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An exciting day today. We have crossed below the Antarctic circle, where at this time of year the sun never sets, and entered an area not visited by a ship (or people) previously. This visit of ours as a first is made possible due to the waters we are in being previously covered by the enormous Mertz Glacier. The front of this glacier snapped off when hit by iceberg B9B over a year ago, revealing the ocean underneath it. Last year pack ice still prevented access this far South. Significantly our first stop prior to entering this newly accessible area was to repeat a marine science station first visited by Douglas Mawson on the SY Aurora 100 years ago. Our own scientists made similar collections and observations as Mawson did, with slightly more modern equipment, to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the ocean. This gives a comparative record over 100 years thanks to the 1911-14 AAE! The role of the Southern Ocean in global climate and biogeochemical cycles can be better understood by quantifying changes in these properties. It feels like history is all around us as we do this work. This morning we also crossed through a really large phytoplankton bloom area that had a signature in much reduced CO2 levels in the water due to uptake by the phytoplankton. When not working everyone has enjoyed some bursts of sunshine to watch the pack ice go past, with the odd individual or huddle of penguins on the floes. The Mertz Glacier edge looms just 4nm away. Last night we heard from Tony Fleming about the amazing story of survival of his grandfather Raymond Priestly and colleagues at Inexpressible Island in the Ross Sea during Scott’s ill fated South Pole expedition. The explorers and scientists of the Heroic age were tough indeed. We intend to head for Commonwealth Bay later tonight and hope for a possible landing over the coming days, if Antarctica allows us.
REGARDS: Robb, Steve, Barb and Nisha
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.