Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: Antarctic Expeditions  (Read 10008 times)

Sebastian Jones

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 716
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 214
  • Likes Given: 158
Antarctic Expeditions
« on: November 03, 2018, 12:44:16 AM »
A Dutch couple are about (Nov 28th 2018) to embark on a trip to the South Pole in a 3D printed vehicle powered entirely by solar panels. It is not clear why they did not try a shake down cruise in a more hospitable environment such as the Sahara Desert...

charles_oil

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 337
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 38
  • Likes Given: 74
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2018, 03:26:20 PM »
Link:
https://www.clean2antarctica.nl/en/explore/lets-do-something-crazy

Quite right - cant see any sign of testing etc - they Liesbeth and Edwin ter Velde. should be there now in the Solar Voyager.

Have signed up so may get some updates......


charles_oil

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 337
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 38
  • Likes Given: 74
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2018, 01:36:42 PM »
Not sure of progress - after a storm delay they have got moving again - this posted on Facebook 6 hrs ago (ca. 6am GMT 12/12/18).


Will we make it to the South Pole in time? After being held up by the weather, the sun has been shining on the plateau. We've started moving again, although we're far behind our schedule. We're trying and it could still be possible, but whether we make it to the pole or not doesn't really matter, because look where we're driving! We've already made it.
[/size][/color]
[/size]See  [/color][/size]https://www.facebook.com/clean2antarctica[/color]

Jim Hunt

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6268
  • Don't Vote NatC or PopCon, Save Lives!
    • View Profile
    • The Arctic sea ice Great White Con
  • Liked: 893
  • Likes Given: 87
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2019, 05:18:35 PM »
According to the BBC:

Quote
A former Royal Marine who has completed a 745-mile (1,200km) solo trek to the South Pole has described the conditions as "absolutely horrendous".

Baz Gray, 45, from Buckland Monochorum, Devon, said unusually heavy snow had made the middle section the toughest period of his life.

He had to eat 10,000 calories each day, covering an average of 19 miles (31km) while dragging an 85kg (187lbs) sled.

Mr Gray arrived at the South Pole at 19:00 GMT on Sunday after 39 days.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-46780829

No 3D printing necessary, but Baz did fly rather than walk away from the South Pole!

Quote
The expedition was a practice run for a record-attempting solo trip across the whole of Antarctica planned for 2019.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

charles_oil

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 337
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 38
  • Likes Given: 74
Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2019, 04:27:33 AM »
There doesn't seem to be separate topic for Antarctic expeditions - of which there have been quite a few recently.


Currently at least two major new ones -
A) Looking for Shackleton's ship in the Weddell sea &
B) the joint Thwaites investigation - multiyear project


We have also just had two one-man crossings of the Antarctic and the recycled Antarctic solar truck trip to the pole.


Links to current ones: https://weddellseaexpedition.org/
updates seem just in News section


and https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/international-thwaites-glacier-collaboration/
for updates: https://www.bas.ac.uk/media/latest-blogs/
 

Sebastian Jones

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 716
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 214
  • Likes Given: 158
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2019, 03:35:05 AM »

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2019, 10:15:12 PM »
here is a blog by one of the scientists on the way to Thwaites glacier:
https://thwaitesglacier.org/blog/snow-ice-ice-4

The Polarstern has left Punta Arenas and is heading for the Wedell sea
https://www.awi.de/en/expedition/ships/polarstern.html

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2019, 12:11:34 PM »
Tasha Snow writes  about water temperature measurements, it obviously will take some time until those come out but getting access  below the ice with the AUV is really promising.
https://thwaitesglacier.org/blog
Since then the Nathaniel B Palmer has gone to Rothera station it seems from sailwx
https://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WBP3210


solartim27

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 599
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 42
  • Likes Given: 75
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2019, 04:12:47 PM »
There was a medical emergency on the Palmer, requiring them to stop research. 
https://twitter.com/NSF_OPP/status/1096545610138898432?s=19
FNORD

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2019, 08:30:19 PM »
Thanks for that info, they are heading west again now.

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2019, 02:06:17 AM »
The N B Palmer is back off Pine island Glacier according to sailwx.
a post from the 24th is probably about activities before the detour to Rothera.
https://thwaitesglacieroffshoreresearch.org/news/2019/2/24/island-days-part-ii-tarsan-partners-with-the-natives-seals

but contains a lot of interesting information about the research.

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2019, 10:47:09 PM »
A new entry on the THOR cruise news about their trip to Rothera with many nice photos:
https://thwaitesglacieroffshoreresearch.org/news/

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2019, 03:02:50 PM »
A new post is up  on https://thwaitesglacieroffshoreresearch.org/news/2019/3/8/life-on-the-research-icebreaker-nathaniel-b-palmer
which has short clips on the ice edge of Thwaites Glacier Ice shelf (thats what the caption says) It would be nice to have more detail on the location of these images but nice to see what the white bits we see in the satellite images look close up.
Tasha Snow also has a new post up, interesting background to the research going on
https://thwaitesglacier.org/blog/snow-ice-geology-spoon-7
The NBP has moved on to the PIG according to sailwx by the way
https://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WBP3210
« Last Edit: March 09, 2019, 03:28:35 PM by Andreas T »

b_lumenkraft

  • Guest
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2019, 04:56:11 PM »
Thanks, Andreas for those updates. Very much appreciated.

