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As predicted by the soothsayer, the wind inexorably picked up over the course of yesterday evening and we found ourselves retrieving a MIDOC trawl in 35 knots of wind at about 9:30pm.
We had planned to attempt a CTD in the lee of a large ice berg but unfortunately this had to be abandoned. A pity; it would have been very interesting to see what local effects might be in the water due to the proximity of a large melting ice berg. I had a late night conversation on the bridge with K-Axis Chief Investigator Andrew Constable about the possibility that icebergs could be important sources of iron for marine life. This is because they are built up of snow lain down over millennia on the continent which is then dispersed relatively rapidly as the ice bergs break off and melt in the open ocean. The iron would come from atmospheric dust of both volcanic and meteoric origin. Yet another unexpected connection between Antarctica and the rest of the planet (not to mention the solar system)
Sleep was hard to come by. The bunk was tossing and turning all night; and that was before I even got into it. When I went up to the bridge at 7:00am this morning, it was between 50 and 60 knots which corresponds to Force 9; a phrase which sounds just as impressive as the weather it describes. The visibility is down to “not much” and the foredeck is covered in rime ice.
We are currently heading on a westerly course at latitude 66º 41’ and hope to arrive at the start of the Mawson krill survey box by 8pm tonight. The weather prospects are not looking too good for the acoustic work but we shall find what we shall find.
I just noticed that we are now below the Antarctic Circle for the first time on this trip. It certainly looks like it out there. All outside decks have just been declared closed for safety reasons and we’ll certainly be putting on the intrepid factor 50+ sunscreen (and perhaps a nice warm cardigan) today.
Lloyd and 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.