Robert E. Graf
Antarctica Expedition
November-December, 2008

 

Part of the mystery on an serious expedition like is not knowing when or if we will be able to get to an anticipated location. Such was the case on December 1. We had been moving through quite a bit of ice for several days. We had an opportunity to get into the Bay of Whales and see how far south we could go.

This view is behind us. The brown color is actually very healthy: algae and plankton which is food for the krill which is food for the whales and penguins. More on that later.

 

Hot chocolate was served at 0500 on the bow. There are no sunsets at this time of year, and it was reasonably warm (25 deg F). We rammed into the very thick (1.3 meter or 4 feet) a number of times with all six engines powering our 3 propellers. At around 0655 the captain declared we had gone far enough. We traveled about 300 meters in an hour and we had reached our farthest south for this trip. This is about 800 miles from the South Pole. We backed up and then started heading west along the Ross Ice Shelf.

The Ross Ice Shelf is an extension of the glaciers on the mainland continent. At the junction with the ocean it is about 400 miles wide and between 50 and 180 feet high above the water (in places nearly half the height of the Washington Monument) and 6 to 9 times that much under the water. The entire shelf is 4 times the surface area of Pennsylvania (25 % larger than California). Imagine, if you were able to build a wall 50-180 feet high from Cape May, NJ to Bar Harbor, ME. Cover it with white wash. Then fill it in on the back side back to about Columbus, OH. It is moving north towards the ocean at about 3 feet a day, dumping off icebergs from its face. The largest ever iceberg to break off was about the size of the state of Rhode Island in 2000. We are talking about a serious piece of ice.   

 

Emperor penguin on ice floe
While it may be interesting to cruise along the side of the ice shelf for a few days, we were more interested in actual walking on the surface. The ship has two helicopters (free rides), so we went in groups of 8 to spend some time on top. My group was one of the last to go, so I had lots of time to watch the others load up and go and return. The chopper takes a group about 5 miles ahead of the ship and drops them off, and then returns for another group. This group gets another 5 miles further as the ship keeps cruising forward in the open water at 15 kts. Then the chopper picks up the first group and brings them back to the ship to get the next group. There are about 16 groups and two helicopters, so it takes many hours to do this.

 

 

Those little yellow dots are people.

By early evening it is my turn...

 

 

Looking through the window as we head west, I can see the previous group. Look carefully to see the people out there. We are flying about 100 feet above the ice.

To the south there is nothing but ice for hundreds of miles...

 

 

 

This is Jonas, the expedition leader, and Danielle, who manages the excursions off the ship by helicopter and zodiac.

 

Our ship approaches and goes past us. The next ship will come in a month if the weather holds.

 

 

We cast long shadows on the ice...

 

Jonas points out that the line shown here may be a crack and we must not go beyond since it may calve an iceberg without warning. It is 100 feet or more into the cold ocean and that little red life vest may not be enough ....

 

Back in the air now. We wave goodbye to the others in our group.

 

 

We have a little time so we fly a bit further west and land again on the ice to just sit and watch and then fly along the edge back to the ship and a hearty meal.

 

Very few tourists have ever been able to walk on the Ross Ice Shelf. We are part of the elite!

 

Bob and Joyce Home