Work! Work! Work! Dig! Dig! Dig!

With the handover underway the only way to learn the met job is just to get stuck right in. And this week has seen me doing exactly that. The 'bread and butter' work starts with a met balloon launch in the morning.

This is followed by a synoptic meteorological observation at 09:00 which is repeated every three hours during the day. In amongst this an upper atmosphere ozone measurement is taken with the Dobson Spectrophotometer. It was at Halley that the Ozone hole was originally discovered in the mid 80's. This experiment is one of the most important long term experiments that BAS runs.

The summer period is a very busy period for science too. The Antarctic Survey has a lot of automated experiments at remote locations around the Brunt Ice Shelf and beyond. During the year these automated experiments get buried in snow and it is a summer task to visit all the remote sites, dig them out and then re-establish them on top of the snow ready for another years operation.

I've already made two visits, spade in hand, to dig out a couple of sites. The first visit was to the VLF antenna. This site had to be raised and the cables tidied. It's only 2km away so we've been able to chip away at this job as and when time allows. The raising should be completed within the next couple of days.

The close proximity of the VLF site afforded us the opportunity to utilise some mechanical assistance. A far better option than a spade. The picture below also demonstrates 'poor contrast' where the cloud cover diffuses the sunlight resulting in there being no shadows cast. This has the effect of flattening the vista resulting in a limited horizon and making it difficult to see topographical features in the snow. Poor contrast can be quite dangerous as one could inadvertently walk then fall right into a great big hole. Holes similar in size to the ones I've spent the past couple of days digging.

The A10 site was about 10km away and due to it's remote location the site had to be raised in one session. The A10 site is a GPS experiment that monitors the movement of the Brunt Ice Shelf. Numerous of these GPS experiments exist at specific locations across the shelf. The array of GPS experiments enables scientists to monitor the current state of the ice shelf and to model it's future movement. Four of us went out to raise A10.

We dug a great big hole to recover the buried system components such as the battery boxes. These boxes contain lead acid batteries so once you dig them out you then have to lift them out of your deep hole. Lots of fun for all!

The GPS system consists of a GPS receiver, a radio transceiver, battery boxes for power and a solar panel for charging the batteries during the summer months and a wind turbine that provides power to charge the batteries all year round. Well when the wind blows.....which is very often indeed!

Ryan Anderson (right hand side in the piccy above) is the scientist in charge of the GPS experiments as part of the Lifetime of Halley science programme. The remote, automated GPS system allows him to communicate via radio link with the system to enable him to download the logged GPS data for analysis. However, the system will quite happily log GPS data for about a year without him talking to any of the sites.

It is very possible that the Brunt Ice Shelf will shear from the Antarctic continent one day. Part of Ryan's work is to determine if this will occur, when it will occur and where the Brunt will start to disconnect from the continent..

When it comes to raising any site the general rule of thumb is: dig, dig, dig..........

Which turns this……….

Into this……….

All followed by a superb nights sleep.

The First Week

Well a week certainly passes quickly on the ice. I arrived at Halley on Monday the 22nd and it has been all go since then. The first day was a settling in day and the next was straight into work. The handover had begun. The rotation works something like this: The new meteorologist arrives in November and commences what is essentially a three to four month handover where the outgoing meteorologist shows the incoming meteorologist the ropes and all the tips and tricks required to get through the winter. By the end of March the outgoing meteorologist has left Antarctica and the eight month winter phase begins. Next November my replacement will arrive and the cycle will start again.

Halley V was built in the early 90's and is the culmination of all the lessons learned from Halley's I,II, III and IV. The base is coming to the end of it's working life and by next year the Haley VI site should be ready with the completed modules being towed to the new site. So I may be the last meteorologist to winter at Halley V.

Halley V consists of an accommodation and support platform called the Laws platform.

All current meteorological science is conducted from the Simpson platform. The Simpson is essentially 'the office'.

There's also the Bart platform which we launch a weather balloon from daily.

Richard Sands is the outgoing Meteorologist / Electronic Engineer. The Met job with BAS was his first job since graduating from Girton College in Cambridge. He's a very talented (if not gifted), bright and positive individual who has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I'm looking forward to working with Richard over the next few months and I'm absolutely sure the handover will be a smooth one.

