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We had hoped the blizzard would have died down by early afternoon yesterday but this did not happen and it was not until darkness fell that the winds dropped off.
We woke this morning to find everything on the ice looking remarkably similar to it's pre blizzard state, but with small changes. Wherever the ship has disturbed the wind, snow has fallen leaving the ROV hole (Remotely Operated Vehicle) buried by over a metre of snow. As a result of the snow deposition around the ship, the freeboard of the ice has become negative and so flooded with sea water. The transponder locations that were surveyed the day before the storm are now 18m closer, yet the ice between looks unchanged.
There is no open water in sight of the vessel however, just frozen leads. In addition there are new piles of ice rubble in the distance in most directions. As a result we're happy that the area we are working in is under pressure and shouldn't break up as quickly as ice station 1.
There is a large crowd on the ice, most keeping close to the ship where a quick exit from the ice is possible if conditions do change quickly!
Cheers
Andy, Brett
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.