Through Rosey's Tinted Spectacles

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Scott on the last run down from Stork bowl.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-12-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon, ski touring in Stork bowl. Thanks to Scott for the photo.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-12-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Sarah and me on board the JCR, just before she set sail back north. Thanks to Tom for the photo.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-12-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

When I got back to Rothera, the JCR complete with food, drink, building and maintenance materials, science equipment, scientists and most importantly my friend Sarah, had arrived at the wharf. For three days the whole base was one massive human chain unloading the ship into Rothera.

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-12-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

There is a coire just behind Bluebell cottage. I think the combination of ice, wind and meltwater result in these incredible formations.

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-12-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Inside is a tiny fuel burning stove (running off aviation fuel). The walls are lined with shelves, rammed with tins of food, oddities collected from outside and ancient books dating back to the 60’s when the first FIDs stayed here. There is a small water tank into which we drop bricks of snow from outside. Against the back wall are two bunks, painted red. There is a little desk setup with the radio for relaying the met observations. Any spare bits of wall are covered with maps of Antarctica and artwork from all the previous inhabitants. There is a book here called the Silent Sound written by one of the three men who were the first to stay here. It’s been incredible to read it while sitting in the bunk that it was written from.

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

George.

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-12-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

At the moment I am out at Fossil Bluff where I’ve been for the last week, working as weather-girl-come-petrol-pump-attendant. Fossil Bluff is on the east coast of Alexander Island. To our west are scree mountains partially covered with snow, and interspersed with valleys. To our east is the vast flat white of George VI Sound, also known as the Silent Sound, and then about 40km away are the mountains of mainland Antarctica. Fossil Bluff International airport consists of some flags, some fuel drums and a small, dumpy, red fiberglass hut called an apple hut. About a kilometer to the north is Bluebell Cottage, a beautiful wooden hut, set just up off the sound, complete with wooden veranda and pet skua, George.

Sky Blu, Antarctica

2011-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Flying from Sky Blu we saw a faint Brocken spectre in the clouds below us. It wasn't strong enough to come out well in the photos so I've increased the colour saturation.

Fletcher Glacier, Antarctica

2011-11-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Ellsworths are home to Mount Vincent, the tallest mountain in Antarctica (shown here), so the views from, and as you fly into the field site are pretty special. Once we had unloaded the plane, we got a quick tour of the camp and a cup of tea before returning to Sky Blu. We finally landed at Sky Blu at midnight, by which time it was too late to continue to Fossil Bluff, so we were kindly put up for the night.

Fletcher Glacier, Antarctica

2011-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Fog at Fossil Bluff delayed our departure by a couple of hours so by the time we got to Sky Blu (the first time around) it was already late afternoon. We pushed on further south to find Sledge Party Quebec, camped out on Fletcher glacier at the foot of the Ellsworth mountains. Sledge Quebec are a team of glaciologists, who are attempting to drill 130m ice cores in one season. These cores will then be analysed to provide a history of surface temperatures and snow accumulation over the last 200 years. This shows the camp at Sledge Quebec, which is the best equipped camp I have ever seen, complete with showers, microwave, large structured tents and Saturday film nights.

En route to Fletcher Glacier, Antarctica

2011-11-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

I’ve already mentioned Fossil Bluff, which is a fuel depot about 225 miles south of Rothera. Beyond that is another depot called Sky Blu, which is about 450 miles south, at a latitude of 75 degrees. Sky Blu has a blue-ice runway which allows not only the Twin Otters to land but also the Dash 7 (larger planes, able to carry greater loads). These two camps enable field parties (known as Sledge Parties) to reach a massive area within north-west Antarctica. Both Fossil Bluff and Sky Blu have to be manned at all times during the summer season to provide constant weather information for the pilots and to provide safety cover for landing, refueling, and taking-off.

I knew I was to be heading out to Fossil Bluff to help man it for a few days so on Sunday morning I had my radio on standby, waiting for the call.

“Andy B, Andy B? This is Clem.”
“Go ahead, Clem.”
“Hi Andy, we’re ready to move the detonators onto the plane now.”
“Thanks Clem, I’ll get everyone ready”.
Goodness, I thought to myself, I wonder what poor people will be flying out on that plane.
“Rosey, Rosey? This is Andy B. Can you get your stuff together and make your way over to the hanger?”. Ah.
It turned out that a field party near Sky Blu needed to blow some things up, and that the plane going there needed a co-pilot, and since I was heading out to Fossil Bluff anyway-- so that Sunday, I got to make the most amazing flights around the Peninsula, flying Rothera-Fossil Bluff-Sky Blu-Sledge Party Quebec-Sky Blu-Fossil Bluff.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Skidooing back down to Rothera from the weekly AWS check at the skiway. This is the stillest I have seen the bay yet.

