Pole to Poletag:,2008:/4102008-04-11T18:05:14ZSwansea University students in the Arctic and AntarcticMovable Type 3.31Skiing in Rothera, Antarcticatag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.440532008-04-11T18:02:27Z2008-04-11T18:05:14Z The last part of our cruise is a trip to Rothera on Adelaide Island – the main British base in Antarctica....Swansea Uni
The last part of our cruise is a trip to Rothera on Adelaide Island – the main British base in Antarctica. ]]>
Benedict Reinardy, 27, from Aberdeen, is a marine geologist, currently in the third year of his PhD. He obtained a BSc Hons in Geography at St Andrews University and an MSc in Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to join the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Benedict’s research involves the analysis of the detailed glacial record within marine sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula. His data will contribute to research into whether the past changes within the Antarctic ice sheet can be used as modern analogues for the changes that are currently being observed.
]]>
Banana cores at the Polar Fronttag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.430042008-04-02T12:12:44Z2008-04-02T12:15:10Z We headed north out towards the Polar Front after leaving the sea ice and because of stormy weather, we did not stop for two days....Swansea Uni
We headed north out towards the Polar Front after leaving the sea ice and because of stormy weather, we did not stop for two days. ]]>
Benedict Reinardy, 27, from Aberdeen, is a marine geologist, currently in the third year of his PhD. He obtained a BSc Hons in Geography at St Andrews University and an MSc in Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to join the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Benedict’s research involves the analysis of the detailed glacial record within marine sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula. His data will contribute to research into whether the past changes within the Antarctic ice sheet can be used as modern analogues for the changes that are currently being observed.
]]>
I've always thought sunbathing is over-rated!tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.422812008-03-25T13:33:42Z2008-03-25T13:53:42Z It must be almost a week ago that we left Pine Island Bay. I have lost track of the days; we go through several times zones sometimes in the same day because we are so near the Pole....Swansea Uni
It must be almost a week ago that we left Pine Island Bay. I have lost track of the days; we go through several times zones sometimes in the same day because we are so near the Pole. ]]>
Benedict Reinardy, 27, from Aberdeen, is a marine geologist, currently in the third year of his PhD. He obtained a BSc Hons in Geography at St Andrews University and an MSc in Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to join the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Benedict’s research involves the analysis of the detailed glacial record within marine sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula. His data will contribute to research into whether the past changes within the Antarctic ice sheet can be used as modern analogues for the changes that are currently being observed.
]]>
Hunting the Great White Fright!tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.422692008-03-25T13:11:44Z2008-03-25T13:32:20Z Adam Booth For the best part of the last week, Alessio, Tavi and I have been dispatched to the field to assist with the study of an englacial meltwater channel (similar to the one we entered in Scott Turnerbreen...Swansea UniAdam Booth
For the best part of the last week, Alessio, Tavi and I have been dispatched to the field to assist with the study of an englacial meltwater channel (similar to the one we entered in Scott Turnerbreen glacier).
]]>
Doug, on the other hand, gets his hands somewhat dirtier; he is accompanied by cavers Jason Gulley and Annalie Bergström, and they lower themselves through the numerous shafts and cavities in the middle of the glacier until reaching the channel at the glacier bed.
Once such cavity is called the ‘Great White Fright’ (pictured below), in reference to Jason’s reaction on first seeing it. So, we look down into the glacier whereas Doug’s team look back up at us.
Our two methods have clear advantages and disadvantages; Doug’s approach is obviously not for the claustrophobic, whereas Tavi, Alessio and I are left fully-exposed to the elements… and these are quite some elements to be contended with, since the air temperature has got down to -26°C.
If you want a taster of these conditions, put your sandwiches in the freezer before you try to eat them – although, on the other hand, we can heartily recommend frozen raisins!
Fortunately, the weather is fantastic and the scenery is incredible. Photo credit here goes to Alessio, since my camera has died! The first view is across Bakaninbreen glacier; the second shows Tavi snowmobiling over a moraine between the two glaciers.
Our fieldwork has gone really well – we’ve got lots of data to work with, and there’s a promising indication that we can indeed image Doug’s channels (including the Great White Fright) using surface GPR.
Of course, the fieldwork isn’t without its mishaps too… Doug and Jason were unfortunate enough to end up waist-deep in near-freezing meltwater (which required a speedy dash back to Svea to warm up) and I’m a little bit worse-for-wear after a brush with the cold – but this is all field experience, which will be invaluable in planning future field seasons.
Equally invaluable is the opportunity for me and Alessio to put elements of our now-completed UNIS course into practice. It’s also fantastic to be contributing to a genuine research objective and, hopefully, the contacts we’re making now will lead to further opportunities in the future.
We return to Longyearbyen tomorrow morning (22nd March), and then we head north for Ny Ålesund for another spell in the field.
Adam Booth, 26, from Stoke-on-Trent, is a geophysicist, currently in the final stages of his PhD project. He obtained a BSc in Geophysical Sciences and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds and, although his project is based at Leeds, he recently joined the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Adam's research involves obtaining images of structures in the subsurface of the Earth, using a technique called ground penetrating radar (GPR). Currently, he focuses on imaging archaeological targets, buried at shallow depths in the ground. He is attending the UNIS course in Longyearbyen to gain a firm foundation in glaciological processes; following this, he is undertaking GPR fieldwork at Ny Ålesund as part of a study of Midtre Lovenbreen glacier. ]]>
Solfestuka – the return of the suntag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.417552008-03-19T11:29:27Z2008-03-19T12:06:40Z My last blog described the commencing of the Arctic Spring as the sun was spotted for the first time. Now the sun is in the sky and Longyearbyen is incredibly different....Swansea Uni
My last blog described the commencing of the Arctic Spring as the sun was spotted for the first time. Now the sun is in the sky and Longyearbyen is incredibly different. ]]>
We managed to hitch a lift from a band-wagon whilst others skied, walked, or rode dog sleds. It was a fantastic day and very funny as many of the sledges failed to finish. Our barracks sledge did very well, the fastest UNIS sledge.
On the Saturday, children from the schools sang songs and held a ‘count-down’ for the appearance of the sun between the mountains. The countdown finished with laughter from all as it was an overcast day with heavy snow.
But by lunchtime the following day, the sunbeams poured down over the mountain tops as we set off with course mates to spend the weekend in a student cabin in BjØrndalen which translated means ‘bear valley’!
The cabin was situated on the top of a ridge, at the bottom of a large valley looking out to the Arctic Ocean. The Ocean met large ice-cliffs and nunataks, which stared back at us from across the water.
We shared out all the necessary equipment and supplies amongst our packs and pulkas (sledges). Those who skied ahead of us had the coal and fire wood and we were welcomed by a toasty warm fire.
Adam and I cooked up a large chilli to satisfy our growing bellies. It took much longer than we anticipated as we had to melt snow to produce drinking water, and you need a lot of snow to make a reasonable amount of water. Conversation in the candle-lit cabin was mostly about the possible confrontation of a polar bear.
Then in burst Professor Doug Benn and Dr Nick Hulton, armed not with rifles but whisky and a guitar. It was a brilliant night and, along with Dr Ian Rutt who walked with us to BjØrndalen, they performed this years ‘Svalbard song’ about the Svalbard zombies and permafrost graves, it was very surreal.
Last week’s excursion was breathtaking as we crossed the sea-ice where I saw my first calving glacier, Tunabreen. It was a long trip on the back of a skidoo in very bad conditions but was worth it.
The white, flat terrain was littered with seals laying lazily on the sea-ice with the odd one poking their head up from their holes. It was an incredible experience for me to be stood on the sea-ice in front of a Svalbard calving glacier, especially as I have been spending the latter part of my PhD studying calving fronts, with the help of my supervisor Dr Adrian Luckman and remote sensing radar images.
The final week of the course was taken by another Swansea University lecturer, Professor Tavi Murray, and focussed on surging glaciers and monitoring techniques.
We visited another calving glacier, Bakaninbreen which recently surged alongside Paulabreen. Tavi has spent a lot of time in this area studying these glaciers and along with all the science had many fascinating stories about her terrifying encounters with polar bears.
This week I have said goodbye to many course mates, as I prepare to head further north to conduct some research along with Tavi, Adam and Alessio from the Swansea Glaciology Group.
I have also managed to find time to explore a moraine cave in a nearby glacier. After digging out the recent snow, which had accumulated over the entrance, we squeezed our way in. Exploring the cave was amazing, it was much warmer than outside and with our torches off it was pitch black.
On the roof of the moraine cave we viewed some amazingly delicate ice crystal formations.
It is incredible how much difference the sun is having here. Each day I am surprised by how much extra daylight there is and how the landscape is changing.
I look forward to experiencing 24-hour daylight.
Damien Mansell, 23, from Exeter in Devon, joined the Glaciology Group at Swansea University’s School of Environment and Society, in October 2007. His PhD research project focuses on quantifying the loss of ice from Svalbard tidewater glaciers to form icebergs, known as calving. As a result of climate warming Svalbard is experiencing an increase in annual melt, and such mass balance indicators have the potential to better predict the impact of climate change on sea level rise. Fieldwork in the north of Svalbard’s largest island will help meet his research goals and provide an invaluable opportunity to experience the location of his ongoing research project.
