Week 3 — 12–19 December 200712 December 2007Saskia Brix, Senckenberg
Even more ice
My goodness, I have not seen this much ice in my whole life. The diffuse light blurrs the horizon, and without sunglasses I would indeed go blind. While Polarstern is working her way through the ice toward Neumayer station, the Dutch scientists are flying daily transects off the ship to survey the ice. Besides the pilot, two members of the Dutch team are sitting in the helicopter, and each day they are taking along a guest investigator to count and survey animals. I was lucky to be the first to fly because by chance my name ended up on top of the list of helicopter guests.
During the two-hour flight waypoints were marked, and then animals are censused in relation to hight and speed of the helicopter. There are groups of Adelie penguins on the ice now and then, and once in a while there is an Emperor penguin. To see a whale seems to be the great exception these days, but we do see several crabeater seals taking some time out on one of the countless ice floes. In any case, such a flight is a special experience for any ‘guest’. The Dutch team shows experience and well-trained eyes, and I am involved with all my senses. When approaching the small dot turning out to be Polarstern I have the feeling that we just took off a minute ago. The closer the helicopter gets, the more impressive the ship looks. The pilot lands the helicopter with quiet routine so that I clamber out back on deck all full of excitement.
13 December 2007Myriam Schuller, Ruhr-University of Bochum
Today is the fifth day since we have started to fight our way through the sea ice. Last night our average speed was about 6.2 kts, and slowly but surely we are approaching Neumayer station. The happy expectation among us is tangible, as the hour comes near with our arrival in which we may leave the ship and have a go at the ice. Fifty-three biologists, oceanographers, geologists, chemists and meteorologists are being let loose in the pristine world of ice. And the thicker the ice becomes and the more powerful the ramming of the ship against it, the heavier the intermittent snowfall, und the more frequent the sightings of crabeater seals (a seal species living here) and Emperor penguins, the more the right index finger is tingling above the shutter switch of the cameras.
Of course we can not just climb off the ship and walk about on the ice. For one thing, the Antarctic presents some danger to people, and, even more importantly, we are have a great responsibility for the wilderness around us. Two days ago we were given an extensive presentation by the ship’s doctor on dangers in the ice. We were informed, warned and made aware of everything ranging from sunburn, snow blindness, frostbite, loss of orientation to suddenly opening cracks and crevaces in the ice and unexpected bad weather. Hopefully now we know all the rules that secure our survival on land.
However, all this information still does not allow us to leave the ship. Germany, along with many other countries, is a signatory of international legislation for the protection of Antarctica, including the waters south of 60°S. Yesterday we were advised how to dispose of garbage, how close we may get to animals, not to introduce any animals or plants, not to touch the rare plants and animals on land, and much more. Especially the protection of flora and fauna in the cold climate of Antarctica is very important because the physiological processes are slowed down by low temperatures, resulting in slow growth as well as slow recovery after injuries or exhaustion.
Now hopefully we are really prepared. I can’t wait to step on an ice floe — I wonder if it will rock under my feet. Probably not... In any case, I will warm up my photographing finger very well over night and think about the position of the shutter switch. Then everything will be all set for tomorrow for the first penguin waddling across my path (at least 5 m away, of course).
14 December 2007Lydia Kramer, Senckenberg
Snow, ice and penguins
What an unreal day. In the morning probably nobody would have thought that the day might have such a spectacular end. Since yesterday we were just going back and forth in the same spot and not going anywhere all day long. It was not clear at all when we would reach the shelf ice edge to supply Neumayer station with vegetables, fruit and other things. Until 2 o’clock in the afternoon I was minding my own business, working away, and then looking out the window just by chance: lots of white, but there were a few little black dots. Penguins? Yes! Not just one but lots of them!!! In a single file they slid on their bellies over the ice. At once work was abandoned and I rushed to the work deck equipped with my camera. Amazing!!
We were no longer stuck but had rammed the ship into the ice on purpose to start the supply of Neumayer station from here by helicopters and skidoos. On the starbord side the gangway was put down, and the ice was tested for stability. When the flags showing us the safe passage onto the ice were pushed into the snow we could finally go on the long awaited sea ice exploration. In no time numerous scientists dressed in AWI red could be seen on white background. It was a truly fantastic moment!