Butler Island, Antarctica

2011-11-20T17:58:00.000-08:00

As we got a bit further north the terrain below became a lot more mountainous. Al took over so we could have some fun, weaving in and out of the mountains, dropping and banking.

Just south of Rothera is an Argentinean base, San Martin. These guys get dropped off in January and are left for the entire year with no visitors, so we thought they might appreciate a fly by. Either they were busy or they didn’t appreciate it, as we saw no sign of them, but I did get this picture of their base.

Butler Island, Antarctica

2011-11-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

The flight back was <insert long list of superlatives here>. The sun was low in the sky, casting a really beautiful, gentle light. I was co-piloting, so did my bit by flying a little part of the way. Al kept telling me to relax as apparently I was gripping the steering wheel with rods of iron and white knuckles. I told him that I was flying an actual plane that was in the sky and that it was not the time to relax.

Butler Island, Antarctica

2011-11-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Tamsin, Al (pilot), Tom (comms) and I flew out to Butler Island to check up on one of our AWS. Butler Island is on the east coast of the peninsula, pretty far south, at a latitude of 72degrees. It took about two and a half hours to fly there in a Twin Otter. The site is flat and white, as far as the eye can see in every direction. And it is very cold and very windy. It felt very Antarctic. Al the pilot landed just a few meters from the AWS and as I was walking over to it I wondered how on earth we would manage to work when it was so cold. But manage we did, as we quickly got used the environment and adapted our actions accordingly (ate more mars bars, ran around lots). Tamsin is proper hard core and doesn’t seem to notice (I like to think that this is what I’ll be like this time next year but I think it might just be because she’s from Newcastle).

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Ashly (left) very kindly took Tamsin (right) and I out after dinner for a walk along Reptile ridge.
Thanks to Ashly for the photo.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

Tourists on base with New Bransfield in the background.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-17T16:56:00.003-08:00

I'm sorry to keep posting the same views but one picture never seems to do them justice. This is the view west from Old Bransfield looking out across the runway to the edge of the ramp (again!).

I don’t entirely understand this but occasionally Rothera’s power gets a bit clogged up and we have to powerdown the whole base. For the met team this means shutting down all experiments in such a way that will have minimum impact on the data. Once the power is back up we have to restart everything and make sure all the instruments are happy. We had a powerdown on Thursday night, so the met team was ready with their superhero capes and pants outside their tights to save the data. This is us, outside Old Bransfield, during the powerdown, preparing for the momentous task ahead, as only the British can, with a cup of tea. The met team (known as met babes) from left to right, Ross (just-wintered electronics engineer by day, met babe by night), Tom (soon-to-winter electronics engineer by day, met babe by night), and Tamsin (just-wintered full time met babe, my mentor).

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

One of the met team’s jobs is to maintain the automatic weather stations that are dotted around the Antarctic peninsula. This one is just a few kilometers from Rothera, up the ramp, then traverse along underneath Reptile ridge to the skiway (a snow landing strip). The most common work at an AWS is to increase the height of the masts and then raise the instruments because the snow accumulates and buries section after section. There’s probably three or four more sections to this mast under the snow (hence the angle!). Thanks to Ashly for the photo.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

The weather continued to hold over the weekend and into Monday. I took this from outside my office looking west across the bay to the rest of Adeleide Island.

As well as atmospheric science, there is also a lot of marine science at Rothera. For this purpose there are a couple of ribs, which, if not being used for science, can be taken out for pleasure. On Monday evening some very kindly boatmen took a group of us out in both ribs out for a jaunt around Rothera bay. The harbor is at the southern end of the runway where the ribs are lowered into the water on a crane. It was a really spectacular evening with beautiful low sunlight. The bay was full of sea ice, icebergs and sleepy seals. It was incredible how quickly the sea ice came and went, suddenly we were surrounded by it and had to carefully pick our way through, the next minute it had all dissipated.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

