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We successfully deployed the third mooring, and recovered the small and expensive gyro for the third time. This morning’s gyro recovery was a tough one. The wind had come up and large ice floes were moving rapidly through the region. It was very difficult to pick a time when we could release the instrument and have it reach the surface in open water, rather than beneath a big ice floe. In the end, we had to watch for patches of relatively open water passing through and time the release so the instrument would pop up in the hole. Each patch gave us about a 10 minute window to find the red float at the top of the mooring package. We managed to time it pretty well in the end, but it as a close-run thing, with the float bobbing up about 10 m away from a massive floe. It’s good to have all the gear deployed that’s supposed to stay in the water, and all the stuff that’s supposed to come back safely on board. We are back to CTDing our way to the south and east, toward the large B9-B iceberg and the remains of the Mertz glacier. We should reach B9-B by tomorrow.
REGARDS: Steve, Fred and Penny
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.