]]>
A trip to the "weak underbelly of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet"tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.417312008-03-19T10:39:24Z2008-03-19T10:41:21Z The last week has been spent in Pine Island Bay. We are the first British ship to ever make it to this area after numerous previous attempts were hampered by sea ice....Swansea Uni
The last week has been spent in Pine Island Bay. We are the first British ship to ever make it to this area after numerous previous attempts were hampered by sea ice. ]]>
Benedict Reinardy, 27, from Aberdeen, is a marine geologist, currently in the third year of his PhD. He obtained a BSc Hons in Geography at St Andrews University and an MSc in Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to join the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Benedict’s research involves the analysis of the detailed glacial record within marine sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula. His data will contribute to research into whether the past changes within the Antarctic ice sheet can be used as modern analogues for the changes that are currently being observed.
]]>
The cold, white, beautiful Arctictag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.410362008-03-11T10:49:20Z2008-03-11T15:49:27Z White sculptures, sometimes smooth and round, sometimes narrow and sharp, huge glaciers flowing down the blue water of the fjord. This morning the atmosphere was dominated by two colours, the white of the mountains and the blue of the...Swansea Uni
White sculptures, sometimes smooth and round, sometimes narrow and sharp, huge glaciers flowing down the blue water of the fjord. This morning the atmosphere was dominated by two colours, the white of the mountains and the blue of the sea and sky.]]>
We climbed with our skis up the narrow ridge to the region’s highest mountains. Nordenskjold fjellet is 1049 meters above sea level and to me this is the best place around Longyearbyen.
From the top, on a bright clear day like today, you can see the landscape on the northern side of the Isfjorden. You can also see Oscar II Land and you can understand how the geology has strongly influenced the landscape because different rocks have different textures. They have been eroded in different ways and this in turn has changed their shape.
Mountaineering here in the Arctic is a bit “extreme” and is quite different to what I have been used to in the Alps; you have to deal with a big problem - the cold. Here it is constant and, like a knife, it tends to penetrate through your skin and, at times, it can be painful.
Often, when you are at the top, you cannot properly enjoy the moment and the amazing views because the wind constantly reminds you that this human presence at the top of the Arctic mountains will soon be over.
This is the first time that I want to leave the top of the mountain as soon as possible, despite the fact that it is wonderful being on the peak, taking pictures and enjoying the fabulous sensation of being at the point where the earth and sky meet.
The emotion is undoubtedly strong, and when you get back home after a long trip in the cold, in the amazing Arctic wilderness, you feel strong, happy and tired.
I want to dedicate these pictures to my grandmother, Giovanna. She passed away last week after a good life in the mountains in the Italian Alps. I know now that she is looking down at me.
]]>
Icebergs, and from Wales to whalestag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.406202008-03-06T08:36:55Z2008-03-06T08:56:45Z After three days crossing the Drake Passage in a storm, we finally make it to the Antarctic Peninsula....Swansea Uni
After three days crossing the Drake Passage in a storm, we finally make it to the Antarctic Peninsula. ]]>
Icebergs...
The improvement in the weather meant that we could all start on the science, basically for us "geos" (geologists) that means selecting somewhere to core the sea bed.
We are trying to select sites that will contain information within the sediments on the extent of past ice sheets over as many as seven glacial cycles going back thousands of years.
Getting to coring sites normally proves quite a challenge to the crew on the bridge whose task it is to "park" the ship and keep it there while all the equipment gets lowered to the sea floor.
(Photograph of the James Clark Ross courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey.)
Their instructions normally come from a few geologists on the intercom "right a bit, left a bit, stop, no hang on, back a bit", quite a challenge in a ship of this size!
After two days sailing down the peninsula, suddenly, we see what we have all been anxiously waiting and looking for. Far off in the distance we can just make it out, our first iceberg. Numerous photos were taken of this distant lump of ice, but we would not have bothered if we knew what was to come in the next few days.
The following day I was up at 3am and had to go out on deck to help with the coring. When working on deck I wear several layers of clothing, although it still gets a little nippy if the wind picks up and it is overcast. As it happens we just managed to get the coring equipment in when another storm blew up.
It is official – I have my sea legs, thank goodness as the weather continued to deteriorate. This time we were sailing in the same direction as the swell. Huge waves began to pick the boat up and propel it forward on the crest. Occasionally waves would break right over the back onto the main deck.
It is quite amazing, the brain somehow adjusts to the continual movement of the ship and it automatically tilts the body to stay vertical. When I want to stand I automatically lean into things rather than against things as I would end up going head over heels across the floor when the ship suddenly rolls.
These rough conditions actually give me a buzz now. I am quite happy working in a lab using various power tools, taking accurate measurements of sediment cores, even making up thin section slides so that samples can be studied under the microscope.
All this I can now do even in stormy weather but the most popular (and least useful) activity during such conditions is darts in the bar – this is probably as dangerous as it sounds because the player has nothing to hold on to as the ship rolls and pitches and, needless to say, there are several stray darts.
Let's hope I don't get a dart in the back of the head!
From Wales to whales...
Each day as we sail further south we start to encounter more and more icebergs. They are magnificent, like giant cathedrals of ice, some hundreds of feet high which cluster together and look like mini mountain ranges. There are also numerous large tabular ice bergs, something for which Antarctica is famous.
We have also had a few snow showers. Even at 27 years old, when it begins to look like a winter wonderland, I still get as excited as I did when I was a small child. Except it is not winter, it is summer and even though the temperature hovers around zero this is "warm" for the coldest place on Earth.
After sailing for over a week we finally spot land for the first time.
It is also my first glimpse of Antarctica and is as spectacular as I had imagined.
The snowy peaks we can see in the distance are Cape Vostok on Alexander Island. It is strange looking at mountains that no human has ever summated and it reminds me of just how remote this continent really is.
The next day we encounter our first sea ice, it was incredibly thick at first which worried us slightly as we still want to get much further south.
I love going out on deck and watching the ship ploughing through chunky sea ice, some of which is more than a meter thick.
When the ship is going through ice it is like being in an aeroplane in slight turbulence, there are occasional shudders and jerks as we hit big bits of ice and sometimes the ship is almost stopped in its tracks. The ship is actually specially designed so that roll is artificially induced to break the ice.
As we continued sailing one afternoon the bridge phoned to say that whales had been spotted on the port side. We all ran out onto deck, cameras in hand, and there all around us were minke whales swimming right next to the ship.
There were about eight of them and they surfaced every now and then blowing spouts of water and would breach on their backs. They stayed with us for over an hour and we felt truly honoured to have witnessed them here in the Amundsen Sea.
Even the members of crew who have been to this part of the world several times had never seen this before. I was convinced that they were attracted by our seismic equipment that was sending out pings at various frequencies.
As well as the whales we have already seen numerous penguins and seals that always appear rather unperturbed at a large red ship crashing through their neighbourhood.
Soon there will not be much time for observing the wildlife as we approach Pine Island Bay, an area of great recent interest as it appears to be undergoing the most rapid changes on the Antarctic continent.
Previous BAS cruises have tried and failed to gain access to this area because of sea ice conditions; if we manage to get in during the next few days we will be the first British ship to do so.
We are all crossing our fingers!
]]>
Teaching in the Arctictag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.405352008-03-05T08:58:48Z2008-03-05T10:07:07Z It's week three of the Glaciology course, and that means the topic is computer modelling; I share the teaching with my colleague Dr Nick Hulton, from the University of Edinburgh. It's the third year we've been coming to UNIS...Swansea Uni
It's week three of the Glaciology course, and that means the topic is computer modelling; I share the teaching with my colleague Dr Nick Hulton, from the University of Edinburgh. It's the third year we've been coming to UNIS to teach on the course, and it's always an enjoyable experience.]]>
This year, we have 27 students from 10 countries, including, of course, six from Swansea. The Swansea contingent seem to have taken to Arctic life with great enthusiasm, and are really relishing everything you can do here – both work and recreation! And I can see they're enjoying meeting and working with so many other students who are doing the same kind of work.
Glaciology is a friendly field, and you certainly experience that at UNIS. The material we cover this week is pretty challenging, but everyone's really keen to get to grips with it, so it's fun to teach.
I arrived in Svalbard just in time for last week's excursion. It was pretty spectacular, and a good chance for me to get to know the group a bit before we began teaching yesterday. Everyone was terribly excited when we saw the sun, in some cases for the first time in three months. I'm not sure I'd cope very well with that!
The descent from the first pass, down the Bergmeisterbreen glacier, was stunning, and then we travelled along Reindalen, one of the many beautiful broad valleys that cut across Spitsbergen.
On Thursday, I had my chance to go on the UNIS Safety Course with some of the resident UNIS staff and postgraduates.
