It's Cold in Antarctica...

Last night we arrived at the Ross Ice Shelf, a towering line of ice which spans the southern Ross Sea and rises 70 or so feet above the water. The air temperature here was the coldest it has been, -13.5°C, a direct consequence of our proximity to the shelf, and the very cold continental winds that blow over it. Once we arrived at the shelf, we deployed the zodiac to collect water and ran plankton nets to identify the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities here.

Unfortunately, what would have been a memorable zodiac ride near the ice shelf was ruined by a thick bank of fog which rolled in just as we were getting ready to depart. That did not stop us though from enjoying the strange entertainment such cold weather provides. For example, we all laughed at the expense of our zodiac captain whose eyelashes were dotted with snow crystals, and at the passenger who made the mistake of going out with wet hair and returning with it frozen solid. The air temperature was so cold, that the seawater in our carboy began to freeze immediately when we scooped up just enough to give the carboy a rinse before taking our
water sample. Another strange, but wonderful phenomenon was the experience of perfectly-shaped snowflakes which fell and landed in perfect geometric patterns (see picture).

Summer is ending here in Antarctica and the sun is dipping lower and lower in the horizon each night. Although the sun will not set here for another 2 weeks, the changes in the sun’s pattern here, creates vivid “sunset-like”colors in the sky each night, with awe-inspiring results.

Today marks two weeks until our return to McMurdo and the end of the second, and final, leg of our cruise (the geologists will stay on for another leg before the ship returns toLyttleton, New Zealand). Our flight from McMurdo is reportedly the last flight of the season. Rumor has it that we land in New Zealand at night and so in the dark, which will be a very strange experience for us, indeed.