Adaptability and stubborn fish: settling into the deep freeze
If my first few weeks at Mawson were a sensory overload of jagged peaks and clear ice, the last month has been a masterclass in patience. We’ve officially moved past the "honeymoon phase" of arrival and into the grit of station life, where the environment doesn't just provide a backdrop, it sets the rules.
The logistics of "Plan B". Back at the green store, the workflow is constant, but the logic is simple: work is dictated by the weather. At Mawson, "adaptability" isn't just your typical buzzword, it’s a necessity. You start the day with a plan to move cargo or organise stock, but when Mother Nature decides to change her mind, that plan goes straight out the window. Learning to stay productive when the weather isn’t behaving, is a different kind of challenge than I faced at Macquarie Island, but it makes the calm days feel even more rewarding.
Drilling and determined locals. We recently headed out for sea-ice training to begin the season’s ice drilling. It’s an amazing process, checking the integrity of the frozen ice around station. During the drilling, we had a small group of fish pop up through one of the holes to see what all the noise was about. Apparently, they preferred the view from the top; no matter how much we tried to verbally “encourage" them back into the depths of the ocean, they were determined to stay with the surface water.
A quieter neighbourhood. The wildlife landscape has shifted dramatically since I arrived. With the ocean now frozen solid, averaging about 90 cm thick around the station, most of the animals have staged a mass exodus. Looking out over the bay, what was once open water as far as the eyes could see, it’s now a white expanse. Easy to see why they’ve departed for warmer northern shores. I can’t help but think they might be sunning themselves on the beaches of Macquarie Island while we settle into the double digit negative temperatures here.
Through a different lens. On the photography front, this environment is a tough critic. The cold is brutal on the gear, and I’ve had to learn the hard way how quickly batteries can drain in the Antarctic wind. However, it’s been the perfect environment to test out my Insta360. Being able to capture the 360-degree scale of the ice wind scours in the nearby mountains really helps put our tiny footprint here into perspective. The mountains are still there, the wind is still screaming, and there is plenty of stock to move. It’s a long way from the green slopes, but Mawson is really starting to feel like home.
Cris Ambrozie, Station Supply Officer
