope. …
Bird Island Diary — January 2009
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The first day of the New Year was dedicated to the clearing of fuzzy heads and a gentle introduction to the world with a walk across the meadows and back …
Halley Diary — January 2009
31 January, 2009 John Eager
The New Year rings in on the Brunt ice shelf For the incoming summer and winter teams along with the ships crew the bell rings on bridge of the RSS …
King Edward Point Diary – January 2009
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
January, the month just flew by down here at KEP, with a lot happening on base that kept the entire team busy and on our toes. The year 2009 got …
Rough Seas and Fire Hydrants
29 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The ship has now recovered SHRIMP and is conducting a swath bathymetry survey, mapping the seabed. Whilst all of the exciting science work is being carried out, routine work and …
JR224 Cruise Continues
28 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The science cruise continues with some good results being obtained. On Tuesday 27th January ‘SHRIMP’ was deployed for the first time. SHRIMP is a camera system that is towed very …
A change in the weather
23 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
Friday 23rd January 2009 sees the JCR enjoying some rough seas.
Cruise JR224
21 January, 2009 Michael Gloistein
The RRS James Clark Ross is currently on cruise JR224 and will be working in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands.
Bird Island Diary — December 2008
31 December, 2008 Stacey Adlard
December was a busy month on Bird Island. With the breeding season in full swing, the field assistants were out at all hours monitoring, counting, checking, tagging and weighing various …
Halley Diary — December 2008
31 December, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello from the new boy. December was a great month for me, my first full month on the station. This of course meant as the incoming Field GA, lots of …
Bird Island Diary — November 2008
30 November, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Beasts of England For much of early November, Bird Island was covered in fog. Going out across the island to do the day’s work, familiar landmarks like Tonk and La …
Halley Diary — November 2008
30 November, 2008 Joe Corner
November, the 11th month of the year, and the 12th month that everyone, apart from Dean, has been living in the Antarctic. After 8 months of just 11 of us …
Bird Island Diary — October 2008
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The month started out with Ewan, Felice and I assisting the BBC Frozen Planet Team for a few days. This was a welcome change from our regular work and a …
Halley Diary — October 2008
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello everyone! I must apologise to all who are not flower lovers, but it seems apt to start this month’s instalment with another flower… plus I like flowers so that …
King Edward Point Diary – October 2008
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
With a whirlwind of events one after the other, October seemed to be over as soon as it began, the weather changed from winter to spring, and in one day …
Rothera Diary — October 2008
30 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The start of Summer Hi, I’m Ali the marine assistant. It is exactly a year since I last wrote an entry for the Rothera diary. I have been at Rothera …
Bird Island Diary — September 2008
30 September, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Like the previous months, September started with the all island wandering chick census; the last one of the winter but also the last one for this year; the chicks are …
Halley Diary — September 2008
30 September, 2008 Agnieszka Fryckowska
September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. In Latin, septem means “seven” and septimus means “seventh”; …
Halley Diary — August 2008
31 August, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The Sun Returns Could it be a case of pre-Christmas cheer, or early Christmas gifts, or just pure coincidence? What on earth am I on about? Well… it turns out …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2008
31 August, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The winter sun has begun to appear from behind the hovering face of Duce just behind the base here at KEP. The sun shine will spread across the base now …
Bird Island Diary — July 2008
31 July, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Just over a year ago, I was graduating from university. Following four years studying Marine and Environmental Biology at St Andrews, and with a lifelong interest in marine mammals, I …
Halley Diary — July 2008
31 July, 2008 Joe Corner
Red sky at night… July is always a quiet month here at Halley. Midwinter has come and gone, the sky is still dark and sometimes the base feels like a …
Rothera Diary — July 2008
30 July, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Moving into New Bransfield I thought as the wintering chef for this year I would first mention my new kitchen. After a bit of a delay, in February last summer, …
Bird Island Diary — June 2008
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
June has been a busy month on the little rock. After Mays comings and goings we finally settled into winter with just the four of us. Despite the base accommodating …
Halley Diary — June 2008
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello and welcome to the Halley June Diary. June is a very important month for all those wintering in Antarctica. This is because we celebrate Midwinter, this is our Christmas, …
King Edward Point Diary – June 2008
