Written January 10, 2008 Position: , 3350 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 27 to - 32 °C For the first time in weeks, strong winds and blowing snow were with us all day. In these cold, dry snow conditions, it takes a wind speed of approximately 5 m/s (10 miles per hour) for the snow to start being transported by the wind. As the snow particles bounce and roll along the surface they are exposed to the dry air above and continually sublimate (go from solid ice to vapor) as they move along with the wind. The snow particles can be blown about 3 km (2 miles) before they sublimate/disappear completely. ...

9 Jan 2008 3425 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 26 to - 38 °C Lighter loads, good snow conditions and driving down hill over the last days combined with no technical problems led us to hope that we had left the differential breakdowns behind. But, that was not the case. This afternoon, the rear differential on Chinook broke down for the third time. The replacement started immediately – Kjetil and Einar went out in the cold winds of Antarctica to get us back on the road again as soon as possible. - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Unfortunately, this is how our sled...

8 Jan 2008 3463 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 24 to - 37 °C We are at about one fourth of the distance between the Pole of Inaccessibility and the South Pole. Here a short science stop was planned and the ice core drillings (totally 40 meters) and snow pit studies were accomplished in a very efficient manner. We are quite well “drilled” by now! In the evening, we watched a movie (again). We can not complain about the facilities – they are of a very high standard and appreciated by everyone. - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Our living/kitchen module – the ...

Expedition Diary January 7, 2008 3500 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 24 to - 35 °C Never a uniform white blanket on the ice sheet, the character of the surface snow takes on many different forms. On the microscale, different crystal forms tell stories of their arrival to the surface as gently falling snow, wind-battered hard pack, or deposition as surface hoar through condensation events. To a traverse train of vehicles, generous amounts of gently-fallen snow represent “snow swamps” in which the treads sink and dig their way in, sometimes preventing a vehic...

Written 6 January, 2008 3608 meters a.s.l. Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -29 to -35 °C Nearly all the way from Troll Station to the Pole of Inaccessibility we have driven along the crest of the continent. On this last leg towards the South Pole we have left the ridge and will gradually be descending to lower ground. This implies different patterns of winds and snow accumulation. We are starting to see the effects of this in the shape of rougher snow drifts and more sastrugi, so the ride is getting bumpier. However, there are positive side effects to this. One is that it is much easier for the drivers to...

Written 5 Jan 2008 3705 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 29 to - 37 °C We left the Pole of Inaccessibility this afternoon. For the first time during the expedition we are heading straight south. When we get close to the Pole we will have to make a 150 km detour due to two specially managed areas, one being a clean air sector and another a silent zone. Further, we will descend about 1000 meters between the Pole of Inaccessibility and the South Pole. Thus, we expect higher temperatures and more oxygen the coming days and weeks. The solar elevation will also change less and less as we approach 90 degrees South, thus the light and temperatures conditions will become the same regardless of if it is day or night. ...

Written 4 Jan 2008 3730 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 28 to - 38 °C The work at the Pole of Inaccessibility has been running smoothly. The weather has been very favourable with almost no winds and reasonable temperatures. What remains now is to install thermistors in the 90 meter bore hole and to drill another 30 meter ice core. It turned out that the satellite transfer of data from the automatic weather station does not work properly. Fortunately, the weather station collects data locally. - Jan-Gunnar Photo: Expedition members enjoying a visit t...

Written 3 Jan 2008 3730 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: - 26 to - 38 °C Because of the rotation of Earth, the atmosphere is thinner near the poles than near the Equator and middle latitudes. This thinner atmosphere means high latitudes also have lower atmospheric pressure and significantly less oxygen than at the same elevation at lower latitudes. For example, we are now at 3700 meters above sea level, and this corresponds to more than 4400 meters (14,400 feet) in other areas of the world. Today we calculated the amount of oxygen we have to be about 53 % of that at sea level. It is like breathing with one lung, and feels that way too! We breathe like walruses after short walks, and gasp desperately for air when we are doi...

Written 2 Jan 2008 3730 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -29 to -38 °C Now, meteorological data from the Pole of Inaccessibility is sent via the Argos satellite system and will be available on the internet soon. This is the second Automatic Weather Station that we have installed for the University of Utrecht at this traverse. Also, drilling of the third 90 meter core is well underway. The drilling team passed 40 meters depth last night. We have been communicating with at Chilean traverse team, currently at the South Pole and heading towards the Pole of Inaccessibil...

Written 1 Jan 2008 3730 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -31 to -39 °C In the morning we reached the Pole of Inaccessibility, a milestone of our traverse. We are at the last long science stop, at the highest point of the route and have passed two third of the total distance. It is the least accessible point on the continent. But for us it also represents an important milestone being the third long science stop en route. We arrived at noon after a long night of driving and we have thus mostly been resting up today. Our camp is situated 4 km from the ...