Halley is very, very busy at the moment. The construction of Haley VI has seen the arrival of tradesmen and engineers from Morrison Construction who are contracted to undertake the construction. Halley V was designed to accommodate about seventy individuals. The construction season see's this number swell to well over one hundred. With so many people living in close quarters and the base facilities designed only to cope with seventy, patience and understanding is the order of the day. It should be noted here that the chef's are doing a cracking job!

The last week has seen all the Halley VI modules being pulled from their snowy bed. The move of the big red module was very impressive indeed.

An interesting, hidden feature of Halley V is the service tunnel system. Thirty five meters down under the snow and ice, the tunnels transport essential services like heat and electricity to the various Halley platforms (like the Simpson platform where I work). Telecoms are routed through them and the fuel that is required to make Halley V a working reality is stored here too.

The melt tank silo, where ice and snow are melted to provide the base with water, is also part of this system. Parts of the metal silo are now like an ice cave. The ice crystal structures are mesmerising.

Arriving at Halley

21/11/2010

The word is that we shall be flying to Halley today. With the ever changing weather forever changing the plans this is no guarantee and we may find that our stay here may keep extending and extending and extending and extending etc. Everyone's spirits are high and whist they all seem prepared for the long haul everyone would be happy to get on to Halley and get their respective jobs underway. Will find out more after breakfast.

15:00

Well things move quick in the Antarctic. About and hour passed and we were given the word that the flight to Halley is now on. To their absolute credit, everyone was packed and waiting by the Basler DC3 in less than half an our. Keen as mustard!!!!!! Yes we're flying on a McDonnell Douglas DC3. Indiana Jones' preferred choice. I wish I had brought my Fedora and my whip now.

The Basler version of this DC3 has been stretched 14 inches, has had it's two props upgraded with two turbo prop units and has ski's fitted to the front wheels. The addition of a partial glass cockpit make this a very swish version of the DC3. I was told by our Canadian pilot Captain Keith (Freddie) Kruger that this wasn't a real DC3 as the real aircraft has the proper 'round' DC3 engines on it. He was quite firm about this fact.

The route has already taken us to the Norwegian base Troll where we refueled for the final leg. We're carrying 18 people plus luggage so the DC3 can only carry limited fuel hence the stop at Troll. The landing at Troll was excellent. The ski's made for the smoothest landing I have ever experienced. Captain Kruger was not impressed though as he said he actually felt the ski's making contact with the very well prepared Norwegian ice runway.

Up high at 12 thousand feet the views of Antarctica are stunning. The air is so clean and pristine that it affords views of amazing clarity. Up until recently the visibility had been excellent giving us all a wonderful opportunity to gaze down at Antarctic Nunataks poking their tops just above the blue ice fields, their true height being kept a secret by the hundreds and  maybe thousands of meters of ice that they are entombed in. We could see blue ice glaciers pouring off the top of some taller and larger Nunatak. The shapes of the slow moving ice looking like snapshot of thick syrup that was being slowly poured over scoops of ice-cream.

This continent is so beautiful. It is pristine and untouched. Nature seems to say that people are not welcome here but still they comes. Luckily the people making the journey to Antarctica are carrying out useful science that will hopefully help us realise that the lives we are leading are having an adverse effect on the world as has already been proven beyond doubt by the discovery of the Ozone Hole at Halley in the mid 80's. The CO2 plots taken from the ice cores also tell a story that is indisputable but more about that another time.

Landed at Halley

Leaving on an Ilyushin

20/11/2010

12:30am

We have just taken off on the Ilyushin. The six hour journey to the frozen continent and the second leg of my journey has commenced. And what a take off!!! I will be posting the footage on Youtube one day but until that footage hit's the internet I can only describe to you in good old fashioned prose what the take off was like. I should really begin by describing this classic Russian freighter.