As long as I’m not on met duty then we get Saturday afternoon and Sunday off. The weather has been incredible these last few days, not a breath of wind, and clear blue skies- perfect for some summer winter climbing. I went out with Scott (another one of the wintering field assistants) up to a mixed route on Reptile ridge. I’m really glad we did it because in a couple of days there’ll be no more ice, and it gave me a great taster of what’s in store this winter.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

A large portion of the work force here are field assistants. These guys are super experienced mountaineers who are afraid of nothing and who don’t even bat an eyelid at the prospect of living under canvas for three months in Antarctica. It’s great having them around on base as they are always keen to get out and they do cool things like open up crevasses and take scientists down them. The entrance to the crevasse was pretty tight but suddenly you pop out into an open cavern surrounded by the most spectacular and mysterious ice formations. Many of them look like stalactites, but occasionally one will twist and turn, bending in the most peculiar ways. And they grow in all sizes from tiny icicles, like we get outside, to massive pillars. At the back of the cavern is a corridor which, if you didn’t know better, you would assume had been manmade. It has a perfectly smooth, glassy, polished floor, about 4ft wide. To your right is a high wall, still of clear polished ice while to the other side the ice stalactites continue.

Thanks to Ashly (one of the wintering field assistants) for taking us down there and for the photo.

Fossil Bluff, Antarctica

2011-11-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

The only way to travel any distance from Rothera is by plane so we have a lot of flights coming in and out. The pilots mustn’t fly alone so if they are taking a science party out into the field they must have someone to fly back with. Consequently, we all get trained to co-pilot flights (sigh). I got called up on Thursday to co-pilot to Fossil Bluff, a small fuel depot about an hour and a half south of Rothera. There was a fair bit of cloud around so we flew high for most of the journey but landing, both at Fossil Bluff and at Rothera was amazing. Fossil Bluff is set against steep mountains to the west with wide, flat open space to the east. As we flew in we dropped to below the level of the mountain tops to fly alongside them.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today, just as I was finishing work I heard that a pair of adele penguins had been spotted on the ramp. Penguins were definitely one of the reasons for coming to Antarctica so I was super excited to see them. They were just settling down for the night, preening, stretching then lying on their bellies, totally unperturbed by my presence.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

My first week at Rothera was spent learning the important aspects of base life. We had a go at driving some of the base vehicles (gators and skidoos, not the snowcats, jcb’s or aeroplanes). We did some more field training and spent a night camped up on the glacier in a pyramid tent. I also spent a bit of time finding my way around base. Rothera is about 0.5km². The central feature of the base is a 900m gravel runway with the southern end extending off the island and into the sea. To the east of the runway are the main buildings; New Bransfield (dining room, kitchen, library, lounges and bar), Old Bransfield (communications tower, logistics offices, science offices, doctors surgery and gym), Admirals (bedrooms) and the Bonner lab (marine biology lab, offices and boat shed). To the west of the runway is the aeroplane hanger and fuel farm, and the rest of Adeleide island.

Rothera, Antarctica

2011-11-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

There are lots of different gateways to Rothera. I flew from London to Madrid, Santiago, Punta Arenas. From Punta Arenas we flew by Dash 7 over the southernmost point of Chile, and then south to Antarctica. Sitings of sea ice and ice bergs indicated the decreasing temperature as we entered the Antarctic circle. I was lucky enough to sit up front with the pilots during the landing into Rothera but as we descended we passed through thick cloud and heavy snow so had very limited visibility. The runway popped up out of no-where, and suddenly we were standing in a small aeroplane hanger looking out onto a very snowy landscape that will be home for the next few months.

Over the following hours snatches of our surroundings were unveiled as the cloud slowly lifted. It was the perfect way to be introduced to Rothera, I think seeing it all at once would have left me a little shell shocked! Rothera is on the eastern side of Adelaide island. To the west we look out over the sea and to the mainland. To the east of us is a glacier (the ramp) leading to steep mountains and the rest of Adelaide. North and south look out over the sea where the scape is dotted with islands and icebergs. When the wind is blowing in the right direction the bays around us fill with sea ice which can disappear within hours. The colours of the ice are wonderful, white on top and blue underneath but they change with the weather. And the icebergs are so unbelievably big and barely seem to move at all.

Antarctica Through Rosey's Tinted Spectacles

2011-08-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

I’ve just started a new contract with BAS (that’s the British Antarctic Survey, not the Bacon Advisory Service). The job is field meteorologist (not Chief Assistant Rind Assessor, or mentoring for the Bumfaces’ Aspirant Scheme). BAS has been in Antarctica for over 60 years and they have always archived metrological observations. The poles are very sensitive to any change in climate so by closely monitoring the polar atmospheres we are able to predict future trends in the global climate.

