Written 21 December 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -27 to -36 °C One morning everybody woke up at Plateau Station due to a dramatic sound that appeared to be traveling through the camp. This was a very scary episode for the personnel that did not know what had happened. After the noise had died down, they realized that it had been a firn quake. In very cold conditions large snow crystals grow and they are very loosely bonded. Thus, this weak layer in the snow can suddenly collapse. The personnel at Plateau Station figured that the surface lowered about 1 cm duri...

Terrestrial ecosystems in ARctic and ANTarctic: Effects of UV Light, Liquefying ice, and Ascending temperatures. (TARANTELLA, IPY project no. 59) IPY project page TARENTELLA website Predicted changes in climate and ozone concentrations in Polar regions, make it critically important to understand how changes in key environmental factors influence Polar terrestrial ecosystems via the modification of their individual but interconnected components. Observational and experimental research on the effect of climate change and ozone depletion is affiliated to international research programmes to t...

Written 20 December 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -29 to -36 °C Today, at the traditional Christmas lunch at the Norwegian Polar Institute, Einar received the price “The Employer of the Year.” Congratulations Einar! It is very well deserved. The nomination committee especially emphasized Einar’s efforts on numerous expeditions in the Arctic and in Antarctica. Einar is going to celebrate his seventh Christmas in eight years in Antarctica in a few days. Also, his high standards for field safety and work for the union were highlighted by the committee....

Written 19 Dec 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -25 to -35°C No doubt, this ice core has really challenged us. We started drilling last Saturday and have encountered a series of problems since then. Today, however, it seems like we reached a turning point. The optimism is back in the hard-working drilling team and maybe by tomorrow the second 90 meter ice core is retrieved. Today, we also took part (by satellite phone) in a press seminar in connection with the visit of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to Troll Station in January 2008. ...

Written 18 December, 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -22 to -32 °C All cameras were pointed towards the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launcher when Stian made his first test flight today. The UAV carries one C-band radar, temperature and pressure sensors, a digital camera and a GPS. The C-band radar is similar to the ones on satellites and to the one we have mounted on one of the vehicles. Thus, data from these three different platforms will be compared. The camera can be used for route planning and crevasse detection. Some modifications will be made before the first long ...

Written 17 Dec 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -22 to -36°C The medical doctor at Troll paid us a visit today to inspect the wounded finger of our chief driller. In addition, we were supplied with spare parts for the vehicles. The doctor inspected the wounded finger and put the chief driller on medication to prevent further inflammation. She is doing fine but is not allowed to use her right hand in order for the wound to heal. The remaining part of the drill team has currently reached to a depth of 50 meters. The Basler also carried spare parts for our vehicles, in particular two transfer boxes, one differential and hydraulic oil. Shallow coring was completed and Stian prepared for flying the dron...

Written 16 Dec 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -20 to -36 °C Our chief driller has been troubled with a bleeding finger the last week due to metal pieces that are stuck in the finger. The situation has become worse these last few days and she is currently requested by our paramedic Kjetil to quit working. The wound has been bleeding this last week. It is not serious but the wound will not heal properly. Today, our medical responsible, Kjetil Bakkland, removed pieces of metal in the finger but there might be more remaining. Because of this, the drilling of t...

Written 15 Dec 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -23 to -36°C Unfortunately, another technical problem arose the other day. This time it was the transfer box on Chinook that died. A spare one is at Troll and we are expecting a Basler flight within a few days. However, to utilize our valuable time we decided to call this site “Plateau Station B” and go on with the planned science including drilling of a 90 meter ice core and erecting the first out of two Automatic Weather Stations. This weather station is prepared by the “Ice and Climate” group at Univer...

On 14 of December 1911, Roald Amundsen and his four men reached the South Pole. Thus, Amundsen, Bjaaland, Hanssen, Hassel and Wisting became the first persons to set their feet on the geographical South Pole. Written 14 Dec 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -20 to -37 °C In 1911, it was a race to be first reaching the South Pole. Amundsen’s strategy with using dogs to pull the sledges turned out to be superior to ponies and motor sledges used by Scott. Amundsen used 99 days back and forth from his station Framheim at the ice edge in the Ross Sea. The station was named after the polar vessel Fram owned by Fridtjof Nansen and used during the famous drift across the Arctic Ocean in 1893-1896. ...

Written 13 December, 2007 3619 meters above sea level Maximum & Minimum temperatures: -21 to -38 °C Having completed our drilling at site 32B yesterday, we began our trip to Plateau Station this morning. With clear skies and a smooth snow surface, we were able to make good time across the ice sheet. Today is the International Polar Year’s “Ice Sheet Day” celebration. As one of the key International Polar Year Antarctic expeditions for Norway and the U.S., we used our satellite telephone to join in the Ice Sheet Day session at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Fran...