Today we had another ice station on the "fast ice", and it took place at a very special location – The Bay Of Whales. The Bay of Whales holds an important place in Antarctica's history. In October of 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Admundsen left from the Bay of Whales on his expedition to be the first man to reach the South Pole. He was racing against Englishman Robert Scott, who left from Ross Island (where McMurdo station is located.) Amundsen reached the geographic South Pole first on December 14, 1911, 99 years ago! Scott reached the South Pole 33 days later, but tragically, he and 4 traveling companions died before they made it back to Ross Island.
The Ross Ice Shelf borders the fast ice at the Bay of Whales.
Amundsen chose the Bay of Whales because it was 100 km closer to the South Pole than Ross Island where Scott started. Amundsen also had the advantage of being an experienced skier and dog sledder and he was able to move effectively over the ice, while Scott tried ponies, motor sledges, and dogs to help move supplies, all of which were ineffective for him. Amundsen's base camp, called Framheim, built on the ice shelf at the Bay of Whales, has long since disappeared as pieces of the ice calved and floated out to sea. Two of Scott's Huts, Discovery Hut and Terra Nova Hut, built on exposed ground near the shore of Ross Island are still standing, well preserved in the cold, dry air of Antarctica. I hope to visit Discovery Hut when we are in McMurdo, as it is next to the science station. And what about Shackleton, who is well known for his amazing rescue of his men after their ship, the Endurance sank off Antarctica in 1915? He actually came within 180 km of the South Pole in 1909, 2 years before Amundsen, but had to turn back when supplies ran low. One of Shackleton's huts still stands at Cape Royds on Ross Island. The Bay of Whales is the closest place to the South Pole that a ship can go, and this was the farthest south the Oden has ever traveled! Can you find it on a map? 7838' South 16417.7' West
The Oden moored to the edge the fast ice at the Bay of Whales.
We also got a great view of the Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Ice Shelf covers about 200,000 sq. miles. The average ice thickness is 1200 feet. When pieces of the shelf break off, it makes the flat, tabular icebergs we have seen from the Oden. As pieces break off, new ice is always being added by inshore glaciers and snowfall. The Ross Ice Shelf was a huge obstacle for the early explorers to face as they moved inland toward the Pole.
The Ross Ice Shelf towers over the fast ice at the Bay of Whales.
Our Sea Ice team used the EM Profiler to measure the ice thickness from the edge of the fast ice all the way to the base of the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice was over 4 meters thick consistently across the fast ice. As we worked, we were the subject of photographs taken from the ship's helicopter. These photos give an idea about the size of the fast ice.
The Sea Ice Team - David Prado, Anne Marie Wotkyns, and Blake Weissling heading out to measure the fast ice thickness.
The Sea Ice team appears tiny on the vast ice.
The ship's helicopter also found many, many Weddell seals hauled out on the ice, next to a hole in the fast ice. The seals are molting now (shedding their old coats) and they spend much time rolling around and napping on the ice.
There were many seals gathered around a large ice hole.
The Ross Ice Shelf was amazing - a towering cliff of rough white ice. We could see where ice "slides" had occurred, sending massive chunks of ice larger than school buses crashing down to the base of the shelf. We stayed a safe distance away, as the edge of ice should always be considered unstable. On our walking transit out to the ice shelf, we saw several Weddell seals close up. They appeared completely unconcerned about our presence. Remember, Antarctica has no land predators, so the seals and penguins do not view people as threats.
We saw several Weddell seals hauled out on the ice.
The Adelie Penguins came to investigate us.
To finish the day, Blake and I brought out "the kids" - the paper doll "student scientists" that the students from Escuela Simon Bolivar from Veracruz, Mexico had sent along on our expedition. They all got their picture taken with Pascy the Penguin, while several real penguins looked on.
Pascy and some Jr. Scientists from Escuela Simon Bolivar.
The students from Escuela Simon Bolivar sent these kids along on our trip.
More Jr. Scientists from Veracruz, Mexico.
Our little friends from Escuela Simon Bolivar in Mexico.
Maybe one of these students, or one of the students reading this now, will follow in the footsteps of Shackleton, Scott, or Amundsen, and be the next great Antarctic explorer?
Anne Marie Wotkyns stands near the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.
Lesson Learned: Exploring the unexplored, whether at the bottom of the Earth, or in your own backyard, can be the adventure of a lifetime.