The job of field meteorologist is to continue making these observations. A lot of this is done automatically (for example, we have automatic weather stations which measure and record wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pressure, relative humidity). We also have snow gauges, radiation sensors, things for measuring ozone, something to do with light and several other gadgets that I’ve not yet got my head around. However, there are some observations that, as yet, cannot be done automatically. For example, recording cloud cover, optical phenomena and different types of weather (thunderstorms, snow, fog, drifting snow). So work will consist of constant monitoring of instruments, attending to any issues that arise, and making manual observations.

For the first three months of this contract I was based at BAS headquarters in Cambridge for Antarctic training. As well as an introduction to the meteorology, we were enlisted on many courses that would allow us to live and work safely as an isolated unit in Antarctica. I was taught about Antarctic camp craft and travel, how to climb masts, how to use Oxy-fuel codes safely (still not sure what that means) and, most importantly, how not to wind up your colleagues when living on a remote base in Antarctica. I will be working at Rothera research station which is on the Antarctic peninsula (the stem of the brain). My contract is for 18 months which will span two Antarctic summers and one winter.

Leeds, West Yorkshire

2011-06-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

Just five years, one month and 27 days after I started my PhD, I went into my viva. Two hours and 45 minutes later I came out, utterly startled that it was finally all over. Thanks so much to everyone who helped along the way.

La Fornet, France

2011-03-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

La Fornet, France

2011-03-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the cloud to clear above La Fornet.

La Fornet, France

2011-03-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Tignes, France

2011-03-18T15:06:00.001-07:00

Tignes, France

2011-03-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Tignes, France

2011-03-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Robert and le Sache.

Tignes, France

2011-03-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

La Daille, France

2011-03-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

La Daille, France

2011-03-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

A week later, Robert and I climbed La Daille icefall. The is Robert at the first belay, the ice cave that is the black dot in the previous picture.

Tignes, France

2011-03-11T01:42:00.000-08:00

La Daille icefall. Note the black spot about a third of the way up.

Tignes, France

2011-03-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

View from the road to Tignes looking into Val d'isere, with the La Daille icefall at the center.

La Fornet, France

2011-03-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

Rosie, Tor, Maria and Cathryn relaxing after a hard days skiing.

Pissaillas glacier, France

2011-03-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Rosie, Cathryn, Maria and Tor on the Pissaillas glacier. Thanks to Maria for the picture.

La Daille, France

2011-03-10T01:29:00.000-08:00

Cathryn landing a 180, while Tor and Rosie look on anxiously from behind.

La Daille, France

2011-03-10T01:27:00.000-08:00

Me, Tor and Cathryn skiing down the trees in La Daille. Thanks to Rosie for the picture.

Tignes, France

2011-03-08T01:09:00.000-08:00

When Rosie, Cathryn, Tor and Maria came to stay...

Le Chevril, France

2011-02-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

The view from our chalet. Please, please will someone come climbing with me!?

Le Chevril, France

2011-02-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

We had no guests in for a few days so Flea, David and Lisa went back to England, leaving me in charge. After I'd eaten all the left over cake and tried out all the fancy shampoos I thought I'd better get some exercise. I headed out up the hill behind our chalet, and took this looking south-west to Tignes.

Tignes, France

2011-02-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

The night sky from behind our apartment in Le Boisse.

Tignes, France

2011-01-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Flea's dad, Malcolm, for the picture.

Le Chevril, France

2011-01-21T15:00:00.001-08:00

Le Chevril, France

2011-01-21T14:21:00.001-08:00

View from the chalet, looking across the Le Chevril dam to Tignes.

Le Chevril, France

2011-01-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is the view from the Chalet looking across to Tignes 1800, where Flea and I have a small apartment.

Le Chevril, France

2011-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

Chalet L'Eperviere, in Le Chevril, Tignes, where Flea and I are hosting for a few months.

Pembury, Kent

2010-12-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Cool Aunt Rose meets Alec Law, just a few hours old. I was definitely more excited about this than he was.

Harewood, West Yorkshire

2010-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Harewood, West Yorkshire

2010-12-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Leeds, West Yorkshire

2010-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

In the Victoria during That week with all the vivas. From left to right Kay, Kirsty, Anja, Nigel, Jo, Rich, John, Ann, Tor, Matt, me, Tom, Helen, Cat, Steve and Sarah.

