Leaving Antarctica

Adam and I have left Antarctica! We're in the BAS office in Stanley in the Falklands after a 5 hour flight from base. Its positively tropical here and the air smells of plants and i saw a small insect on the floor of the toliet which was a novelty. I was so sad to leave all my friends there behind for the winter. They're a great bunch of people and will have a fantastic winter at Rothera. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of all their winter trips and sea ice travel expeditions.

Leaving Rothera

Today was my last day at Rothera. We have spend most of this last week packing up all the scientific samples and equpiment for export back to the UK on one of our research ships. We have also been busy diving for animals to take back to the UK in the Transport Aquarium, which is a container that will take live animals from Antarctica across the tropics and to their new home at the British Antarctica Survey HQ in Cambridge, England.

Tonight we are having a Ibiza sunset party in the boatshed!

Ice climbing

Last night we went ice climbing - it was super fun - but REALLY cold!!!

Lagoon Island

I have just spent a fantastic couple of days on Lagoon Island. It was like a little holiday away from base as I haven't been out to the field this season. It was a bit cold in the hut - I had on Mrs Puffy!

Humpback and Killer Whales!

Humpbacks


Humpback diving


Killer whales

This morning we saw 2 humpback whales off the wharf and yesterday we saw 5 killer whales (orcas). Very exciting!

International Polar Year Youth Website up and running!

The International Polar Year (IPY) Youth Steering Committee (YSC) website is now up and running thanks to James Cheshire from the University of Southampton. Check it out at:
http://www.ipyyouth.org.uk/

Science minister's visit on the news

Check out BBC Science and Nature for news of the VIP visit
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6386357.stm

Meeting the Science Minister and Lord Oxburgh

Yesterday the UK Science Minister, MP Malcolm Wicks, and Lord Oxburgh came to visit the Bonner Lab. I told them about my research here and in a wider context and then we took them out on the boats to show them how we monitor water temperature in the bay using the CTD. The BAS Director was also there taking lots of photos! Hopefully, they'll take their enthuasiasm for Antarctica back to the Houses of Parliment.

Diving Hangar Cove

Our dive boat Stella navigating through the icebergs to Hangar Cove


On site for the dive


Kitting up

Extreme sunset skiing - Stork views

View from the top


Climbing to the summit

We use roped travel on the way up in case a crevasse is accidentally encountered!

Extreme sunset skiing - the climb!

Preparing harnesses for the climb


At the top of Stork Bowl


Ali our marine assistant


Ooops, somebody falling down the mountain!

Antarctica from the air!!!

Boarding our Dash 7 aircraft - she's called Daisy!


Adelaide Island from the air!


Rothera!


South of our island

Yesterday (Tues 20 Feb) I got a place on the Winter Trip Familierisation flight on the Dash 7. What an exciting day - a flight and climbing and skiing!

Cruise Ship Visit

On Monday we were visited by a German cruise ship, the MS Bremen. She docked alongside our wharf (the Biscoe Wharf) and scientists from the Bonner Lab showed guests around our aquarium and research facilities.

Anchorage Island

Here are some of the view from Anchorage Island towards Adelaide Island. It was a beautiful day!

Sleeping in a melon

The melon hut on Anchorage Island


Inside the hut


My mega expedition sleeping bag


Earlier this week I stayed a night on Anchorage Island to help a terrestrial biologist called Merlyn with her research. The island is about 5 km off base and we stayed in a melon hut. It was very cold at night but we had good sleeping bags!

My Experiments

Measuring the amount of oxygen the animal uses


Clams in the respiration chambers (glass jars!)


Measuring the oxygen content of the water with an oxygen sensitive foil inside the jar


The data feeds into the computer generating graphs of oxygen consumption

I'm researching the metabolic rates of Antarctic marine animals. Animals in Antarctica are very slow growing and have low metabolic rates. Some of the animals I'm studying are over 40 years old! To measure their oxygen use, I keep them in glass or perspex containers for about 6-8 hours and measure the amount of oxygen removed from the seawater over that time.

My Animals

Antarctic brachiopod with youngsters attached


Antarctic clams called Laternula - these live in mud and clay and a lot of digging is involved whilst diving to get them out!


Antarctic sea urchin


One of my holding tanks in the Bonner Lab aquarium

The animals I'm studying have limestone (calcium carbonate) shells or skeletons. These include animals like snails (gastropods), clams (bivalves), sea urchins, brittle stars and brachiopods. I'm researching differences in shell thickness and the type of skeleton animals have in Antarctica. Because the water is very cold here it is difficult to remove calcium carbonate from the surrounding seawater. This is why I'm measuring the amount of energy animals have to use to make their shell or skeleton and comparing these measurements to data from other parts of the world where the water is warmer. It's easier to make a shell or skeleton in warmer waters, but there are more predators to defend against - so shells need to be much thicker!

Diving around a big ship

Me and Helen the Rothera marine assistant in front of our dive boat Stella

Manoeurving around the JCR in Stella

Getting through the icebergs

Just about to go diving - Shack's Crack is the butress behind me

Diving went ahead as normal around the James Clark Ross. There was lots of ice around the wharf so it was a bit tricky to launch our small dive boat - Stella. We went to dive Shack's Crack again to collect sponges for the Rothera marine biologist Jade Berman.

Return of the Royal Research Ship

The RRS James Clark Ross called into base again after a research expedition with the remotely operated underwater vehicle called ISIS. ISIS was exploring the deep sea around Antarctica providing samples and images from the sea bed 3500 m deep. I meet some of my friends Abi and Emily from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton on the ship and showed Abi some of the work I am doing in the aquarium at the Bonner Lab at Rothera.

Sunset in Antarctica

The sun is finally setting here at 67 degrees South.

Seals and Lagoon Island

Sundays are days off! Today we went boating to a nearby island - Lagoon Island. It's about 5km from base. There's a hut there with 4 bunk beds and some people from base had stayed there last night. There were elephant and Weddell seals on the island and also 1 fur seal. This was the first fur seal many of us had seen in Antarctica. They start to arrive on base at the end of the summer.

After the trip to Lagoon, I walked around Rothera Point. This is about an hours walk behind base. There were lots more Weddell seals hauled up on the beach and a big ellie seal right next to Bransfield House, the main building on base.

Co-Pilot Flight!

Today I got up at 7am (despite not going to bed until 2am after the party) and went to the Met briefing to see what the weather was like. The weather was fine for flying so I got my first Co-Pilot flight to the other side of Adelaide Island. It was beautiful seeing Antarctica from the air.

We deployed a field party of 2 people and lots of camping and science kit. Then we flew back to base down a glacier. It was soooo cool! We also flew really low over the sea and icebergs!

Gould Night

A big party in the sledge store!

Gould Visit

The American Antarctic research ship the Laurence M. Gould came to visit Rothera yesterday. Marine biologists from Rothera went aboard the ship to take water measurements around the bay.

Burn's Night

Last night in fine Scottish tradition we had a Burn's Night. This was the first one I've been to and the Ceiligh dancing was very interesting. We ate haggis which was very yum, one of Cyril's best dishes so far. Photos coming soon.

Sunset

The sun is finally starting to set at Rothera - very late at night. This is a shot from the glacier down to the station. I was driving a ski-doo back last week around 10.30pm. Autumn is coming to Antarctica.