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Last night we passed the halfway point of the I9 transect. The weather continues to allow us to make good progress and all the scientific work is going well. The sea temperature has jumped by more than three degrees in the last 24 hours, indicating we are crossing the main core of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The deep-reaching currents of the Southern Ocean are steered by bathymetric features like mid-ocean ridges, so it is no coincidence that we are crossing the current at the same time as we cross the ridge. The water depth has shoaled from about 4500 m further south to 3000 m over the ridge. The highlight today was the rare experience of attending an art opening at sea. Our extraordinary resident artist, Wendy Sharpe, exhibited the work she has done on the voyage. It is wonderful to see our experiences of the last month through her eyes, captured in her paintings and sketches of shipboard life, Mawson’s hut, penguins, and the ice, sea and sky of our Southern Ocean world. She kindly donated several penguin paintings that were auctioned to raise money for the Mawson’s Hut Foundation.
Regards, Steve and Barbara
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.