Clapham, North Yorkshire

2010-09-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

Svalbard

2010-06-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

.... more from Svalbard still to come.....

2010-06-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Knerton, Svalbard

2010-06-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

From base camp II our YEs split into their last fires. For the final two weeks they each chose what they wanted to do and formed groups accordingly. Alysa, James, Callum, Clem, Edd and Sophie stayed at base camp to continue with the science work, lead by Alison, Hazel and me. Between projects we were able to continue exploring the area. This is Callum, James and Alysa sitting on the rocky summit of Knerton. These three, together with Clem, were the first YEs to get to the summit, proving that Primula is a formula for success!

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ant for the photo.

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ant for the photo.

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Zoe and Kath.

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

This shows the bear flares that we used to protect our camps. We put a stake in the snow at each corner and then strapped a bracket with a crampon strap to the stake. The bracket had a hole drilled through, in which the bare flare sat. A pin restrains a hammer from setting off the flare. Each pin has a karabiner clipped to it, through which we ran a fishing line. If the fishing line is disturbed, it pulls the pin out which set the flare off.

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ade and Jackie's tent- mission control.

Diabasodden, Svalbard

2010-06-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

View north from base camp II.

On the col between Blackbreen and Fangenbreen

2010-05-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

This picture is one of my favourites. Once we had finished our work at science camp we had to pack it all down and move off to base camp II on the northern coast of Nordskioldland. By this time, everyone on the expedition, except me, had been to the coast and spent time at base camp II, while I had been up at science camp. I had heard all about the birds and the ice bergs and the beluga whales and the walruses and how Spring had arrived, while up in the mountains there was very little wildlife, and it was still quite wintry. I hadn't minded at all, but I guess I had been getting excited at the prospect of seeing another area and doing more mountaineering and exploring. So it was with a very happy heart and slight holiday feeling that I woke up on this col, on our first morning away from science camp, on our way to the coast. This is Kath and I melting snow for our breakfast. Thanks to Steve for the picture.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

After the slush flows we went back to the tent-tipi to discuss what we'd seen and try to draw some conclusions regarding the initiation of slush flows. One hypothesis that was put forward suggested that the pool that had burst its banks had acted as a trigger. This then lead to the question of why there was a pool there in the first place, when the surrounding area was still fully frozen. We knew that there were some hot springs in this part of Svalbard so, motivated by thoughts of washing in pools of steaming clean water, we set to work searching for Tobredalens first spa. Towards the end of our time in Tobredalen we did find a mound with a large fissure through the middle. The smell was very distinctive, and apparently (according to Jamie and Steve, our amateur geologists) there were several features characteristic of fresh water springs. Unfortunately, our time ran out but hopefully next years expedition will be able to investigate further, and may even be able to enjoy the hot spring baths were dreamt about! This photo shows the entrance to the fissure.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Science leader getting over-excited. Thanks to Zoe for the picture.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Tobredalen valley minutes after the slush flow. This was the big event we had been hoping to witness. Every Spring, as the temperatures increase, the snowpack becomes more and more waterlogged. If the snowpack is on any gradient then the water can flow away. The main Tobredalen valley is very shallow, no more than 1degree, so any excess melt water is unable to drain away. The day before a small pool slightly up valley of this point had burst its banks and melt water had begun to flow into the main valley. At 12:10 the extremely waterlogged snowpack in Tobredalen began to flow down stream, carving out a river channel in the snowpack and depositing huge amount of slush on the banks. Within minutes the valley had gone from ordinary snowpack to huge river- it was very exciting.

En route to Base Camp II

2010-05-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

While at Science camp Pete had to pop down to base camp II to pick up some software, drop off our rubbish and pick up some food. This is an 8 hour round trip and while he was out he managed to get this wonderful picture of an Arctic reindeer. During our first few weeks on Svalbard, before any birds arrived, these were the only form of life we saw so we all become rather fond of them. They are incredibly hardy, continuing to feed all through the winter by scraping at the snow with their hooves to get to the tundra below. By the Spring they are so weak, and sadly, we saw many corpses. This one is still young as it has no antlers, but even the full grown ones are not much larger than a sheep. Thanks to Pete for the picture.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