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Here we are just after the mid-winter break! Days start getting longer etc!! It has been quite busy. We have a 5-metre rib out of action at the moment due …
Bird Island Diary — May 2008
31 May, 2008 BAS Bloggers
May at Bird Island, first month of the winter… After a busy and long summer, May has been the first month without any ship calls with just the four winterers …
Halley Diary — May 2008
30 May, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The darkness cometh… Darkness came slowly, creeping up on us through April like a tiger stalking its prey. Then, ominously, the morning glow through the dining room windows is marching …
Bird Island Diary — April 2008
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
April is a month of transition on Bird Island. For many of the animals that call this place home during the summer, April is the month that sees them depart …
Halley Diary — April 2008
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
“1, 2, 3, 4, er…d’oh, damn it, I lost count! 1, 2, 3, 4…” By the end of April, the residents of Halley 2008 had experienced “winter” life for just …
King Edward Point Diary – April 2008
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
South Georgia is well known nowadays for its wildlife but it once supported a massive and destructive whaling industry and in it’s heyday, 1925-26, nearly 8000 whales were processed, with …
Bird Island Diary — March 2008
31 March, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Well this could be an emotional diary entry, as it covers my last full month on the magical wee rock, which has been my home since November 2005, before I …
Halley Diary — March 2008
31 March, 2008 BAS Bloggers
March may be the third month in the Gregorian calendar, but to the hardy Antarctic Heroes at Halley, March might as well be the first. You’re probably asking yourself why… …
King Edward Point Diary – March 2008
31 March, 2008 BAS Bloggers
When we signed our contracts with the British Antarctic Survey, it was with the understanding that we would be working and living on South Georgia for two years for scientists …
Bird Island Diary — February 2008
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Being still in the midst of wildlife breeding season February is always a busy month at Bird Island keeping the zoological field assistants at a hectic pace. The young in …
Halley Diary — February 2008
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
What a busy month! With so many people on Halley, I suppose it’s no surprise but it’s difficult to know where to start: Halley Lifetime studies, Halley VI construction, panels …
King Edward Point Diary – February 2008
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The BAS team at King Edward Point consists of nine people. The Base Commander, Doctor, three Scientists, a Generator Mechanic, and Electrical Technician and two Boatmen. Our main accommodation block, …
Bird Island Diary — January 2008
31 January, 2008 BAS Bloggers
All our own celebrations aside for the turn of the year, life pretty much carried on as normal here at BI. The multitude of wildlife never broke stride from their …
Halley Diary — January 2008
31 January, 2008 Agnieszka Fryckowska
This months diary is more of a snapshot of life at Halley from a couple of authors: David Stephenson and Agnieszka Fryckowska. We have tried to cover many of the …
King Edward Point Diary – January 2008
31 January, 2008 BAS Bloggers
South Georgia is not an easy place to get to, if you’re a tourist you can get here by cruise ship or charter yacht, both options demand heavy financial investment …
Bird Island Diary — December 2007
31 December, 2007 Claire Waluda
December at Bird Island is a busy time, filled with new life. With pups and chicks as far as the eye can see, the sounds and smells are rich and …
King Edward Point Diary – December 2007
31 December, 2007 BAS Bloggers
I remember thinking as I left my interview for Field Operations Manager in Rothera Station at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that I should take a good look around as I …
Bird Island Diary — November 2007
30 November, 2007 BAS Bloggers
This month’s diary entry will have the distinctive mark of a new arrival on Bird Island: his head filled with the overwhelming sights and sounds of this amazing place – …
Halley Diary — November 2007
30 November, 2007 Peter Milner
Thump – Thump – Splash’ > Good ‘Thud’ > Bad Leaving aside the strange title of this diary, November has been a pretty eventful month for the Halley crew. We …
Bird Island Diary — October 2007
31 October, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Well, it falls to me to write the newsletter this month as I’m the newbie on the island. Bringing the boys winter to an abrupt end; Andy, Chris, Jaume and …
Halley Diary — October 2007
31 October, 2007 Mark Wales
October started for us with some spectacular weather, not so much calm bright and sunny but very windy, the good thing is when it’s windy the temperature tends to be …
Oct – The end of Winter
30 October, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Hi, I’m Ali the Marine Assistant; I arrived at Rothera in December 2006 and shall be based here for a total of 2½ years. The month of October marked the …
Bird Island Diary — September 2007
30 September, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Well the 1st of September marks the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere and we have definitely seen the change of the season here at Bird Island in more …
Halley Diary — September 2007
30 September, 2007 BAS Bloggers
One of the great secrets of the Halley winter is that the period after the end of permanent darkness is filled with bad weather. While the fresh-faced eager first year …