Because my research is focused on computer modelling of ice sheets and climate, I usually don't visit the Arctic, except when I come to UNIS. So, I need the safety training just like the students do.
Svalbard has many hazards – crevasses on glaciers, fragile sea ice, and the risk of avalanches – but I think the threat from polar bears is the one that exercises the imagination the most.
The chances of encountering a bear are small, but it's essential to be prepared, because, if you do meet one, escaping may not be an option. If a bear attacks, a rifle is the only effective defence.
So, the main practical part of the safety course is about using firearms, and we headed up the hill above the airport to have some hands-on experience. The shooting range was very cold, with a bitter wind, so I was glad when we were done.
I can't say I really feel happy handling firearms, but at least I know how to use a rifle safely, should the need arise. Of course, we all hope it won't be necessary. It's reassuring to know that the UNIS logistics staff who travel with us on excursions are experienced in all aspects of Arctic safety, including shooting.
Since then, Nick and I have been working hard, putting the finishing touches to the week's lectures and practicals, updating things from last year, and generally making sure everything goes smoothly.
We take a break from teaching tomorrow to go with the students on a trip to the Von Post Breen glacier. I'm looking forward to it!
Dr Ian Rutt is a Lecturer in Glaciology in Swansea University’s School of the Environment and Society. He is teaching parts of the glaciology course in Svalbard, alongside other specialists from Alaska, Edinburgh, and Norway.
]]>
Here comes the sun...tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.403882008-03-03T14:59:11Z2008-03-03T15:37:45Z At last, today (27/02/08) we got to see the sun. We went out for an excursion to look at an incredibly large glacier called Drømbreem, go up it and down another glacier on the other side of the hill...Swansea Uni
At last, today (27/02/08) we got to see the sun. We went out for an excursion to look at an incredibly large glacier called Drømbreem, go up it and down another glacier on the other side of the hill and up a valley before returning back to Longyearbyen. ]]>
This looked like a hell of a long trip and we found out we were going to be doing it with a bandwagon (a huge tracked vehicle with four seats in the front pulling a tin can on tracks behind it) and three scooters pulling sleds.
This is definitely not the most comfortable way of travelling. Sitting doing nothing on the sleds with no suspension is very bumpy and cold, while in the bandwagon you can see very little but at least it is warm.
I started the trip in the bandwagon as everyone seemed pretty keen to ride in the sledges. I didn't think this would last so I had taken a lot of clothes with me for when I was on the sledge.
We got to the bottom of Drømbreen and stopped to have a chat about what we could see. It was pretty eye-opening for me. Any other time I spent in this kind of environment the only questions I had asked were “can I ski down it?” and “how am I going to get up it?”
Now looking around at all these massive features and finding out about how they were formed gave me a new way of looking at the environment.
At another place when we stopped we could get a real idea of how much these things are accelerating up the valley. Standing next to where the glacier was 100 years ago and looking at where its extent is now is pretty scary.
Anyway, the biggest excitement of the day was at the top of Drømbreen. I was back in the bandwagon (I spent a lot of time in the bandwagon this day, so much some people suggested I could be its mascot)with some people who had been in Svalbard from the beginning of January.
They hadn't seen the sun since then and when were coming to the top of the climb and could see the sky getting brighter and brighter they were getting more and more excited.
By the time we cleared the top and the bandwagon came to a stop, the sun was high in the sky and they couldn't wait to get out. It was like being transported back to Paganism with some serious sun worship going on by those who hadn't seen it for so long. Even for us, it had been about two weeks since we had seen the sun properly and it was good to see it at last.
It will still be 11 days before we regularly see the sun without having to climb to the top of a hill around here.
So close and yet so far...
Another day (24/02/08) and another little tour up another nearby glacier called Lasbreen. This has two peaks, Lars Hiertafjellet and Trollsteinen, which are around 860m high. There is another hope for this trip, which for anywhere would seem a bit weird: there is a chance we might actually see the sun.
We have only been here about two weeks and it is getting brighter every day, but the sun still will not make it above the horizon until about 8th March, because of all the mountains around here. To be able to get high enough to see the sun is actually really exciting. Two weeks is not time at all, but still after two weeks of nothing more than twilight, it would be fantastic to get up and see the sun.
The other great thing about Larsbreen is that there are no snow scooters. It is quite a lot steeper than the other places we have been, which probably makes it a bit riskier for avalanches (only a little bit) but means the scooters have more trouble getting up and so people don't really bother so much. This is fantastic when you are skiing.
Scooters are great fun when you are on them and necessary for any larger expedition, but when they come past you and you are on skis they are smelly, intimidating, noisy things.
To be able to get most of the way up a glacier and stop and just listen to the silence is one of the reasons you come out here. Living in cities, it is hard to appreciate just what silence is like with all the noise around, but half-way up a reasonable peak, knowing you are one of only a few people for a long way, the silence is incredible.
Anyway, we went straight up Lars Hiertafjellet, which is nearly 900m straight up to see if we could catch the sun. It was a little bit overcast so we weren't too sure if we would actually see anything.
When we got up, we were just out of luck, and could see the bottom of the sun just peeking from the clouds. By the time we had eaten lunch and had some tea, it was still hidden by clouds. All this way and still no sun.
We decided to travel across the ridge and head to the other peak, which was Trollsteinen. The walk around the ridge was pretty uneventful and we lost sight of the sun completely. When we were approaching the peak, which has an amazing rock feature balanced on top, we came face to face with a reindeer.
I have no idea what it was doing up there. There is nothing but a huge rock covered in ice and some skiers! It was pretty bold and didn't make a move until we were about five meters away, when it wandered down what to my eyes was an almost sheer cliff face. They are incredible things.
We made our way around the giant rock feature at the top (it is a bit out of place, just a huge boulder sat on top of a narrow ridge) and put out skis back on for the way down from the ridge on the other side.
The way down was an amazing, if short, powder field. We made it down in about half an hour after what had been about half a day's worth of climbing.
Dean Wood, 29, is a Masters student in Computer Modelling in the School of Engineering at Swansea University. Having previously studied theoretical physics and gained some experience computer modelling, he is working as part of a multidisciplinary project to model the effect tides have on the dynamics of Antarctic ice streams. ]]>
Arctic spring is on its waytag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.403562008-03-03T11:36:49Z2008-03-03T11:48:53ZIt has been another amazing week here in Longyearbyen....Swansea Uni
]]>
Wading through the thick powder was slow and tiring, but as equally energy-consuming was the large slippery sheets of thick ice. The view from the peak over Longyearbyen was truly awe-inspiring and well worth the ascent.
Getting back down was equally challenging. It was a constant battle against gravity not to slide down the lateral margins of Longyearbreen glacier too fast.
Professor Doug Benn led the lectures this week on glacier dynamics, basically the physics behind the forces which restrain/cause glaciers to be in motion. The lectures were invaluable and most interesting.
Our weekly excursion was of epic proportion.
Utilising the bandwagon and sledge towing skidoos we explored the surrounding environment of Adventdalen, stopping regularly for lectures on surging glaciers and glacier hydrology.
I had the responsibility and good fortune to drive a skidoo again this week. The thick powdery snow on steep upslope sections meant the skidoos often got stuck and digging the snow-scooters out of the snow was not a rare occurrence.
With an empty sledge and full throttle on the high powered skidoo I raced over the top of Dronbreen. Driving fast was essential to get up the glacier without spinning into the snow. The view from the top was staggering.
We saw the Arctic sun for the first time. From the top of the glacier we looked across the expansive snow covered landscape lit pink from the sunbeams skimming the surface.
Even as we come closer to the end of the winter season the sun does not hang in the sky at all long. It disappeared as quickly as it came up, leaving behind a sky stained pink and red from the refracting light creeping over the horizon.
The bandwagon again proved what an immense bit of engineering it is. Conquering everything we challenged it with and providing a safe back-up for those who got too cold on the skidoos. This was indeed everyone, but luckily not all at the same time as it would have been a very tight squash cramming everyone inside.
As the magenta coloured sky faded to darkness we were treated to another viewing of the Aurora Borealis. Sakrofagen provided the backdrop for the green and purple trails to pour behind.
With no moon, the display was much brighter than before and the stars seemed to twinkle all the harder, competing with the aurora to light the arctic night sky.
As we are so far north here, Polar-orbiting satellites are frequently spotted just to add to the beautiful chaos above our heads.
With still lots to explore the decision of what to do at the weekend was difficult. I, Adam and our new Italian glaciology friend Francisco hiked across the fjord to the mountain north of Longearbyen. By no means did we get to the peak.
The steep snow and ice covered ridges meant we never considered it a realistic aim. We did however get a fair way up and ascended enough to produce another amazing, but different perspective of Longyearbyen.
Once out of the town we were blessed by having the sun on our faces, which no longer hid behind the mountains lining the perimeter of Longyearbyen. Crossing the sea-ice was a fantastic experience. Many sea-ice features lay in our path as well as the odd footprint of reindeer and Arctic foxes who must have crossed the fjord that morning.