Pete took this photo from one of the peaks (Ottofjellet) that overlooked our camp. To the left are our five tents with pulks dotted around. To the right is our tent-tipi. This was fantastic, we dug benches out and would sit inside every evening for sit-rep, dinner and a game of werewolf. It was also a wonderful retreat in bad weather when our tents got too claustrophobic. Further right, the two snow blobs are urinals and the last tent was our poo tent. Luxury! The blue blob in the foreground is our food and science equipment stash, wrapped up in a tarpaulin. Thanks to Pete for the photo.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Our food came in daily ration packets, that had been packaged and produced by a specialist company. Jackie was in charge of food for the entire expedition and had left huge stashes in various locations in Nordskioldland. In general, we would usually take 2 weeks worth of food at a time, and store it in our pulks. The picture above shows our daily ration, which one of the doctors estimated to be about 5000 calories. I really liked the food, it was exactly what you wanted and cravings for peas and orange juice didn't really kick in until the end, when the temperatures began to increase. There were four different dinners and puddings so it didn't get too monotonous, and we became pretty creative. Special mention of Ade's After Dinner Mints should be made here (thinly sliced mars bar smeared with toothpaste). Daily food ration from top left: two little cheddars, packet of kleenex, breakfast (wheat based porridge), dinner (lamb pilaf), pudding (apple and custard), tea bags, 2 flapjacks, packet of raisins, dry roasted peanuts, mars bar, twix, two packets of oat biscuits, 3 portions of hot chocolate, b-fuel (beetroot based powdered squash), sugar, creamer, portion of jam. Thanks to Ant for the photo.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

ISBJORN (in case it wasn't obvious). I=Sophie, S=Rosey, B=Flora, J=Leader Matt, O=Fraser, R=Ant, N=Ankur. And thanks to James for the photo.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Part of the glacier survey required us to dig pits to the surface of the glacier. Polar Pete had once seen someone dig two pits next to each other with about a foot between them. If dug at the correct angle then it is possible to have the sun illuminating the wall, highlighting the layers in the snowpack. So, once the science work was complete, Polar Pete set to work. We covered the first pit with bags and jackets and then crawled in to see the result. Thanks to Ant for the photo.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Leader Matt, Ankur and Fraser mapping the glacier. This shows Fraser with the rover. Leica have developed a system whereby you can carry the unit in a backpack and operate it from a small controller. Because we were working on a glacier we needed to be roped up. Starting at the edge of the glacier the leader would walk out until the rope went taut, they would then take a snow depth measurement with an avalanche probe and mark the point with an X. They would then either shout the measurement to the person with the controller or, if it was too windy, write the number in the snow next to the marker. They would then move forward, until the rope went taut again. At this point the last person on the rope (the one with the rover) would have reached the marker and they can take the GPS measurement. Meanwhile the person at the front would repeat the process. This way, measurements were taken an equal distance apart (approximately 25m) each time. Thanks to James for the photo.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is the RTK GPS system that we used to map the glacier, kindly loaned by Leica. Our method was to walk all round the glacier taking GPS co-ordinates and snow depth measurements, to within 10cm accuracy. We could then create a 3-dimensional image of the glacier surface to compare to previous years, to see if the glacier was advancing or retreating. The GPS system comprises a base station and a rover. This photo only shows the base station, mounted on a tripod with a red battery and a blue radio. The radio communicates with the rover. Alone, the rover can only take co-ordinates to an accuracy of approximately 30m. Because the base station is stationary it is able to calculate its position to the required accuracy. The data from the rover is then processed relative to the base station position to ultimately produce GPS co-ordinates accurate to 10cm.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is Leader Matt, Fraser, Ankur and James mapping the Blackbreen using a RTK (real time kinematic) GPS (more on that later).

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Our expedition was very kindly supported by several companies, providing, amongst other things, science kit, cheese, waders, binoculars and shovels. In return we took plenty of photos of everything that had been donated.

Blackbreen, Svalbard

2010-05-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

The second project we conducted was to map the Blackbreen (breen means glacier). The results from this investigation were to be compared with data from the previous years so that we could see if the glacier was advancing or retreating.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

One of our projects was to investigate the formation of slush flows in the Tobredalen. A slush flow is a slurry of meltwater, snow and ice that flows down-stream like an avalanche. One way in which we decided to study this was to monitor the snowpack in the weeks leading up to the slush flow. As well as taking snowpack measurements every few days, every evening one person went out into the valley bed to take photographs from various vantage points, which is when I took this.