On the port side penguins were still passing us on their way southward, and so at first the most popular motive for the photographers was Polarstern. Only a few minutes later the first penguins came towards us from a far-away table icebeg. A wall of cameras evolved spontaneously, trying to document each single step. And the models were not shy by any means. In a routinely manner a particularly beautiful bird posed just 3 m away, patiently waiting until everybody had shot their photo. Just who was observing whom was not really obvious. And this was not the only opportunity to come into close contact with the hallmark of the Antarctic. More and more often there were mutual examinations taken with great interest, considerably minimizing the official safety distance of 15 m. Many unique still photo and and video images were generated in the following 2 hours. A bit red-nosed, but exhilarated everybody left the ice, beckoning the call of the inner clock to the dinner table, eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s day trip to Neumayer station.
15 December 2007Daniela Ewe, Alred-Wegener-Institute
‘Overwhelming!’ — yes, that is the best way do describe it. Today was by far the most overwhelming day of our journey, as we went to Neumayer station. I knew that the first helicopter shuttle flights were scheduled for 9 o’clock and that probably everybody wanted to take off at the same time. There are only 4 seats on a helicopter, so I planned to fly around 11 o’clock, thinking that the first rush would be over and surely nobody wanted to go right before lunch, right? However, by 10 o’clock there was nothing that could have held me on the ship, I just wanted to go. During breakfast I had read the brochures on ‘Neumayer III’ and the ‘Library in the Ice’, then filled my water bottle, made a sandwich for lunch, put sun screen on, inserted the charged batteries into the camera, put on glasses, hat and gloves, and then off I went.
There was still a queue of impatiently waiting people in front of the ship since everybody wanted to get going. During the 45 minutes of waiting we commented on the offloading activities, took pictures of the ship, the piston bullies and penguins, and quickly made a photograph of the approaching helicopter before we were told: please get in, fasten your seat belt and put the earphones on.
The flight was only about 5 minutes long, and then... well, what then. The station consists of two main tubes under the ice, above I only saw a few shafts and containers. ‘So where is the entrance?’ I asked and was pointed toward an open trap door which turned out to be an entrance to the garage. We went down a long slope which ended in a dark hole. Only on the way down did we realize that there were lights on, and it wasn’t dark at all- but it sure was cold. Up on the ice the sun had so much power that we did not even think about freezing — but down here...
The artificial light was pleasing to the eyes, and before long we were in the midst of the Neumayer station. Everything went on so fast. The guided tour had begun without me even noticing it. We went through a shop with a wooden floor, through a thick metal door leading into a long hallway, with doors to the private quarters on the left side and a long row of hooks for the red overalls. The order of everything else I cannot remember, but we passed laboratories, a kitchen and a comfortable looking living and dining room, and on we went, past bathrooms, an operating room, a store for ligh bulbs etc. Working and common rooms were furnished very comfortable and personal, we saw Advent calendars, candles, a huge stuffed elephant and friendly overwinterers. My impression was that it was not only me who was curious, but also the ‘Neumayerians’, and nice conversations came up, a deliverer for a package was sought and found, and even the obviously long-lasting problem of a missing stamp could be solved.
After lunch I seized the opportunity to go for a walk on the ice. It was pretty challenging, and after a few minutes I was so warm that gloves became superfluous. The green container with the library is really there, and being a German institution, all the books were stamped to mark them as property of the library in the ice. At the end of my walk I found myself all of a sudden in front of a yellow telephone booth with an antenna on the roof. This sight was more than unexpected, and at the same time suggested that we were not all that far away from home. On the other hand one becomes very aware of the quietness of Antarctica. As soon as one stops and the crunching of the snow below one’s feet is silenced, one experiences an unbelievably comforting and overwhelming stillness. Yes, overwhelming — that is the best way to describe it.
16 December 2007Martin Frob, Electronics Technician onboard Polarstern
3rd Sunday in Advent
The offloading on sea ice of Polarstern in 2007 is history. With full power Polarstern rammed herself into the relatively homogeneous sea ice of Atka Bay and then delivered equipment for the Neumayer station onto the ice. Sleigh trains pulled by piston bullies have carried the freight containers over 10 km of sea ice to the shelf ice edge. Only fuel can not be delivered this way. The full tank containers on sleds would be too heavy and could be lost. All participants on board had an opportunity to visit the station via helicopter shuttle flights. I stayed on board, let my colleagues deliver packages and instead took care of the ‘old overwinterers’ during a tour of the ship. They are almost at the end of their overwintering, but they know Polarstern only from short visits or courses, like the meteorologist Claudia to whom I explained the sensors for the ship’s weather map a long time ago. Now we are talking shop again, but with the experience of a year of autarc work in the Antarctic.
