Return-Path: <adamg>
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 92 10:49:49 -0400
From: adamg (Adam M Gaffin)
To: staff
Subject: antarctica 3
DATE: 30/05/92
LAT: 65.63 S
LONG: 50.82 W
TEMP: -8 C
Since my last report, the goal of the Palmer and the (Russian
icebreaker) Federov and all aboard has been to get to Ice Camp Weddell.
Just yesterday, a major lead ( a break in the ice - Ed.) opened up and
men and machinery had to be retrieved by helicopter (from the ice
floes where they were conducting experiments - Ed.).
Temperature hovers incessantly between -6 and -28 F.; the sun comes
up, first light is about 0945 hours and begins to set around 1515 hours
(3:15 p.m.). Very little real daylight. Sunrises and sunsets are very
long; and if it's clear, very beautiful. We have been traveling east;
hoping to get into the eastern Weddell Sea, find leads, open water and
travel through as much first-year ice, 12 to 28 inches thick, as
possible. We have used the Russian helicopter to do reconnaissance and
have made very good time. Though, yesterday, during my watch (0400-0800),
the total distance traveled was 0.9 mile. The ice is real weird; you'll
find floes 1.25 miles long that are 30 to 50 inches thick, followed by
floes only 6 inches thick.
The sights continue to be magnificent. Today, we saw a flock of
Adelie penguins and several Emperor penguins. Sometimes, they are
frightened by the ship and immediately begin to toboggan on their
bellies; other times, they just stare. We have also seen Weddell seals. I
missed the sight, but there was a whale following in the wake of our ship
yesterday. Maybe I'll be lucky and see it tomorrow!
I spend eight hours a day doing ice observations, counting and
measuring icebergs (biggest to date is 2.3 miles long and at least 200
feet freeboard - above water). Lately, I have been doing data entry and
am starting to analyze data. It's wild!
Even though the science studies that are going on (iceberg studies,
etc.) are good and exciting, politics also permeate much of the
happenings in the science and onboard the ship. Some people have
extremely large egos; yet others simply want to come out here to the
absolute end of the earth and do the best science studies they are
capable of. Anything done down here is done totally with the labor of
love; for just the clothing you must wear to keep you alive makes all
tasks 150 percent more difficult than you would normally experience!