The Ilyushin 67TD as used by ALCI (Antarctic Logistics Centre International) is a converted transporter used to move freight and people to and from the Russian base Novo in east Antarctica. ALCI is a non profit making organisation and it's all about the countries who have signed up to the Antarctic Treaty pooling resources to get the job done. Cash does change hands (it cost £12k to put me on this flight) but there is some political 'horse trading' that takes place too. So BAS utilise the Ilyushin service to get their people and some freight into Antarctica.

The TD variant of the Ilyushin was built in the 80's as a commercial / military freighter so it's inside was hollow and cavernous and there was minimal noise proofing except for that given by the actual skin of the fuselage. The ALCI conversion has seen the installation of 80 seats, two chemical toilets of the music festival persuasion and some national flags of the treaty signatories that pull the whole room together. There has been no effort to implement sound proofing and I write this with a pair of ear plugs wedged well and truly into my ear canals and, to be honest, they're really not making that much difference. There are no passenger windows on the 67TD so, to compensate, ALCI have implemented a nose cam. A digital projector and screen have been set set up to display the take off and landing.

So, the take off. The aircraft is marshalled from it's stand and proceeds to the runway piano keys. It's a unique opportunity to be given the chance to see a 'pilots eye' view of this manoeuvre. On the piano keys the Ilyushin then proceeds to throttle up to full power whilst on it's brakes. The noise is absolutely deafening! When full thrust is achieved and maintained (for what seems to be an age) the brakes are released and the freighter shoots off down the runway with a fair amount of acceleration pushing the passengers well into their seats. And all this is relayed via the nose cam for the customers enjoyment. Unbelievably, one of my colleagues whom is sitting to my right slept through the whole thing.

Next stop Novo.

17:30

The Ilyushin landed at Novo at 3.20am. The ice landing was spectacular and exhilarating. As it was an ice runway the actual 'landing strip' could not really be defined. Nobody was breathing as the aircraft hit the ice and seemed to take an age to come to a standstill. Once the aircraft stopped the pilot was awarded a huge cheer from the passengers. It was a unique experience.

We then disembarked on to the ice. I had arrived. I still can't believe that I'm here. The fact that it was so bloody cold reminded me that I was. A slight though cutting wind was also present. It was a beautiful morning though with the sky a clear blue. It goes without saying that you would be blind without the sun shades on. The glare without them is unbearable.

The aircraft was then unloaded and we were eventually shown to our transit accommodation where we may be staying for up to three days before a weather window appears that will allow us to fly into Halley. Then again, we may leave tomorrow. Until we do we shall be twiddling our thumbs. We're trying to arrange a visit to the Russian and Indian bases to keep us busy if our stay at Novo is extended. The Ilyushin will be taking off at 9.30pm so that should be a spectacle.

Swimming with Sharks?

19/11/2010

17:30

Today was 'Swimming with the Sharks' day. This day out required a 4:30 rise to ensure we could make our pick-up at 5:10am. Too early….even for me. The taxi driver duly arrived and after we picked up the other attendees we began our two and a half hour journey to Gaansbaai. This gave me ample time to look out of the mini-bus window and enjoy the South African scenery.

Time and time again you hear people talk about how they have 'fallen in love with Africa' and that they could 'Go back again and again and again'. Well, after two and a half hours taking in the 'big' dramatic landscape and breathing and smelling the sweet air, I can now totally understand why Africa really grabs peoples imagination. It really is beautiful.

We reached our destination, a small coastal town whose name I can't quite remember, around 8am. They fed us a lovely breakfast and briefed us on the activity ahead. It was interesting to note that the company employs two marine biologists who carry out research on the Great White sharks therefore putting something back into the conservation effort.

We set off about 10ish and I was selected to go in the first group and got myself suited and booted. With a possible sighting of a shark by the Captain the paying punters were immediately ushered into the cage, the freezing South Atlantic water immediately making it's presence felt before the wet suit started to do it's job.

Then……..nothing. We must have stayed in that cage for about 25 minutes. Defeated we were pulled out the cage. I could barely manage up the ladder as my hands had been numbed by the cold water. For the next four hours the crew baited (or chummed) the water in vain. Not a shark was to be seen. The captain eventually moved site and we anchored off the shore of a seal island that was home to a very large group of seals and their pups. The seals were probably playing in the knowledge that there wasn't a Great White for miles around.