We have definitely experienced our coldest days yet this week. With air temperatures below minus 26 degrees and taking into account wind-chill, temperatures below minus 43 degrees have been recorded.
Once wrapped up in all our Arctic gear, it is bearable but the cold crisp arctic air filling your lungs for the first time of the day literally takes your breath away.
Next weekend the sun will shine on Longyearbyen for the first time since October and the Arctic spring will be on its way.
Damien Mansell, 23, from Exeter in Devon, joined the Glaciology Group at Swansea University’s School of Environment and Society, in October 2007. His PhD research project focuses on quantifying the loss of ice from Svalbard tidewater glaciers to form icebergs, known as calving. As a result of climate warming Svalbard is experiencing an increase in annual melt, and such mass balance indicators have the potential to better predict the impact of climate change on sea level rise. Fieldwork in the north of Svalbard’s largest island will help meet his research goals and provide an invaluable opportunity to experience the location of his ongoing research project.
]]>
Polar bears and how to dress for the Arctic winter…tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.402062008-02-29T17:19:33Z2008-02-29T17:26:22Z It's -7 degrees today – but with the wind chill it manages to be -38 degrees, which explains why I felt so cold walking back this afternoon. With the recent snowfall and the strong winds the topsnow is blown...Swansea Uni
It's -7 degrees today – but with the wind chill it manages to be -38 degrees, which explains why I felt so cold walking back this afternoon. With the recent snowfall and the strong winds the topsnow is blown up and around, making every nuance of the moving air visible. Caught by the dusk and the street lamps, with the wind moaning and whispering around us as we walk up the valley, it's very beautiful.]]>
Monday 25th February
Longyearbyen – the world's most northern town
Now, sitting as I am in front of a computer, lamenting the loss of the previous diary entry due to rtf formatting, I decided to browse Wiki. It turns out that as Longyearbyen is the world's most northern town it has many of the worlds most northern things... from cash machines to sports facilities to statues to banks. It's kinda cool.
Also, it turns out that it was named after a guy called John Longyear – and not, as I imagined after the glacier, which I figured was discovered before the town. Byen, as it turns out, is Norwegian for town – not by as I'd imagined.
The town, you see, is in the valley formed by Longyear, which currently resides just a little further up the valley than our barracks. In fact, just above Nybyen lies an intersection between two glaciers; the larger Longyearbreen and the smaller tributary glacier Larsbreen. Between the two, marking this intersection is a mountain known as Sarkofagen – and on Saturday we decided to climb it.
There was a surprising amount of people, especially since we set off at 9am. As Damien rightly suggested, the safest thing to do was to split up into smaller groups of maybe 4/5 people for safety reasons. So with a rifle per group, we split into 4 smaller ones – although we tended to merge slightly along the way.
We took the left side of the mountain, walking up Larsbreen glacier and following the contour back until it met the ridge – hoping to walk along it. We then 'planned' to walk back along the ridge and down the other side of the mountain, so that we came down along Longyearbreen.
I was out of breath before we reached the bottom of the Larsbreen moraine, which boded badly. I also have very little mountain climbing experience.
Luckily, Joe and Nick had uber-boots – and so could kick through the icy coating of some of the steeper slopes and make holes we could follow. The worst ascent was in fact the first, as we climbed the terminal morraine of Larsbreen.
On the way up we heard the barking of what was most likely an arctic fox – though 'barking' is probably the wrong word. It's actually the first sign of life I've had since I got here – discounting the pixel reindeer.
After we'd reached the relatively flatter surface of the glacier proper it was relatively less work – until the final ascent to the ridge. It seemed to take forever – but once we reached the top it opened into a surprisingly flat and relatively wide ridge – with amazing views of the surrounding mountains and the Longyear valley.
The snow was deceptively deep in places, and icy in some parts. A reindeer darted in front of us about 100metres ahead, which was quite surprising. The ridge got rapidly thinner as we walked along it, and we had to keep to the centre. The snow sloped up to the right, blown by the wind into an overhang. To the left, the bare rock had been exposed, blown clean of snow, shiny with ice. This meant the safest course was straight through the centre.
Once we reached as far was possible to the end of the ridge though the views were amazing – you could see right down the valley to Longyearbyen.
The walk back down to Longyear was much easier. We travelled down in a fine curve, walking along the top of Longyear and sliding down the terminal morraine. It was excellent. Another Wiki-gleaned fact is that the town was pretty much destroyed in World War II, and had to be rebuilt – maybe due to the economic importance of the mines...
This explains, possibly, the debris we saw down the mountains, in some places though I guess this could also be explained by avalanches. It was an awesome day, all told.
I saw a small footprint on the way back, though I'm not sure what animal made it. Another sign of life out here though. Actually this morning there were two reindeer grazing just behind our barracks – though I have no idea what on!
Thursday 21st February
How to dress for the Arctic winter…
Well, ok so maybe this journal won't be updated exactly daily... but to be honest, the days are settling into a strange kind of pattern so it would be boring to go through the same stuff every time.
Well, when I say 'days' I mean three days but still... Monday was the first day when our official lectures began. The routine is this: get up around 7.30am, set off to UNIS about 8.30am to arrive for 9.15am.
Lectures occur from 9:15am to 11:30am (with a short break in between) and from 1:15pm to whenever we finish. Essentially this is around 4pm/5pm-ish – though on Tuesday I didn't get back here till 7.30pm, so there's a degree of variability.
Wednesday is special – it's excursion day! We will hopefully have one excursion a week – initially to places a short distance away (say an hour or so scooter-ride) and then to places quite a long way away, which will take a few hours of scootering to get there. Weather permitting of course...
Now, before I jump into the tale of this week’s excursion I just want to fill you in on a couple of things I thought you might be interested in.
For example – how we get around the whole -25degree-ish temperature thingy. Essentially, this is done through wearing many layers.
Your base layer is like a pair of tight-fitting pajamas, made of fine wool. On top of those – if it's really cold – you'd wear another pair of trousers (jeans, tracksuit bottoms, etc) and then you'd wear salapets (really thick wind-proof insulated trousers) on top of that. Then you have a couple pairs of thick socks and walking boots under that. On top of the thermal top I mentioned you'd wear a thermal polo top (again, only if it's really cold) then a microfleece.
On top of that you then wear your thermal windproof jacket. Then of course you have a couple of pairs of gloves – in my case a thin cheap pair, then a base layer glove then the proper glove on top of that if it's uber-cold. Then a hat, and a face masky thing – incredibly useful when there's wind. Wind is cold!
Now, the thing about putting on that many layers when you're inside is you become extremely hot very quickly. Whilst this proves your clothes are working, it's always a relief to go outside into the cool air. Which is not something you'd think would be the case really – but hey. And when you come inside you have to take everything off, which can be a problem.
All buildings have cloakroom places for boots, some – like UNIS – have a place for coats. But in most cases you have to take off your boots, coat, hat, face-mask/balaclava, gloves, backpack and (in my case) camera and then carry these around with you while you go.
Occasionally you can dump glove-like things in your backpack – but that's generally full of extra layers, thermoses, tripods etc. This is like asking to lose things – though I've only lost one thing so far which I'm hoping will turn up. But it's still something to consider, and I thought an interesting aspect of life here you may have wanted to know about.
So... excursion one.
It was to a glacier called ScottTurnerBreen, named (unsurprisingly) after a guy called Scott Turner. Breen is Norwegian for glacier. Our lectures for this week are about the mass balance of a glacier, which is essentially calculating 'what goes in' vs 'what comes out'. If more goes in it’s accumulation and the glacier grows, if less it's ablation and the glacier shrinks.
We were going up to this glacier to measure its mass balance. We were traveling via combination of skidoo-pulled sleds and a big tank-like thing that can travel across anything but only at 20kmh. On the way there I was lucky enough to be in the front of the tank thingy where it was quite warm! I actually fell asleep – but then I do so in most moving vehicles – and the window was blocked by the snow pulled up from the treads as the wagon moved along.
Behind this there were the 4-stroke scooters (driven by us) pulling three sleds with 4/5 people on each. It was very cool – though some of the scooters had trouble on the steeps hills and got driven in or tipped over.
When we reached the glacier there were two reindeer on the slope of a nearby hill. Unfortunately, they weren't that near.
It was hard to pick out the glacier when everything else was covered in snow. Only a brief rocky interlude on the slope signaled the terminal moraine and if you looked at the slopes you could maybe pick out the lateral ones...
It was about -16degrees with few winds although it did start snowing considerably later on. We were lucky – Monday was cold and windy and Adam said the wind-chill made it almost -40 degrees which is kinda scary. (No wonder my face was cold on the way back to Nybyen!).
Once we'd reached the glacier we split into three groups. Two would perform the readings on the surface and the other would go in the ice-cave... and we'd rotate.
Taking measurements involved digging large holes in the snow. Basically we were digging down until we reached the previous summer surface, which you cold generally spot quite easily because it was a layer of hard ice.