The packice is towering some 10 meters above the water on the shear ridge between fast ice in front of the shelf ice edge and the freely floating ice. Even the ‘old ones’ grabbed their cameras! What forces must have moved these ice masses! Only an iceberg of considerable size can have ledft this behind. But no matter what, if you want to get to the shelf ice edge, this is where you have to go across. No helpful storm from the south is in sight. Swell can not be expected either, due to the large extent of sea ice to the north this year which dampens any energy and steady movement that might help to break the compact ice into floes. What is needed here is not only the strength of an icebreaker, but also the knowledge and experience of people, the captain, his nautical officers and the crew. The Polarstern will live up to her task just like in the past 25 years, I am sure of that.
17 December 2007Eugen Muller, DWD
The well-known saying ‘weather happens all the time and everywhere’ is valid also on board Polarstern. While the scientists had a break during the last few days which were devoted to the supply of Neumayer station, it was ‘business as usual’ for me as the shipboard meteorologist. The weather station on board is always running normally, regardless whether the task is transit, science work on station or supply. Our responsibilities include weather observations and radio sonde surveys (with weather balloons) as well as forecast and advice. Especially in a region like the Antarctic weather plays a key role in both scientific work and logistic tasks. The shipboard weather station works very much like a weather service on land. Surveys are the base of all forecasts. There is a complete weather station on Polarstern, which measures standard parameters such as temperature, wind, humidity and barometric pressure. Satellite images are received with a dedicated antenna. In addition, we get weather survey data from nearby research stations, ships and buoys for analysis, but there are only a few. With all these data I get a good idea of the actual weather situation, and the development of the next few hours can be estimated. To make a forecast for the next three days, we rely on numeric models.
A great variety of scientific gear is run off Polarstern, and most can not be deployed in heavy seas or a lot of ice. Therefore the weather forecasts (including sea state and ice conditions) are an integral part of the daily planning of station work. Forecasts of wind and sea state help the bridge with planning the cruise track. For example, the strongest winds and the resulting waves of a passing storm system could be avoided by prolonging the time spent at the first station. Our two helicopter pilots receive special flying weather advice before each flight. In the following hours, relevant measures such as sight, ceiling, potential risk of overicing, and turbulences are forecast.
The shipboard weather service also has a long-term component. The ship has been up and running for 25 years now, resulting in a respectably long time series of meteorological measurements. These data help with analyses concerning possible changes of the climate in rather poorly documented areas.
And so my colleague Hartmut Sonnabend and I stand here in the shipboard weather station early every morning, no matter what happens to take place that moment- scientific work, logistics or just transit. For ‘weather takes place all the time and everywhere!’
18 December 2007Henri Robert, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences
The Rauschert Dredge, an ideal gear to sample benthic fauna
During ANTXXIV-2, 53 scientists are on board of RV Polarstern for the 2007-08 spring cruise to the Southern Ocean. Besides the scientific aim of this expedition, the first objective of this journey is to reach the German station Neumayer located on the edge of the continent to supply it with food, material and fuel after the long austral winter spent in isolation.
Most of the scientists on board are specialized in the study of marine life and every opportunity to see or sample what lives on the bottom of this ocean is taken very seriously in consideration. Luckily enough during the delicate task of providing fuel to the station, a few hours had to be spent in the vicinity of the ice shelf; this time was indeed needed for the people from Neumayer to reach our position. This was the perfect opportunity to use one of our sampling gear called ‘the Rauschert Dredge’ (named after Dr. Martin Rauschert who designed this device) and see what creatures we could catch on the sea floor, 500 meters below the icy surface of the water.
