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The whale that visited us yesterday was quite spectacular, not only from the surface but also from underneath the ice. A number of people used waterproof cameras and camera housings on poles pushed down through ice core holes to film and photograph the whale approaching the breathing hole and pushing it's head up for air. They even managed to get video footage of it pooing!
This event has caused quite some excitement, particularly amongst the trace metals team and biologists who believe that whale faeces is a major ocean fertilizer; a nutrient source for plankton and phytoplankton in the southern ocean. Today they are busy sampling ice cores through the ice to capture and measure the effects of the poo, which appears to have dispersed and floated up beneath the ice. Exciting stuff for some (Particularly Klaus, our Chief Scientist)!
I’m still cold from the wind on the helipad. We have just flown a reconnaissance flight which shows that the ice around us is beginning to break up. The closest and most promising crack is only 800m ahead. We are now waiting for the ice immediately around the vessel to break up so we can begin our journey north...
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.