The holes were about a metre and a half to two metres deep. It was quite hard going, though Adam and Damien dug much more of our hole than I did. After the hole was dug we'd take temperature measurements from the snow down the section, both which should increase with depth. It was quite cool – though rapidly becoming freezing when a snow-cloud settled over us and made everything white.
Luckily, just as we'd finished most of the measurement-taking our group was called to go in the ice cave – so off we went.
Damien said, "Man it's gonna be hot in that cave - it's gonna be minus one or something!"
Indeed, it was lovely and warm inside the ice cave. This would be a cave inside a glacier, which is not something I had considered existing before, but is totally cool. It formed when a melt-water stream on the surface of the glacier eroded downwards, then the top got covered in snow and ice.
The only way we could access it was through a hole in the surface of the glacier, with a kinda igloo like structure built on top of it. Once we'd donned hard hats and got little head-torches, we descended down the various ladders, which is no mean feat in a scooter-suit by the way, and our surroundings were transformed.
I don't know if any of you have ever been caving, though I imagine you've seen some of those nature programmes which show limestone caves... An ice cave is amazingly similar, but made of ice. And before the profoundness of that statement hits you, I want you to consider icicles instead of stalactites and stalagmites, white walls glistening like they're covered in a million tiny diamonds, semitransparent silk-smooth walls... floors spread like glass beneath you.
You couldn't walk, and if you slipped there was nothing you could grab onto on the walls for support. If you knocked your head on the ceiling you were met with a pretty tinkling of breaking icicles.
In the many places you had to crawl. It would take five minutes to travel five metres as your hands and feet slipped beneath you with nothing to grip onto to pull yourself forward.
Compared to the precarious nature of walking it was by far the fastest option, though it made it difficult to see ahead. Sometime you really had to lie along the floor and crawl army-style along it until it became high enough again to kneel.
It did occur to me sometimes how scary it would be if the batteries died in my head torch. It was small compared to most of the others and if somebody rounded a corner ahead of me, the light really dimmed. It would of course be pitch black without them.
Sometimes, when the walls were thin and high, the best way to walk was to actually lean against the walls for support. On the way back, coming down some of the gradients we'd walked up, the best method of travel was to slide, which was brilliant. Many people slipped over. When rounding a corner the floor would slope upwards gently.
Imagine if you took a photo of a river, with little undulations. It was like that but glassy smooth... anyhow I managed to slip, spin and end up on my back, which was quite funny. I was low enough to the ground not to hurt myself. It was like rolling over... The other time the guy behind me slipped and just took my legs out from beneath me. We were both ok, and though I landed hard I just bruised my elbow.
The formations were amazing. The walls were ribbed because of the dripping water, and some of the icicles were shaped like fins. They were huge too. The winding passages sometimes opened out, with huge chandeliers of ice above our heads and along the walls.
In one place the narrow passage opened to the left high up to reveal another cave that went far back into blackness. In places there were layers of sediments, strange and rough compared the ice and a welcome grip for walking.
The ice itself was crystal clear; when you knelt you could see the 'bed' of the stream, beneath maybe two inches of glassy ice. The walls and floor were the same... it was amazing. The end of the cave was a small frozen waterfall, rising five metres above us then continuing back. These drops apparently punctuate these kinds of caves. It was awesome.
Unfortunately, the temperature gradient within the cave meant my camera fogged up, which was very annoying.
We emerged from the cave to find a group of dogsleds and huskies. Longyear has a fairly impressive tourist industry, and though there's an ice cave near Longyear it's a little wet and had been damaged by the many tourists who go there.
Another option is to be taken with dog-sleds up here and then led through the caves, which is what these people were doing. They went into the caves just after our third group, leaving the dogs and the sleds just sitting there on the snow. I went up kinda close to take some pictures - but I didn't go to close because I didn't want to excite them and make them think they were getting ready to go again.
This turned out to be an excellent plan, as when some of the tourists emerged the air was filled with the exited barks and squeals and yelps of 20-odd exited huskies demanding to run.
After some husky pictures and final measurements, it was time for both us and the huskies to leave. The light was fading fast, and though the snow had stilled a little the wind was back.
I rode in one of the sledges on the way back, which was actually really fun – if cold with the wind. My face-mask had a hole in it. I could feel the cold of the wind against my face as we were waiting to leave.
Sledding was cool. The sleds quite simple constructions, frames and seats and a little suspension. So it was necessary to brace if the sled went over ruts in the tracks or rocks and things and often impossible to see them coming. You also had to be careful to lean on slopes to prevent the sled tipping over. It was however very very cool!
My outer gloves had actually frozen solid in the snow, and my inner ones were wet from the ice caves and the melting power of my hands. After the hour-ish ride back, I was definitely ready for the warmth of indoors, and the orange glow of Longyear was very welcoming. It's amazing how much the colour stood out even after those few hours in the monotone of the glacier and the snow. It was an awesome trip. Now I can say I've been inside a glacier, which is just awesome!
It is also worth noting this – there was a factor 6 earthquake last night, about 100ish miles away - and I slept through it…
I actually woke up about half an hour before it happened (about 4am), so by the time it started I must have been in a deep sleep. Damien also slept through it and Anne said it took 10 minutes of shaking before she woke.
But seriously, people were talking abut the shaking walls and things falling off their shelves; beds banging against the walls... everything.
This would be notable on its own, but it's even better because of the seed vault.
Next week they're opening the 'seed vault' – a place they're putting all the seeds in the world to keep them safe incase there's a nuclear war or for posterity something. We actually passed the place on the way up to the shooting range on Thursday. Essentially, they're put here in Svalbard because it's meant to be safe – and then there's a factor 6 earthquake a week before it opens!
Oh, and another piece of fun for you… There was a Polar bear spotted near Longyear. It was in fact spotted by a (proper) dogsled team, as they were on the shores opposite the town. That would be pretty much where we took the scooters last Friday.
The dogsled team had apparently circled in order to avoid it, only to return (eventually) to where they had started and find the Polar bear's tracks following their own... scary!
]]>
An Epic Day…tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.401092008-02-28T18:02:26Z2008-02-28T18:08:39Z Today (February 27) was a day that can only be described as epic. For a start, I never thought I would appreciate a sunrise quite so much…...Swansea Uni
Today (February 27) was a day that can only be described as epic. For a start, I never thought I would appreciate a sunrise quite so much…]]>
The bandwagon and snowmobile sledges were once again deployed for transport; however, unlike last week’s trip, the skies were clear and the view down the valley was unsurpassed, and the surrounding mountains were bathed in the pink glow of the almost-rising sun.
We reached Drønbreen and, after a break for a lecture, began the ascent to the pass, which would allow us to drop down onto Bergmesterbreen. All the while, the orange glow in the sky becomes steadily more golden until, finally, we clear a mountainside… and the wonderful sunlight hits us.
The whole bandwagon lets out a cheer, and everyone piles out when it comes to a halt.
The sun hangs low in the sky, just clearing the surrounding mountaintops, but it is a sunrise nonetheless and it’s glorious. Anyone would think we had never seen a sunrise before – and certainly that we had gone without one for longer than two weeks.
I’ve included a photo – I don’t think my camera really does it justice, but I could hardly leave it out! Notice there’s a small rainbow there too, just to the left-of-centre, and you can also see how the wind roars over the pass from the powder that is being whipped up from the snow.
As if the sunrise wasn’t enough, the sky remained clear such that later in the day, we were also treated to an awesome sunset. After crossing Bergmesterbreen, we entered the Reindalen Valley – where, incidentally, we see lots of wild reindeer (I’d say that they were grazing, but it didn’t look like there was much in the snow for them to be grazing on, so I won’t speculate further!)
We headed west through Reindalen as the sun sets behind a mountain…
The photo shows the bandwagon, headed straight into the sunset. The photo is a little blurry because I’m seated on a snowmobile sledge… either it’s a bumpy ride, or my hand is shivering because it gets seriously cold on those sledges!
The colours in the sky look fantastic though, the shining horizon gradually giving way to a deep, cold purple. I’m glad for a final stint in the warm bandwagon, as the sky darkens again and the wind picks up.
And as if the sunset wasn’t enough, we also got another northern light-show this evening!
Not as intense as the previous occasion, but spectacular nonetheless. The lights take a different form to before, this time forming a curtain over Larsbreen, a glacier immediately south of our barracks in Nybyen.
My little camera certainly isn’t up to this, so I’ll leave pictures to my fellow bloggers Nick and Damien!
Admittedly, it was never pitch-black when we arrived in Svalbard, but it really surprises me how much a short spell in the Polar night makes you appreciate a simple sunrise. I’m really looking forward to seeing our own valley lit in the same way as today.
Adam Booth, 26, from Stoke-on-Trent, is a geophysicist, currently in the final stages of his PhD project. He obtained a BSc in Geophysical Sciences and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds and, although his project is based at Leeds, he recently joined the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Adam's research involves obtaining images of structures in the subsurface of the Earth, using a technique called ground penetrating radar (GPR). Currently, he focuses on imaging archaeological targets, buried at shallow depths in the ground. He is attending the UNIS course in Longyearbyen to gain a firm foundation in glaciological processes; following this, he is undertaking GPR fieldwork at Ny Ålesund as part of a study of Midtre Lovenbreen glacier.
