Shirley Island and Tot-Cal

Well the past couple of days has seen the wind start to increase up to about 40-50 knots (75-90KPH), with some blowing snow and the odd light snow fall. This has meant that the aircraft have been unable to fly, and as a result we have been working what would be considered a 'normal' working day, and finishing up usually by dinner time. This has also meant that after dinner (and with sunlight well into the night), groups have been able to head out for a hike, or do some cross country skiing. Most groups have hiked over to Shirley Island.... taking advantage of the fact that the Sea Ice to Shirley Island is still intact.

Hiking out to Shirley Island

Working our way down to the Sea Ice

The Sea Ice out to Shirley Island is in a narrow stretch of water between the Island and the mainland, which means that it remains in place, and solid for some time after the rest of the Sea Ice has gone!

On Shirley Island there is a large colony of Adelie Penguins, also it is not uncommon to see Skua birds, Weddell Seals, and Leopard Seals.

Adelie Penguins

View from Shirley Island

Adelie Penguins

I mentioned in the previous blog entry, of some of the science work that is happening. In particular the work around the Law Dome area, The following is some information by Reed Burgette, from the University of Tasmania, explaining the Tot-Cal project and its relationship with the CyroSat 2 mission.

 

The second season of the Tot-Cal project is off to a good start, with our first far-field GPS site installed on the Vanderford Glacier with the Twin Otter aircraft only a week after we arrived at Casey.   This season our team consists of FTO Mick Stapleton and Jack Beardsley and I from University of Tasmania.  The initial component of our project involves installing a network of six stations with GPS and meteorological sensors around Law Dome and the Totten and Vanderford Glaciers. 

The Tot-Cal project contributes to the calibration and validation of the European Space Agency's Cryosat 2 satellite. The CryoSat-2 mission is designed to monitor changes in ice volume around the Earth. Casey is well positioned for this project, as the Totten Glacier (200 km southeast of the station) has one of the most rapid rates of ice loss in east Antarctica, as observed by previous satellites. We will use the data collected from the GPS sites we install, coupled with planned ground and aeriel surveying to ensure CryoSat's measurements of the east Antarctic ice sheet are as accurate as possible. Additionally, our project will contribute to better characterizing the rate of ice movement of the glaciers around the Casey area.

Jack Beardsley and Reed Burgette in the process of connecting the equipment for the GPS site on the Vanderford Glacier.  Photo: Dave Woplin

With the GPS site completed, we prepare to fly back to Casey in the Twin Otter.  The solar-powered equipment will be retrieved at the end of the summer season.  Photo: Jack Beardsley

2011 marks the centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, led in 1911 by Sir Douglas Mawson.

To coincide with the centenary celebrations, the Australian Antarctic Division is running a competition for school students in years 5 - 9, to write what they think Antarctica will be like in 2111. The competition runs between 14 - 25 November 2011. And the winning entries will be sealed in a time capsule at Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica until the bicentenary in 2111. Follow the Link.