The Rauschert Dredge is a rather small and simple gear, composed of a symmetrical metal frame that can land on the bottom of the sea on either of its sides and be pulled at the end of a cable for one hundred meters or so. Behind this frame, two nets (an inner one of 0,5 mm mesh and an outer one of strong 10 mm mesh to protect the first one) are attached to collect the animals that live on the surface of the sediment. After being dragged at slow speed for about fifteen minutes on the bottom of the sea, it took about half an hour for the dredge to reach the surface and then the working deck of the ship. This gave us the time to get ready with the sieves of different sizes and different buckets to put the most obvious or fragile animals of the catch in a safe place.
In a normal sampling station this dredge does not get a lot of attention: many other gears bring a much bigger volume of material and therefore require many people to process it quickly on the working deck before the fine sorting of the catch is done in the laboratories. This time was different: since the work of the scientists was temporarily on stand-by while the fuelling activities were taking place, everybody was available and curious about what we could get in what Dr Rauschert himself calls the ‘Shopping bag’. Once on the working deck of the ship, the first thing that came out of the net was a 20 cm wide, intact and lively pycnogonid that attracted a lot of attention and enthusiasm from everyone around. Then the contents of the bag were carefully placed in a large bucket where larger and numerous holothurids, crinoids, ophiurids, asteroids and a few intact echinoids were collected.
When all these creatures were put aside in specific buckets, all the sediment that was left was sieved and many more amphipods, isopods, polychete , bibalves, cumaceans and many other creatures were collected and sorted carefully soon after in the laboratory.
The biodiversity of this area is known to be very high and this catch is another example of the high efficiency of this small and simple sampling gear perfectly adapted to collect macro-benthic organisms in good condition.
After this day and a few hours of sorting and identifying, everything was fixed and will be used by many scientists for numerous ecological studies, PhD theses and a more general understanding and knowledge of the Antarctic ecosystem.
19 December 2007Nils Brenke, Senckenberg
To be David Attenborough for a day
Hi, it’s me again, Nils. Here on Board of Polarstern I am responsible for the deep-sea camera, and when I am not busy taking pictures of the ocean floor, I film what is happening around me. And of course the most impressing thing one can film here on the ice is wild penguins. The small, funny Adélies and the nearly 1 m tall, very dignified Emperor penguins are en route to their brooding places.
Of course I have to film that. At first from a great distance. But I am not satisfied with the pictures. I want to make a good film.
The problem is that I can’t just walk up to a penguin to film him up close. The rules between penguins and people are clear and simple. We people may approach the animals to a distance of 15 meters, No further! The penguins, on the other hand, may come as close to us as they wish. Fair rules for both sides.
So I look for a good spot and wait for a curious penguin to come sliding over to me. On its belly! Penguins do not walk on the ice, they lie down on their bellies and push themselves forward with their feet. Kind of like bobsliding.
There is one. Sliding straight toward me, taking a turn about 30 meters away and disappearing. It doesn’t seem to be that easy to film penguins in the right light, from the right angle and from the right distance. OK, next try. I lie down in the snow and wait. Lying flat on the ice, I can hold the camera better and keep it straight, and it is a good perspective. Nothing happens for a while. Then a penguin appears, but not long enough for a good shot. I wait. A small Adelie approaches me. But after a short moment he turns away and slides off. I have to get up, walk around, get warm, lie down again. Over there I see another penguin. I take footage of him until he disappears out of my sight. I wait, but does not return.
Now it must be possible to get exposures like the real makers of documentaries, like David Attenborough. You know, big cinema.
I walk a little way toward the penguins. A small group is gliding toward me, I am impressed. I film the small group. I only need a few seconds, when... two orange red scientists walk across the picture. My colleagues stand right in the middle of the image, directly in front of my camera, smack in the middle... well, there is a lot going on here on the ice.
A particularly gorgeous Emperor penguin is standing a little distance away. Suppose he might come over this way? Wait and see. I have been lying here for 10 minutes already, 15 minutes — I am getting cold — 20 minutes. Well, that’s it. I am too cold and my leg is falling asleep. I turn the camera off, stretch myself, and the penguin lies down and takes off. I can not believe it. I throw myself down, camera on, penguin gone. And this goes on and on.
Only hours later I succeed in getting some really nice footage of an Adélie which has no fear of people and is very curious and comes as close as about 3 meters. Great shots. Thanks little penguin.
And my respect to all the camera-women and –men who wait patiently for hours without losing hope for nice nature documentaries.
Previous week — Week 2
Next week — Week 4
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