From adamg Wed Jun 17 21:46:00 1992 Return-Path: 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!