]]>
Feeling rough in the Drake Passagetag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.398972008-02-27T10:06:00Z2008-02-28T18:21:04Z On the evening of Thursday 21st February, we finally set sail from the Falklands for the Antarctic Peninsula on the British Antarctic Survey research ship RRS James Clark Ross. We all went up onto the Monkey Deck (directly above...Swansea Uni
On the evening of Thursday 21st February, we finally set sail from the Falklands for the Antarctic Peninsula on the British Antarctic Survey research ship RRS James Clark Ross. We all went up onto the Monkey Deck (directly above the Bridge) as we left Stanley very excited and eager to get to the open sea. I felt immensely happy as we finally cleared the headland and started heading south knowing that this was going to be the start of a trip of a lifetime.]]>
Every time we hit a really big wave the whole ship would vibrate and noticeably slow down and spray would pour against the window of the bar two whole decks up. There was a large swell present too, due to the very strong currents in the area. Occasionally water would crash up against my cabin port hole as the ship would be hit side on. This violent rolling is the worst and enough to ware down the toughest of sailors.
Worryingly, all the furniture in my cabin (chairs, tables etc) began flying around from one side to the other. Eventually, I managed to jam my table upside down with a chair against the wall. The simplest of tasks becomes incredibly challenging in these conditions. When eating you have to spread your legs apart and use one hand to hold onto the underside of the table to stop yourself tipping over.
In the lab we tie our chairs to the work bench to stop them tipping over and use straps to hold all the computers down. When having a shower you have to place your feet firmly against two sides of the shower and jam yourself into the corner so as not to slide across the bathroom.
At night I place my survival suit and life jacket, which are very bulky, under one side of my mattress so I am pressed in against the wall to stop me from sliding about so much. It seems to work, as I can now sleep through most weather. When the weather is this bad you just have to lie in your bunk and hope it will not get any worse.
I still have shifts where I need to man computers, which are constantly collecting data. The work I am involved in is primarily mapping out the sea floor using swath bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data. This needs to be manned 24-hours a day.
Every hour we also note down sea surface temperature, salinity, and track our progress on various charts. In a few hours we will be attempting to recover our first sediment core from the sea bed, which I will hopefully be involved in.
Today is calmer and I feel good. I think I have just about got my sea legs after a baptism of fire. I am eagerly scanning the horizon for the first icebergs.
This truly is going to be the trip of a lifetime.
Benedict Reinardy, 27, from Aberdeen, is a marine geologist, currently in the third year of his PhD. He obtained a BSc Hons in Geography at St Andrews University and an MSc in Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to join the Swansea University Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Benedict’s research involves the analysis of the detailed glacial record within marine sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula. His data will contribute to research into whether the past changes within the Antarctic ice sheet can be used as modern analogues for the changes that are currently being observed.
Photo of the James Clark Ross courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey.]]>
Snow scooter challenge…tag:poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk,2008://410.397392008-02-26T10:06:22Z2008-02-26T10:11:45Z The course is well underway and the daylight hours are getting longer and longer here. When we arrived the week before last, it was already dark at 2pm. But now we have light from 9am until about 4pm. And...Swansea Uni
The course is well underway and the daylight hours are getting longer and longer here. When we arrived the week before last, it was already dark at 2pm. But now we have light from 9am until about 4pm. And what amazing light! ]]>
I took some pictures during a lunch time skiing break with the course lectures, which I’ve posted here. It looks beautiful, but believe me, the wind chill was really vicious that day and the temperature outside in such conditions is around minus 40 degrees.
My beard and eyelashes were frozen, and my ears and hands were very cold – it was quite painful. But from the top of the mountain we had an unforgettable view of Longyearbyen.
On the top of the mountains called Sugartoppen, there was time for only a few pictures and then we had to ski down quickly and get back to the lectures.
The course is great. We’ve been looking at the mass balance of the glaciers, which in lay terms means the balance between how much a glacier expands in terms of snow and how much it loses in terms of water.
Last week, we went up to Scott Turnerbreen, a nice valley glacier roughly 20km south west from the town. Our work there was to measure the amount of snow on the glacier, but we also went “inside” the glacier, into an ice cave.
I drove the snow scooter to Scott Turnerbreen, which had a sledge attached carrying five other course mates. That was a really hard job, because in the last week a lot of snow has fallen here in Svalbard and we sunk into the snow three times, especially when going uphill.
When the snow scooter gets stuck you have to dig the snow off, remove the sledge, dig the snow off again between the sledge and the snow scooter and then re-attach the sledge.
It’s fine if this happens once, but after the third time – believe me – it became frustrating! Anyway, I’m glad because now I’m an expert at removing a stuck snow scooter with an attached sledge from deep snow. This will be useful in the future I’m sure!
]]>
Our two methods have clear advantages and disadvantages; Doug’s approach is obviously not for the claustrophobic, whereas Tavi, Alessio and I are left fully-exposed to the elements… and these are quite some elements to be contended with, since the air temperature has got down to -26°C.
If you want a taster of these conditions, put your sandwiches in the freezer before you try to eat them – although, on the other hand, we can heartily recommend frozen raisins!
Fortunately, the weather is fantastic and the scenery is incredible. Photo credit here goes to Alessio, since my camera has died! The first view is across Bakaninbreen glacier; the second shows Tavi snowmobiling over a moraine between the two glaciers.
Our fieldwork has gone really well – we’ve got lots of data to work with, and there’s a promising indication that we can indeed image Doug’s channels (including the Great White Fright) using surface GPR.
Of course, the fieldwork isn’t without its mishaps too… Doug and Jason were unfortunate enough to end up waist-deep in near-freezing meltwater (which required a speedy dash back to Svea to warm up) and I’m a little bit worse-for-wear after a brush with the cold – but this is all field experience, which will be invaluable in planning future field seasons.
Equally invaluable is the opportunity for me and Alessio to put elements of our now-completed UNIS course into practice. It’s also fantastic to be contributing to a genuine research objective and, hopefully, the contacts we’re making now will lead to further opportunities in the future.
We return to Longyearbyen tomorrow morning (22nd March), and then we head north for Ny Ålesund for another spell in the field.
Adam Booth, 26, from Stoke-on-Trent, is a geophysicist, currently in the final stages of his PhD project. He obtained a BSc in Geophysical Sciences and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds and, although his project is based at Leeds, he recently joined the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Adam's research involves obtaining images of structures in the subsurface of the Earth, using a technique called ground penetrating radar (GPR). Currently, he focuses on imaging archaeological targets, buried at shallow depths in the ground. He is attending the UNIS course in Longyearbyen to gain a firm foundation in glaciological processes; following this, he is undertaking GPR fieldwork at Ny Ålesund as part of a study of Midtre Lovenbreen glacier. ]]>
The cabin was situated on the top of a ridge, at the bottom of a large valley looking out to the Arctic Ocean. The Ocean met large ice-cliffs and nunataks, which stared back at us from across the water.
We shared out all the necessary equipment and supplies amongst our packs and pulkas (sledges). Those who skied ahead of us had the coal and fire wood and we were welcomed by a toasty warm fire.
Adam and I cooked up a large chilli to satisfy our growing bellies. It took much longer than we anticipated as we had to melt snow to produce drinking water, and you need a lot of snow to make a reasonable amount of water. Conversation in the candle-lit cabin was mostly about the possible confrontation of a polar bear.
Then in burst Professor Doug Benn and Dr Nick Hulton, armed not with rifles but whisky and a guitar. It was a brilliant night and, along with Dr Ian Rutt who walked with us to BjØrndalen, they performed this years ‘Svalbard song’ about the Svalbard zombies and permafrost graves, it was very surreal.
Last week’s excursion was breathtaking as we crossed the sea-ice where I saw my first calving glacier, Tunabreen. It was a long trip on the back of a skidoo in very bad conditions but was worth it.
The white, flat terrain was littered with seals laying lazily on the sea-ice with the odd one poking their head up from their holes. It was an incredible experience for me to be stood on the sea-ice in front of a Svalbard calving glacier, especially as I have been spending the latter part of my PhD studying calving fronts, with the help of my supervisor Dr Adrian Luckman and remote sensing radar images.
The final week of the course was taken by another Swansea University lecturer, Professor Tavi Murray, and focussed on surging glaciers and monitoring techniques.
We visited another calving glacier, Bakaninbreen which recently surged alongside Paulabreen. Tavi has spent a lot of time in this area studying these glaciers and along with all the science had many fascinating stories about her terrifying encounters with polar bears.
This week I have said goodbye to many course mates, as I prepare to head further north to conduct some research along with Tavi, Adam and Alessio from the Swansea Glaciology Group.
I have also managed to find time to explore a moraine cave in a nearby glacier. After digging out the recent snow, which had accumulated over the entrance, we squeezed our way in. Exploring the cave was amazing, it was much warmer than outside and with our torches off it was pitch black.