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2019, 06:24:47 PM »
The Nathaniel B Palmer is on its way back now it seems but there is another report on the blog
https://thwaitesglacier.org/blog/snow-ice-synergizing-science-9
another report with some more detail is here
https://thwaitesglacieroffshoreresearch.org/news/2019/3/12/thwaites-glacier-there-and-gone

bligh8

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 313
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 56
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #15 on: July 14, 2019, 02:18:26 PM »
Biostabilization of sewage sludge in the Antarctic
Carlos Banchón (a1), Tamara Borodulina (a1), Paola Posligua (a2) (a3) (a4) and Miguel Gualoto (a2) (a3)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102019000221
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 June 2019

Extract
Antarctica is no longer a pristine environment due to atmospheric pollution, fuel spills, inadequate waste management and wastewater discharges from anthropogenic activities (Harris 1998, Stark et al. 2015). Approximately 37% of the permanent stations and 69% of the summer stations lack any form of sewage treatment (Gröndahl et al. 2009). The characteristics of wastewater from stations are also of concern because they are a complex mix of contaminants containing human waste, cosmetics, viruses, dyes, detergents, medications, chemicals from laboratories and even microplastics (Bhardwaj et al. 2018). In Antarctica, treatment plants discharge treated water into the sea and then sludge is packed and sealed into drums for later shipment to Chile. Nevertheless, sewage sludge (c. 59–88% organic matter) could become a biosolid instead of being a waste if correctly stabilized. The Ecuadorian Antarctic station ‘Pedro Vicente Maldonado’ produced c. 200 kg of sewage sludge during expeditions in 2017 and 2018. Thus, the aim of the present study was to biostabilize sewage sludge using two methods (one thermal and one biological) at the Ecuadorian Antarctic station. As a result, the stabilization of sewage sludge produced a biosolid that was easier and more cost effective to transport, avoiding odour problems.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/biostabilization-of-sewage-sludge-in-the-antarctic/FD4C4452CCC0F9EFE1CBF59225F41635

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #16 on: December 14, 2019, 07:27:03 PM »
the expedition season in antarctica has started
some links have been posted elsewhere but are probably easier to find here
https://thwaitesglacier.org/news
some great up to date photos and details about working next to pine island glacier, enough to make one a little envious
https://twitter.com/geologicalJo
on the other side of PIG preparing for drilling near Thwaites eastern side

https://twitter.com/Alpinesciences/status/1204548226466156546


also on twitter
https://twitter.com/GlacierThwaites
https://twitter.com/HotWaterOnIce
these are locations we will hear from I hope
« Last Edit: December 15, 2019, 06:16:15 PM by Andreas T »

kassy

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 8235
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2041
  • Likes Given: 1986
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #17 on: December 16, 2019, 01:40:48 PM »
Antarctica team conducts first study of melting Totten Glacier
By YUMI NAKAYAMA

...

Japan’s 61st research expedition to Antarctica arrived off the Totten Glacier in the eastern part of the frozen continent on Dec. 14 to conduct a series of observations.

...

But the center of the researchers’ attention is the sea area around the Totten Glacier.

Warm seawater is believed to be drifting under the end of the glacier, causing a substantial amount of ice to melt.

The researchers fear that such losses of ice will cause sea levels to rise around the world.

...

As the helicopter reduced its altitude and changed locations, the observation team dropped 15 devices through gaps in the ice from the open backdoor.

Within almost one minute of the drops, Kaihei Yamazaki, a 26-year-old team member who is a graduate student at Hokkaido University, excitedly notified others in the helicopter.

“Here comes the data,” he cried out.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201912160031.html
Þetta minnismerki er til vitnis um að við vitum hvað er að gerast og hvað þarf að gera. Aðeins þú veist hvort við gerðum eitthvað.

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #18 on: December 23, 2019, 08:30:40 PM »
this is from cavity camp on the ice tongue.
Quote
After snowfall bound us to our tents for the last three days, clear blue skies and crisp conditions allowed the first field measurements on the Thwaites Glacier today. The ice is generally thinner than we have estimated from satellite data before coming to Antarctica. This is important because it indicates a change in the structural stability of this part of Thwaites Glacier. Underneath our camp, ice thickness is just about 300m, followed by 550m of ocean water to the sea floor.
https://polarchristian.com/2019/12/23/first-field-measurements-are-surprising/

Andreas T

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1149
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 4
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #19 on: December 25, 2019, 05:15:40 PM »
the camps on the ice tongue are visible on the 23/12/19 sentinel image
https://twitter.com/KeithMakinson1/status/1209510635379122182
« Last Edit: December 25, 2019, 05:22:14 PM by Andreas T »

morganism

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1691
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 215
  • Likes Given: 124
Re: Antarctic Expeditions
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2024, 06:57:06 AM »
( i didn't see a historical Antartic Expd thread, so will leave this here..)

The following is transcribed from the “pocket diary” logbooks and journals of the author, then-Lieutenant Peter Hutchinson, U.S. Navy, who was first assistant to and then operations officer on board the icebreaker USS Glacier (AGB-4) during the Navy’s Deep Freeze operations of 1960–62 and drafted the ship’s operations report. Home-ported in Boston, the Glacier was largest and most powerful icebreaker in the world of its time. It was transferred to the Coast Guard shortly after Hutchinson’s tour of duty and used for a brief time in Arctic operations. It remains a seminal part of Hutchinson’s life and career; few of the individuals involved are still alive at the time of this writing.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2024/february/ice-uss-glacier-agb-4-antarctica