Air
- From several thousand feet up, Casey Station appears just as a tiny speck. A busy hive of scientific activity and a little slice of operational bustle dwarfed by the vast continent. It is really from this view that you get a sense of scale – we operate on a tiny peninsula in a tiny corner of East Antarctica.
- With the good ship Nuyina in harbour, station gets busy. Trailing white foaming wakes, barges and boats shuttle between the ship and the wharf. The sharp line of the road connecting the wharf to station is evidence of weeks of construction. Blue lakes appear among the brown rock and white ice.
- Birds are on the wing. The snow petrel contrasts sharply against the break up of the sea ice, the rocky cliffs is their breeding ground, their life cycle dictated by the changing of the seasons. A reminder that we share this special place, we keep our footprint small, and we return it as pristine as it once was.
Land
- Ice crunches underfoot, glad I have spikes on. Researchers are interested in how it forms, how it moves, how it changes. Lots of bubbles are in this piece of frozen water. Science is the reason why we are all here, pioneering a temporary existence on the remotest continent on Earth (among other superlatives).
- Wind shapes the landscape. On the windiest continent on Earth (another superlative), walking, skiing, and driving over the sastrugi terrain – wind eroded snow that makes travel challenging. So buckle up, bend your knees, and make the most of navigating over and around these unique snow features.
- Away from station is where to experience deafening silence, with only the whistling breeze and occasional squawk of a bird for company. Huts, survival shelters, tents, and even a bivvy bag are ways to take the time to fully appreciate this adventure of a lifetime which we have all embarked on.
Sea
- The dripping of water was not a sound I expected to hear on the driest continent on Earth (yet another superlative). At the height of summer, the sun transforms the frozen surface into streams water, sculpting the ice on its short journey to the sea. It is hard to remember what darkness looks like.
- Life in Antarctica clings to the coast (except for some very hardy humans). Penguins squabble over pebbles on rocky outcrops and seals work on their suntan on dynamic sea ice. On the water cutting through the waves in small watercraft is the way to experience this extraordinary boundary of ice and water.
- Ice on the water takes on special meaning. A full palette of blue is needed to depict the light bouncing off the features on an iceberg, formed by the action of sunlight, waves and wind. An iconic symbol of the continent, it is a reflection of Antarctica itself – beautiful, ever-changing, still hiding its many mysteries.
Jenn Zhu - Communications Operator