Jackiefjellet, Svalbard

2010-05-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

The mountains surrounding Tobredalen science camp are beautiful and incredibly enticing. Mid-way through the week we took a day off and headed out into the hills. This is Leader Matt, Me, Polar Pete, James, Fraser, Ankur and Ant. Thanks to Flora for the picture.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Brave contenders line up for the X Games Freestyle Grand Final...

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

On the Monday Rein very kindly pulked over to Tobredalen with the remaining science kit which had been stashed at base camp 2. Since they had come all that way we felt we might as well make the most of their company, so we decided to host The 2010 Tobredalen Science Camp Winter X Games. Events included grand slalom, extreme pulking and survival-bag-cross.

Hyperittfossen, Svalbard

2010-05-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Flora for the picture.

Hyperittfossen, Svalbard

2010-05-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

After spending a couple of days pulking to, setting up and settling into our new camp, we decided a day-off was in order. A few kilometres north of Tobredalen is Hyperittfossen, a waterfall with some fantastic ice-climbing potential.

Tobredalen, Svalbard

2010-05-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

On return to base camp the whole expedition regrouped. Ade breifed us on the plan for the next month. I was to go straight to Tobredalen, a valley a few days away, in Nordskioldland. This was to be the site for our glaciology and geomorphology projects. All fires would come up to Tobredalen for one week at a time so we could carry out the two main field campaigns. Isbjorn was the first fire to come to science camp. They were Flora, Fraser, James, Ant, Ankar and Sophie with Leader Matt and Polar Pete. Thanks to Ankur for the photo and to Polar Pete for the wonderful craftsmanship.

Adventdalen, Svalbard

2010-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

That evening we made it into Adventdalen and pitched our last camp as Polar Rev. The next day was a gentle pulk back down Adventdalen and over to base camp. Our return to base camp has to be another expedition high-light. We were the last fire back and so received a wonderful welcome, everyone looking slightly more rugged and all bursting with stories of their adventures. I'm sure I even heard a trumpet and saw a bit of bunting.

Adventelva, Svalbard

2010-05-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Fraser actually getting some sicky sicky nar nar in the spring pow pow.

Adventelva, Svalbard

2010-05-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Getting some sicky sicky nar nar in the spring pow pow. I had just done a pulk-360 off this massive kicker.... didn't quite get the landing though. Thanks to Zoe for the photo.

Adventelva, Svalbard

2010-05-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Downhill all the way home. Polar Rev admiring the view looking over Adeventdalen and base camp. From left to right: James, Steph, Edd, Matt, Flora, Zoe and Fraser.

Adventelva, Svalbard

2010-05-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

We woke the next morning to find patches of sunlight making their way in through the tent. After two days of pulking uphill through a storm I think we all felt a bit giddy to be waking up high on a col surrounded by mountains, snow and sunshine with a day of downhill Arctic pulking ahead. Matt pausing for a moment while breaking trail on our final ascent before descending back down Adventelva.

Lundstromdalen, Svalbard

2010-05-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

The storm continued into the next day and unfortunately completely covered our tracks from the previous days which meant we had the arduous task of piste bashing through ("nipple") deep powder all the way back up to the col. It was an incredible effort, often requiring us to team up to push pulks up steep sections. The elation we felt at reaching the col that night was one of my expedition highlights. In celebration, Fraser divided up a salami that he had been secretly carrying round with him since we left England. Sitting in our tents, up on that col, having worked so hard to get there, eating salami- doesn't get much better! Thanks Fraser! And thanks to Zoe for this picture of us battling up the last stretch to the col.

Lundstromdalen, Svalbard

2010-05-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

Despite being the most motivated and energetic fire you could imagine, Polar Rev never made it to the east coast. We did however stand on a high point on the south bank of Kjellstromdalen and look in the direction of the east coast, and, if it hadn't been totally overcast, we might have seen it! That would have to be enough for us because we had only enough rations for four more days, and we had a good four days pulking to get us back to base camp. Unfortunately that night, the weather that had been brewing all through the day finally broke and we woke to our second Arctic storm. While it would have been nice to stay cosied up in our tents, we had to press on and battle back up Lundstromdalen in complete white-out. It was a very surreal experience, and our brightly coloured pulks and jackets made me think of blobs of oil paint on a completely blank canvas. It was worst for the person at the front, not only because they had to trail blaze but also because there was nothing to focus on. I found it made me feel a bit sick and ended up watching the tips of my skis. During a brief respite from the weather I took this picture of Zoe leading on up the river bed.