On the roof of the moraine cave we viewed some amazingly delicate ice crystal formations.
It is incredible how much difference the sun is having here. Each day I am surprised by how much extra daylight there is and how the landscape is changing.
I look forward to experiencing 24-hour daylight.
Damien Mansell, 23, from Exeter in Devon, joined the Glaciology Group at Swansea University’s School of Environment and Society, in October 2007. His PhD research project focuses on quantifying the loss of ice from Svalbard tidewater glaciers to form icebergs, known as calving. As a result of climate warming Svalbard is experiencing an increase in annual melt, and such mass balance indicators have the potential to better predict the impact of climate change on sea level rise. Fieldwork in the north of Svalbard’s largest island will help meet his research goals and provide an invaluable opportunity to experience the location of his ongoing research project.
]]>
Mountaineering here in the Arctic is a bit “extreme” and is quite different to what I have been used to in the Alps; you have to deal with a big problem - the cold. Here it is constant and, like a knife, it tends to penetrate through your skin and, at times, it can be painful.
Often, when you are at the top, you cannot properly enjoy the moment and the amazing views because the wind constantly reminds you that this human presence at the top of the Arctic mountains will soon be over.
This is the first time that I want to leave the top of the mountain as soon as possible, despite the fact that it is wonderful being on the peak, taking pictures and enjoying the fabulous sensation of being at the point where the earth and sky meet.
The emotion is undoubtedly strong, and when you get back home after a long trip in the cold, in the amazing Arctic wilderness, you feel strong, happy and tired.
I want to dedicate these pictures to my grandmother, Giovanna. She passed away last week after a good life in the mountains in the Italian Alps. I know now that she is looking down at me.
]]>
(Photograph of the James Clark Ross courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey.)
Their instructions normally come from a few geologists on the intercom "right a bit, left a bit, stop, no hang on, back a bit", quite a challenge in a ship of this size!
After two days sailing down the peninsula, suddenly, we see what we have all been anxiously waiting and looking for. Far off in the distance we can just make it out, our first iceberg. Numerous photos were taken of this distant lump of ice, but we would not have bothered if we knew what was to come in the next few days.
The following day I was up at 3am and had to go out on deck to help with the coring. When working on deck I wear several layers of clothing, although it still gets a little nippy if the wind picks up and it is overcast. As it happens we just managed to get the coring equipment in when another storm blew up.
It is official – I have my sea legs, thank goodness as the weather continued to deteriorate. This time we were sailing in the same direction as the swell. Huge waves began to pick the boat up and propel it forward on the crest. Occasionally waves would break right over the back onto the main deck.
It is quite amazing, the brain somehow adjusts to the continual movement of the ship and it automatically tilts the body to stay vertical. When I want to stand I automatically lean into things rather than against things as I would end up going head over heels across the floor when the ship suddenly rolls.
These rough conditions actually give me a buzz now. I am quite happy working in a lab using various power tools, taking accurate measurements of sediment cores, even making up thin section slides so that samples can be studied under the microscope.
All this I can now do even in stormy weather but the most popular (and least useful) activity during such conditions is darts in the bar – this is probably as dangerous as it sounds because the player has nothing to hold on to as the ship rolls and pitches and, needless to say, there are several stray darts.
Let's hope I don't get a dart in the back of the head!
From Wales to whales...
Each day as we sail further south we start to encounter more and more icebergs. They are magnificent, like giant cathedrals of ice, some hundreds of feet high which cluster together and look like mini mountain ranges. There are also numerous large tabular ice bergs, something for which Antarctica is famous.
We have also had a few snow showers. Even at 27 years old, when it begins to look like a winter wonderland, I still get as excited as I did when I was a small child. Except it is not winter, it is summer and even though the temperature hovers around zero this is "warm" for the coldest place on Earth.
After sailing for over a week we finally spot land for the first time.
It is also my first glimpse of Antarctica and is as spectacular as I had imagined.
The snowy peaks we can see in the distance are Cape Vostok on Alexander Island. It is strange looking at mountains that no human has ever summated and it reminds me of just how remote this continent really is.
The next day we encounter our first sea ice, it was incredibly thick at first which worried us slightly as we still want to get much further south.
I love going out on deck and watching the ship ploughing through chunky sea ice, some of which is more than a meter thick.
When the ship is going through ice it is like being in an aeroplane in slight turbulence, there are occasional shudders and jerks as we hit big bits of ice and sometimes the ship is almost stopped in its tracks. The ship is actually specially designed so that roll is artificially induced to break the ice.
As we continued sailing one afternoon the bridge phoned to say that whales had been spotted on the port side. We all ran out onto deck, cameras in hand, and there all around us were minke whales swimming right next to the ship.
There were about eight of them and they surfaced every now and then blowing spouts of water and would breach on their backs. They stayed with us for over an hour and we felt truly honoured to have witnessed them here in the Amundsen Sea.
Even the members of crew who have been to this part of the world several times had never seen this before. I was convinced that they were attracted by our seismic equipment that was sending out pings at various frequencies.
As well as the whales we have already seen numerous penguins and seals that always appear rather unperturbed at a large red ship crashing through their neighbourhood.
Soon there will not be much time for observing the wildlife as we approach Pine Island Bay, an area of great recent interest as it appears to be undergoing the most rapid changes on the Antarctic continent.
Previous BAS cruises have tried and failed to gain access to this area because of sea ice conditions; if we manage to get in during the next few days we will be the first British ship to do so.
We are all crossing our fingers!
]]>
I arrived in Svalbard just in time for last week's excursion. It was pretty spectacular, and a good chance for me to get to know the group a bit before we began teaching yesterday. Everyone was terribly excited when we saw the sun, in some cases for the first time in three months. I'm not sure I'd cope very well with that!
The descent from the first pass, down the Bergmeisterbreen glacier, was stunning, and then we travelled along Reindalen, one of the many beautiful broad valleys that cut across Spitsbergen.
On Thursday, I had my chance to go on the UNIS Safety Course with some of the resident UNIS staff and postgraduates.
Because my research is focused on computer modelling of ice sheets and climate, I usually don't visit the Arctic, except when I come to UNIS. So, I need the safety training just like the students do.
Svalbard has many hazards – crevasses on glaciers, fragile sea ice, and the risk of avalanches – but I think the threat from polar bears is the one that exercises the imagination the most.
The chances of encountering a bear are small, but it's essential to be prepared, because, if you do meet one, escaping may not be an option. If a bear attacks, a rifle is the only effective defence.
So, the main practical part of the safety course is about using firearms, and we headed up the hill above the airport to have some hands-on experience. The shooting range was very cold, with a bitter wind, so I was glad when we were done.
I can't say I really feel happy handling firearms, but at least I know how to use a rifle safely, should the need arise. Of course, we all hope it won't be necessary. It's reassuring to know that the UNIS logistics staff who travel with us on excursions are experienced in all aspects of Arctic safety, including shooting.
Since then, Nick and I have been working hard, putting the finishing touches to the week's lectures and practicals, updating things from last year, and generally making sure everything goes smoothly.
We take a break from teaching tomorrow to go with the students on a trip to the Von Post Breen glacier. I'm looking forward to it!
Dr Ian Rutt is a Lecturer in Glaciology in Swansea University’s School of the Environment and Society. He is teaching parts of the glaciology course in Svalbard, alongside other specialists from Alaska, Edinburgh, and Norway.
]]>
I started the trip in the bandwagon as everyone seemed pretty keen to ride in the sledges. I didn't think this would last so I had taken a lot of clothes with me for when I was on the sledge.
We got to the bottom of Drømbreen and stopped to have a chat about what we could see. It was pretty eye-opening for me. Any other time I spent in this kind of environment the only questions I had asked were “can I ski down it?” and “how am I going to get up it?”
Now looking around at all these massive features and finding out about how they were formed gave me a new way of looking at the environment.
At another place when we stopped we could get a real idea of how much these things are accelerating up the valley. Standing next to where the glacier was 100 years ago and looking at where its extent is now is pretty scary.
Anyway, the biggest excitement of the day was at the top of Drømbreen. I was back in the bandwagon (I spent a lot of time in the bandwagon this day, so much some people suggested I could be its mascot)with some people who had been in Svalbard from the beginning of January.
They hadn't seen the sun since then and when were coming to the top of the climb and could see the sky getting brighter and brighter they were getting more and more excited.
By the time we cleared the top and the bandwagon came to a stop, the sun was high in the sky and they couldn't wait to get out. It was like being transported back to Paganism with some serious sun worship going on by those who hadn't seen it for so long. Even for us, it had been about two weeks since we had seen the sun properly and it was good to see it at last.
It will still be 11 days before we regularly see the sun without having to climb to the top of a hill around here.
So close and yet so far...
Another day (24/02/08) and another little tour up another nearby glacier called Lasbreen. This has two peaks, Lars Hiertafjellet and Trollsteinen, which are around 860m high. There is another hope for this trip, which for anywhere would seem a bit weird: there is a chance we might actually see the sun.