Then one was spotted and the next group went into the cage and were treated to a very close display of a Great White doing it's thing. It was only a wee one (under three meters) but judging by the reaction of the group when the came out of the cage it was very exhilarating. The next group were afforded a similar display a short time later but the last group, like my group, were treated to a 'no show'.

I wasn't disappointed though. The views of the Great White's were spectacular from the upper deck. The experience reminded me of the fact that man does not control nature and nature will always do what it likes when it likes. Whilst there's no doubt that humans affect wildlife it is also true that we don't control it. So if a 'no show' is on the cards then so be it.

Once the experience was over the Captain treated us to an exhilarating hi speed ride over the choppy South African water which more than made up for the 'no shows'. After soup at the base we headed back into our people carrier for the journey back to Cape Town and the South African vista's once again opened up before us.

Cape Town (Day 3)

The big task today was to check into our Antarctic flight. We checked in our bags and received the flight briefing at ALCI (Antarctic Logistics Centre International) here in Cape Town. The Ilyushin 76TD flight takes us to Novo and from there we will catch a Basler Turbo 67 (basically an MD DC3 with turbo props) to feed us into Halley. Novo is in the east and Halley is west of the Greenwich Meridian so there is quite a distance between the two bases which means that the weather can be a major factor on deciding when we can fly onto our destination.

So the Ilyushin flight is ready to go for tomorrow night. Weather is bad towards Halley so we may be spending a few days a Novo before we fly on. This doesn't sound so bad but we will not be able to get to our luggage so what spare clothing we take with us will have to do us for the duration. Such is the changeable nature of the weather in Antarctica we could be staying at Novo for maybe just one day or many, many days. So, it could get smelly.

The briefing we received today highlighted the possible weather issues and therefore appraised us of the possible delays. 

So we fly for Antarctica tomorrow night……..the last phase of the journey approaches.

Tonight the Halley team went for a meal at the world famous seafood bar, Panama Jacks. I'm not a big beef / steak fan but I went for a medium rare and what they delivered was out of this world. Lovely! The team going into Halley seems swell.

Ant, of Morrison construction, organised the Shark dive so that is now all going ahead. So that will be the last excursion I will have the chance to participate in before flying down south for my 16 month tour. Unfortunately, I will be setting the alarm for 4:30am so that I can partake. That's not so good.

Cape Town Day 2 - Panoramas

Cape Town (Day 2)

Well, it's late evening and all I can hear from my hotel room window is a chorus drone of Vuvuzelas as SA take on the USA in a soccer friendly (like I give a toss).

Today a few Morrison construction lads and I took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. What an awesome experience. The views were exceptional. It will take a few days to stitch the panoramic piccy's together (once I have sussed out how to do that). When they are completed I will post them here. But, once again, nature provides………….

This morning was kitting out day at the BAS depot in Cape Town. Basically most folk were plied with Antarctic clothing but as I had this done three months ago in Cambridge there really was not much for me to do. Once that task was completed the day was our own. So, afterward, up Table Mountain we went.

Overall, I'm chuffed that I went to the top. I have achieved! To explain, when I worked at sea I kind of 'blew it'. There was an occasion, so long ago, when I had just started working for Global Marine Systems Ltd. as a cable jointer come systems tech and my very first job was in Nagasaki, Japan. Instead of visiting the Peace Park and immersing myself in that whole vibe, I spent the whole day getting drunk in a Holiday Inn with the rest of the sailors. As we sailed out there was no doubt in my mind that I had squandered a wonderful opportunity....and I promised myself then....NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!

So, the top of Table Mountain was traversed....and still the Vuvuzelas drone on……………

Cape Town (Day 1)

07:00

Just less than two hours out of CT. It's a beautiful morning. The flight was quite bumpy so I didn't get much sleep. 

16:00

Not really had any sleep since Saturday night so it's time to go to bed. Had a quick look around the docks (lovely). There's a bank here called 'Nedbank' which obviously appealed to my sense of humour. Brilliant! And Table Top mountain just looks awesome.  Need to sleep! Tomorrow morning is for kitting out. Unless we get an extended day 'Swimming with the Sharks' is not going to be possible. However, Table Top Mountain is a major possibility.

