Today we’re back to the expected, cold, blustery, and snowing weather; it feels like -13F with the 57mph winds. However, yesterday evening we had calm winds and clear skies, so after another CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth., the UAV team got in a couple more drone flights.

    The crew moved the ship right up against the sea ice so the UAVs could get good images for later data collection. Aerial sea ice

    However, it was such a nice day, they sent the UAVs up almost 4,000 feet to get some awesome shots too!

    Aerial of ship

    Aerial of ship

    https://www.facebook.com/1392901317615113/videos/vb.1392901317615113/1595818777323365/?type=2&theater

    Just a Reminder

    Don’t forget to register for our upcoming PolarConnect Webinar on April 18th, 2015at 1pm Pacific DST [12pm Alaska DST; 2pm Mountain DST; 3pm Central DST; 4pm Easter DST]! http://www.polartrec.com/polar-connect/register

    It’s a free online event where Chief Scientist, Frank, and I will be talking about the research we’ve been doing and what life is like on the ship in Antarctica. Then we’ll open the talk up to answer your questions live. We hope you can join us!

    Date
    Weather Summary
    Cold, windy, and snowing
    Temperature
    20 F
    Wind Speed
    57 mph
    Wind Chill
    -13 F

    Comments

    Kiersten Darrow

    These shots are amazing. Do you spend time on the deck? What does it sound like there? Can you hear over the wind?

    Peggy McNeal

    Wow, great pictures! They look like magnified crystals. I enjoyed the video. What kind of birds are in the video?

    Dominique Richardson

    Hi Peggy! I saw a really interesting cloud phenomenon out here and thought of you the other day! I couldn't get any photos though... The
    white birds in the video are lesser and greater snow petrels. We also
    have Antarctic petrels and southern giant petrels constantly around the
    ship too, though I'm not sure if they're in the video.

    Dominique Richardson

    Hi Kiersten! I try and get outside on the deck at least once a day. The sound on the deck generally depends on the weather and what we're doing.
    When we're in calm weather, it's very peaceful and I can hear the water
    lapping at the ship and the surrounding ice. Sometimes I can hear the
    ice crunch against surrounding pieces as it floats on the swell. When
    we're transiting through thick ice, its hard to hear much over the sound
    of ice scraping on the ship. When the wind is up, I can hear the wind,
    but usually have my hood and just just hear the rustling of my own
    clothes as I brace against the snow and wind. The ship has all sorts of
    interesting sounds that let you know whats going on constantly. Each
    piece of equipment makes its own unique noise so you can tell what
    operations are occurring without actually having to see anything. I can
    even tell what depth of water we're in by differing background sounds of
    the pinging bathymeter.