We have only been here about two weeks and it is getting brighter every day, but the sun still will not make it above the horizon until about 8th March, because of all the mountains around here. To be able to get high enough to see the sun is actually really exciting. Two weeks is not time at all, but still after two weeks of nothing more than twilight, it would be fantastic to get up and see the sun.
The other great thing about Larsbreen is that there are no snow scooters. It is quite a lot steeper than the other places we have been, which probably makes it a bit riskier for avalanches (only a little bit) but means the scooters have more trouble getting up and so people don't really bother so much. This is fantastic when you are skiing.
Scooters are great fun when you are on them and necessary for any larger expedition, but when they come past you and you are on skis they are smelly, intimidating, noisy things.
To be able to get most of the way up a glacier and stop and just listen to the silence is one of the reasons you come out here. Living in cities, it is hard to appreciate just what silence is like with all the noise around, but half-way up a reasonable peak, knowing you are one of only a few people for a long way, the silence is incredible.
Anyway, we went straight up Lars Hiertafjellet, which is nearly 900m straight up to see if we could catch the sun. It was a little bit overcast so we weren't too sure if we would actually see anything.
When we got up, we were just out of luck, and could see the bottom of the sun just peeking from the clouds. By the time we had eaten lunch and had some tea, it was still hidden by clouds. All this way and still no sun.
We decided to travel across the ridge and head to the other peak, which was Trollsteinen. The walk around the ridge was pretty uneventful and we lost sight of the sun completely. When we were approaching the peak, which has an amazing rock feature balanced on top, we came face to face with a reindeer.
I have no idea what it was doing up there. There is nothing but a huge rock covered in ice and some skiers! It was pretty bold and didn't make a move until we were about five meters away, when it wandered down what to my eyes was an almost sheer cliff face. They are incredible things.
We made our way around the giant rock feature at the top (it is a bit out of place, just a huge boulder sat on top of a narrow ridge) and put out skis back on for the way down from the ridge on the other side.
The way down was an amazing, if short, powder field. We made it down in about half an hour after what had been about half a day's worth of climbing.
Dean Wood, 29, is a Masters student in Computer Modelling in the School of Engineering at Swansea University. Having previously studied theoretical physics and gained some experience computer modelling, he is working as part of a multidisciplinary project to model the effect tides have on the dynamics of Antarctic ice streams. ]]>
Professor Doug Benn led the lectures this week on glacier dynamics, basically the physics behind the forces which restrain/cause glaciers to be in motion. The lectures were invaluable and most interesting.
Our weekly excursion was of epic proportion.
Utilising the bandwagon and sledge towing skidoos we explored the surrounding environment of Adventdalen, stopping regularly for lectures on surging glaciers and glacier hydrology.
I had the responsibility and good fortune to drive a skidoo again this week. The thick powdery snow on steep upslope sections meant the skidoos often got stuck and digging the snow-scooters out of the snow was not a rare occurrence.
With an empty sledge and full throttle on the high powered skidoo I raced over the top of Dronbreen. Driving fast was essential to get up the glacier without spinning into the snow. The view from the top was staggering.
We saw the Arctic sun for the first time. From the top of the glacier we looked across the expansive snow covered landscape lit pink from the sunbeams skimming the surface.
Even as we come closer to the end of the winter season the sun does not hang in the sky at all long. It disappeared as quickly as it came up, leaving behind a sky stained pink and red from the refracting light creeping over the horizon.
The bandwagon again proved what an immense bit of engineering it is. Conquering everything we challenged it with and providing a safe back-up for those who got too cold on the skidoos. This was indeed everyone, but luckily not all at the same time as it would have been a very tight squash cramming everyone inside.
As the magenta coloured sky faded to darkness we were treated to another viewing of the Aurora Borealis. Sakrofagen provided the backdrop for the green and purple trails to pour behind.
With no moon, the display was much brighter than before and the stars seemed to twinkle all the harder, competing with the aurora to light the arctic night sky.
As we are so far north here, Polar-orbiting satellites are frequently spotted just to add to the beautiful chaos above our heads.
With still lots to explore the decision of what to do at the weekend was difficult. I, Adam and our new Italian glaciology friend Francisco hiked across the fjord to the mountain north of Longearbyen. By no means did we get to the peak.
The steep snow and ice covered ridges meant we never considered it a realistic aim. We did however get a fair way up and ascended enough to produce another amazing, but different perspective of Longyearbyen.
Once out of the town we were blessed by having the sun on our faces, which no longer hid behind the mountains lining the perimeter of Longyearbyen. Crossing the sea-ice was a fantastic experience. Many sea-ice features lay in our path as well as the odd footprint of reindeer and Arctic foxes who must have crossed the fjord that morning.
We have definitely experienced our coldest days yet this week. With air temperatures below minus 26 degrees and taking into account wind-chill, temperatures below minus 43 degrees have been recorded.
Once wrapped up in all our Arctic gear, it is bearable but the cold crisp arctic air filling your lungs for the first time of the day literally takes your breath away.
Next weekend the sun will shine on Longyearbyen for the first time since October and the Arctic spring will be on its way.
Damien Mansell, 23, from Exeter in Devon, joined the Glaciology Group at Swansea University’s School of Environment and Society, in October 2007. His PhD research project focuses on quantifying the loss of ice from Svalbard tidewater glaciers to form icebergs, known as calving. As a result of climate warming Svalbard is experiencing an increase in annual melt, and such mass balance indicators have the potential to better predict the impact of climate change on sea level rise. Fieldwork in the north of Svalbard’s largest island will help meet his research goals and provide an invaluable opportunity to experience the location of his ongoing research project.
]]>
The sun hangs low in the sky, just clearing the surrounding mountaintops, but it is a sunrise nonetheless and it’s glorious. Anyone would think we had never seen a sunrise before – and certainly that we had gone without one for longer than two weeks.
I’ve included a photo – I don’t think my camera really does it justice, but I could hardly leave it out! Notice there’s a small rainbow there too, just to the left-of-centre, and you can also see how the wind roars over the pass from the powder that is being whipped up from the snow.
As if the sunrise wasn’t enough, the sky remained clear such that later in the day, we were also treated to an awesome sunset. After crossing Bergmesterbreen, we entered the Reindalen Valley – where, incidentally, we see lots of wild reindeer (I’d say that they were grazing, but it didn’t look like there was much in the snow for them to be grazing on, so I won’t speculate further!)
We headed west through Reindalen as the sun sets behind a mountain…
The photo shows the bandwagon, headed straight into the sunset. The photo is a little blurry because I’m seated on a snowmobile sledge… either it’s a bumpy ride, or my hand is shivering because it gets seriously cold on those sledges!
The colours in the sky look fantastic though, the shining horizon gradually giving way to a deep, cold purple. I’m glad for a final stint in the warm bandwagon, as the sky darkens again and the wind picks up.
And as if the sunset wasn’t enough, we also got another northern light-show this evening!
Not as intense as the previous occasion, but spectacular nonetheless. The lights take a different form to before, this time forming a curtain over Larsbreen, a glacier immediately south of our barracks in Nybyen.
My little camera certainly isn’t up to this, so I’ll leave pictures to my fellow bloggers Nick and Damien!
Admittedly, it was never pitch-black when we arrived in Svalbard, but it really surprises me how much a short spell in the Polar night makes you appreciate a simple sunrise. I’m really looking forward to seeing our own valley lit in the same way as today.
Adam Booth, 26, from Stoke-on-Trent, is a geophysicist, currently in the final stages of his PhD project. He obtained a BSc in Geophysical Sciences and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds and, although his project is based at Leeds, he recently joined the Swansea Glaciology Group in the School of Environment and Society. Adam's research involves obtaining images of structures in the subsurface of the Earth, using a technique called ground penetrating radar (GPR). Currently, he focuses on imaging archaeological targets, buried at shallow depths in the ground. He is attending the UNIS course in Longyearbyen to gain a firm foundation in glaciological processes; following this, he is undertaking GPR fieldwork at Ny Ålesund as part of a study of Midtre Lovenbreen glacier.
]]>
The course is great. We’ve been looking at the mass balance of the glaciers, which in lay terms means the balance between how much a glacier expands in terms of snow and how much it loses in terms of water.
Last week, we went up to Scott Turnerbreen, a nice valley glacier roughly 20km south west from the town. Our work there was to measure the amount of snow on the glacier, but we also went “inside” the glacier, into an ice cave.
I drove the snow scooter to Scott Turnerbreen, which had a sledge attached carrying five other course mates. That was a really hard job, because in the last week a lot of snow has fallen here in Svalbard and we sunk into the snow three times, especially when going uphill.
When the snow scooter gets stuck you have to dig the snow off, remove the sledge, dig the snow off again between the sledge and the snow scooter and then re-attach the sledge.
It’s fine if this happens once, but after the third time – believe me – it became frustrating! Anyway, I’m glad because now I’m an expert at removing a stuck snow scooter with an attached sledge from deep snow. This will be useful in the future I’m sure!
]]>