http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/ Swansea University students in the Arctic and Antarctic en Copyright 2008 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:02:27 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The last part of our cruise is a trip to Rothera on Adelaide Island – the main British base in Antarctica. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/04/skiing_in_rothera_antarctica.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/04/skiing_in_rothera_antarctica.html Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:02:27 +0000 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. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/04/banana_cores_at_the_polar_front.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/04/banana_cores_at_the_polar_front.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:12:44 +0000 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. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/ive_always_thought_sunbathing_is_over-rated.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/ive_always_thought_sunbathing_is_over-rated.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:33:42 +0000 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 glacier). ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/hunting_the_great_white_fright_.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/hunting_the_great_white_fright_.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:11:44 +0000 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. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/solfestuka_the_return_of_the_sun.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/solfestuka_the_return_of_the_sun.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:29:27 +0000 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. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/a_trip_to_the_weak_underbelly_of_the_west_antarctic_ice_sheet.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/a_trip_to_the_weak_underbelly_of_the_west_antarctic_ice_sheet.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:39:24 +0000 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.]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/saying_goodbye_to_the_cold_white_beautiful_arctic.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/saying_goodbye_to_the_cold_white_beautiful_arctic.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:49:20 +0000 After three days crossing the Drake Passage in a storm, we finally make it to the Antarctic Peninsula. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/icebergs_and_from_wales_to_wha.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/icebergs_and_from_wales_to_wha.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:36:55 +0000 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.]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/teaching_in_the_arctic.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/teaching_in_the_arctic.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:58:48 +0000 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. ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/here_comes_the_sun.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/here_comes_the_sun.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:59:11 +0000 ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/arctic_spring_is_on_its_way.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/03/arctic_spring_is_on_its_way.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:36:49 +0000 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.]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/longyearbyen_and_how_to_dress_for_the_arctic_winter.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/longyearbyen_and_how_to_dress_for_the_arctic_winter.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:19:33 +0000 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…]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/an_epic_day.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/an_epic_day.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:02:26 +0000 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.]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/feeling_rough_in_the_drake_passage.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/feeling_rough_in_the_drake_passage.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:06:00 +0000 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! ]]> http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/snow_scooter_challenge.html http://poletopole.welshblogs.co.uk/2008/02/snow_scooter_challenge.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:06:22 +0000