We’ve had a couple of trips recently to deploy instruments and make measurements at the edge of the multiyear ice (more than 6 metres thick) and the annual ice growing over the ocean. Our site is about 30 kilometres away from Scott Base where the ice breaker cut a channel in January to let the fuel tanker get in to unload at McMurdo station. The first trip was very interesting: a beautiful calm day with gorgeous low light colours, and that anticipation of being the first people to see what’s out there. There were old skidoo tracks from the summer along the edge of the Tanker Channel but the fresh ice was like a canvas with just the under-painting done. We made our marks, drilled holes, placed instruments, collected data all the while marvelling at things that are harder to measu...

We began last week shovelling snow from our first winter storm and today it looks like we might just get a chance to shovel out after our second before a third storm arrives. At the end of this week, we reach another milestone in our winter season, when we will say goodbye to the sun until August. Officially, the sun will rise completely above the horizon for the last time on April 23 and then make a partial appearance the following day before hiding below the northern horizon for the next three months. Of course it won’t suddenly get a lot darker the next day, but all we’ll have is twilight until the sun comes up again. Being on the south side of the Hut Point Peninsula, Scott Base saw its last direct sunshine a few...

The unusually settled weather we’ve having since our arrival at Scott Base finally gave way this weekend with the first storm of the winter. As a result, the weather has been declared Condition 1, meaning no off-base travel. Most of us have stepped outside to get a feel of the 100-130 km/h (60-80 mph) winds that have been buffeting the base for the last 36 hours, but otherwise we’ve all been stuck inside watching the storm through windows that flex disconcertingly and checking the weather station dials frequently. The winds have been consistently out of the South, which will probably drive a lot of the newly-formed sea ice out of McMurdo Sound. Once the weather clears, we will be keen to go up one of the hills near base to get a look out to the North to see check what th...

As the days grow shorter, the sunsets get pinker and the air temperature drops, the short Antarctic autumn kicks in. From the hills behind the base we can look north and see heavy grey clouds rolling over the blue black ocean as water evaporates and cools the warm ocean, stirring up the colder air. Ice forms in off-white patches but wind and waves move it away, or mix the cooled surface with the layers just below, still warmer than freezing from the remains of the heat absorbed over the summer. Until all this heat has been dissipated any ice that forms is only temporary, and certainly not suitable for us to stand on. Closer to the base thicker ice is left over from previous years, some having been around for over twenty years, held fast by the coastline and wedg...

During the summer, we’ve gotten used to seeing lots of seals lounging near cracks on top the sea ice in front of the base. At times, keen observers have counted well over a hundred, but in the last few days they have been a scarcer and scarcer sight. So the question occupying the best minds on base (and ours) is “where have all the seals gone?”. With no seal experts on base, we’ve had to resort to wild speculation, which has included that perhaps there is an abundance of fish under the ice, or perhaps the cracks are freezing over. Or maybe we just need to clean the windows on base. Whatever the answer, the mysterious disappearance of the seals is probably another indicator that winter is advancing, as our oceanographic data are beginning to show. We’ve begun posting recent...

The last flight has flown and weve had the first sunset of the year, which means winter is on the way here at Scott Base. The base is now in winter operations mode, which means extra clothing and equipment when we leave base and remembering to plug-in the vehicles to keep them warm when theyre parked. It also means that once weve eaten all the fresh fruit and veg, there won't be anymore until August. Fortunately, we just had a large shipment of freshies, so were torn between rationing them and eating them before they go bad. Except for the bananas, for which we have a strict quota system - we've got a mountain of them to get through and everyone has to eat their daily quota! Recipe suggestions suggestions are welcome. Although winter operations are in full sw...

We've been on base for almost two weeks now, which we have mostly spent unpacking boxes and testing instruments. This has been our number one priority as the last cargo flight before winter is on February 20 in just six days time, so if we've forgotten anything important, we'd better find out now! The last passenger flight is due to arrive on February 23 and that will take home the last of the summer base crew leaving just 26 of us for the winter. To get to know each other better and learn survival skills that could prove vital in the coming months, half of the wintering-over crew spent the last two days taking part in winter Antarctic Field Training. As well as learning the ins and outs of the most common types of tent used down here, we were also given a given a masterclass in makin...

With all our scientific equipment staged with ANZ in Christchurch, ready to fly down to the Ice, all that remains for me and Alex is to pack a few good books, set our lives in order for the next nine and half months and bid farewell to those around us - the latter possibly being the hardest part of all. Last night, to mark our imminent departure, we met with friends and colleagues from the University of Otago at the Carey’s Bay Hotel, just outside Port Chalmers – the last port of call for many early Antarctic expedition including those of Scott and Shackleton. The hotel is reputedly the location Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s last meal before setting sail from New Zealand on his fateful journey to Antarctica in November, 1910. Although were unable to confirm this story, it did make fo...

The end of another week draws close, bringing with it the realization that there are not too many left before we head South to spend the winter at Scott Base, Antarctica. Scratch off a few of those weeks due to the Christmas holidays and we’ve got about 5 weeks left to pack and test everything we're going to need to study winter sea ice growth in McMurdo sound for 9 months. Over the last few weeks, we’ve sent off a flurry of purchase orders and the Physics Department's machine shop has been kept busy with orders for custom designs. Our collaborators at VUW, NIWA and IRL are busy preparing their components of the program and everyone’s inboxes have been brimm...