Travelling to Cape Town (written on 15/11/2010

20:00

Well that's me in the air. Next stop, Cape Town, South Africa. I really like BA, especially when someone else is paying the premium for the flight! Thank you BAS! I used to fly a lot when I worked at sea with Global Marine Systems. In the three years I spent maintaining subse cables I must've flown around the world three times with various carriers. The best for hospitality were BA but the worst by far were KLM followed very closely by TAP. JAL were fine hosts too. Their food was questionable although dyed-in-wool sushi fans would probably disagree. 

Eleven hours to go and I get to see one of the worlds most famous natural landmarks, Table Top Mountain. There are a couple of mandatory BAS related activities to be undertaken during the three day stay in CT. Whilst the day of arrival will essentially be a rest day, day two will see all those individuals who are heading south being kitted out with the Antarctic kit as fitted at Cambridge. Probably just to check that the wearer hasn't put on a couple of stone since the initial fitting. The third day is a pre flight briefing regarding the next leg of the journey, the flight to Novo on the Russian Ilyushin transporter. I hope that there is time to get in a wee bit of exploring. Todays sad news of a honeymooning bride being carjacked and killed in a township just outside CT will keep my feet firmly on the 'safe' tourist routes.

At Cambridge

Well the sleeper from Glasgow to London was as expected. I bought a seat as I was too tight to pay for a berth. Boy, did I pay for that!!!!!! The train company has fitted high powered radiators in the seated area to ensure it's passengers fall into and maintain a comatose state. Unfortunately, I was sitting right next to one of those radiators. The right hand side of my body was sweating profusely for the entire journey. That was very uncomfortable and post journey analysis shows that one side of my body is now noticeably thinner than the other side!!!!!!

Got into Euston and walked to Kings Cross where I caught the express to Cambridge. The journey up was splendid. A stunningly beautiful, crisp and clear sunrise with a slight ground mist. Very pleasant. Cambridgeshire is such a beautiful county.

So, I have arrived at Cambridge relatively intact (if a wee bit thinner...down the one side). A taxi is booked at 13.30 to take me to Heathrow where I shall catch a BA flight to Cape Town, SA at 19.30. I have about three days in Cape Town prior to flying out to the Russian base Novolazarevskaya (Novo) in East Antarctica.

Whilst in Cape Town I there may be a wee bit of free time available so I may have the chance to catch the cable car to the top of Table Top Mountain. Chris, the BAS Chef who was in Cape Town last week, was very brave and actually managed to swim with Great White sharks (he was in a cage). So that's an interesting possibility. I'll see what happens and how the time in Cape Town will be organised.

Happy Birthday Katie

!!!!!Happy Birthday!!!!!! To my beautiful daughter Katie who is a very big nine years old today. Daddy loves you sweetheart. xxxxxx oooooo

The Antarctic Adventure Begins

Written on the 14/11/2010

The journey to Antarctica begins. Leaving my wife Sharon and our two kids, Alec and Katie, is the hardest, most difficult thing I've ever had to do in my life so far. But Sharon and I have a plan and part of that plan consists of me working in Antarctica as an Electronic Technician / Meteorologist (Met Tech) for maybe two years. The other part….well….one step at a time.

My big concern is how this will affect the kids. Alec is 6 and Katie is 8 and will be the big 9 tomorrow (15/11/2010). To be fair Alec can't really comprehend the time I will be away. But Katie realises it will be for a very long time. My wonderful wife is the bravest person. Whilst i'm swanning about in Antarctica doing what has to be done she will be bearing the full responsibility of bringing the wee ones up all on her own. I have to admit that this imbues a feeling of guilt but an absent father is something I refuse to be. I would never have taken this job if daily communication with my family, whether by email or phone, was not possible.

Waving goodbye to my family on platform 10 of Glasgow Central as the train pulled away was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. I can only hope that our investment in this endeavour will be more than worth it and will help to realise our future plans.

The first leg of this journey takes me to Cambridge from where I'll travel to Heathrow to catch a plane flying to Cape Town, SA.

Our Goodbye's at Glasgow Central (14/11/2010)