The morning of departure

There are a lot of unwritten laws in nature and in experimental science. After the one that sais 'what can go wrong, will go wrong' there is the one that sais 'and the probabability that it will happen always is higher towards the end'. We discovered a problem in the newly installed sensor of the eddy covariance of course on our last trip to the station on the glacier before my departure. It meant we had to take it down again, and also of course there was a snow storm the next day which made it impossible for us to leave the station. So in order to take the sensor down again and bring it back from Antarctica for repair purposes, we left early in the morning of my departure day counting on that the helicopter wasn't going to arrive before 9am. Thanks to the excellent support of Campbell Scientific, we had everything prepared so that setting up our exchange sensor for the interim time. We made good time in a beautiful morning setting of light on the glacier and the Potter cove. 

Be back soon!!! 

Work and life

Working in such a fascinating environment is a pleasure despite the harsh conditions, like the cold and the strong winds that can blow you off your feet, but also the isolation of the place and the contraints of moving space. 

So whenever the weather and work permits, it is of course a pleasure but also necessary to go out and enjoy!

A walk on the ice

In early October, the divers and the overwintering scientist Damián at the Carlini base made an excursion onto the sea ice near the glacier calving front of the Fourcade glacier. This seemed a perfect opportunity to take some GPS points of the glacier front to use for referencing satellite image data. In the summer campaign 2010/2011, Hilke had done measurements of the front to quantify calving processes. Just from comparing the visual impression with memory, it was impressive how much

the glacier calving front had collapsed! The divers had already reported the appearance of three new islands in the early winter of 2012.  

The colors of the ice are nevertheless really beautiful in their different shades of blue and white. Before the background of the Tres Hermanos, the Three-Brother hill, the red housings of Carlini station give a nice spot of color in these beautiful landscape.