The End

I have returned to London, and returned to the sedentary life of a graduate student. Thank you for the comments and I hope you enjoyed my small efforts at communicating wonders and interests of my trip.

Last hours in McM

Our time in Antarctica is quickly dwindling. The last five days have been busy with last minute Science, mad packing, and a final trip out to the Lake to collect the remaining field gear. The trip out was a fitting end to the season, with a beautiful sunny day.



The ice on Bonney has been collecting the Sun's heat and is melting into fantastic shapes. In some places, meltwater pools lurk under thin sections of apparently-solid ice to soak the feet of the unlucky. Fortunately, I am light as a butterfly, so my feet stayed dry.

We are scheduled to fly to Christchurch tomorrow. Of course, "weather permitting" is key to any Southern travel, so our last-night-on-the-Ice party this evening may only be a practice event.

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures I have posted. Once back to North America with a proper connection to the Internet, I will upload a more complete photo set.

Stranded in the Dry Valleys!

Saturday we were stranded out on Lake Bonney by fog (later turning to snow). Apparently, the helo pilots prefer to see where they are flying. While the samples we collected did not survive the extra time, we had a lovely time at the camp. Another group was also staying the night at Bonney Camp, so we had dinner, played some cards and went for a hike.

The day opened clear and still on Sunday. The change in twelve hours was dramatic. Plus we made it back to Mac Town in time for Sunday brunch.

Penguins!

By popular demand - penguins. These pictures were taken at the rookery at Cape Roids where thousands of birds nest. All that penguin, uh, activity makes the air a little stinky, but they are fun to watch waddling about the rocks.

Penguins! (II)

Penguins! (III)

So, what are we doing down here?

It is the tale of two lakes, well, one lake that is split into two parts. Lake Bonney is divided into two lobes by a 15m deep sill. The bottom waters of both lobes are very cold (< 0 degrees C) and very salty (> 3 times as salty as seawater), and water cannot exchange between the lobes. The surface waters, on the other hand, are fresh, but covered with ice, and can flow freely across the sill. In the picture, the west lobe is hidden behind the hill in the middle (called Bonney Riegel) and the east lobe is in the middle of the frame extending to the bottom.

Our project is trying to determine the activities of the bacteria in the bottom waters of the two lobes are different. In the west lobe, the bacteria are active yet the east lobe bacteria are barely functioning and compounds which are normally consumed by bacteria have accumulated.

Active bacteria are found everywhere: trapped in glaciers, in brine pools at the bottom of the ocean, in hydrothermal vents, in veins of rock. Yet the bacteria in the bottom waters of Lake Bonney appear to be unable to take advantage of the supply of nutrients. So we are trying to figure out "why?"

However, we do seem to find time for other activities, such as posing on the Taylor Glacier.

Glaciers!

Can't talk about Antarctica without talking about the Ice. The scale and inexorable movement of the glaciers is humbling. From the right perspective, I can almost imagine seeing the slow movement of the ice, like down the ice fall of the Hughes glacier (above). The view from the helos suggests the liquid nature of the huge ice sheets (Commonwealth Glacier, below).



The region where the Ventifacts live behind Bonney Camp has an old lava flow, which has now been eroded into a hillside and plain of dark, irregular pebbles. The strong winds (responsible for the carving of the ventifacts) ensures that the surface is smooth and uniform. The Sollas glacier comes down into the valley and the contrast between the matte lava rocks and bright Ice is beautiful.



The Taylor glacier is the tongue of the continental ice shelf that flows into the Taylor valley and forms the west wall of Lake Bonney. I can imaging the flow of Ice down the valleys, leaving mountains and high places isolated.



Closer to the face, the scale and enormous volume of ice becomes easier to judge. The ice fractures and splits from the parent glacier and water can seep from the ice forming streams and lakes.

Ventifacts Deux

Ventifacts

Behind Bonney Camp (and up around 500 m) is a plateau covered with wind-carved rocks. The shapes are organic and fantastic.

Lake Bonney Camp

Contrary to rumours of death-by-juvenile-penguin or burial-by-snow, I am still alive and active. We returned yesterday from a stay at the Lake Bonney field camp, where we setup the research sites. My tent was the second from the left and in the middle you can see the Korean War-vintage shelter which was the kitchen and living room.

We had beautiful weather for the entire stay and the view was fantastic. I am very fortunate to have gone and stayed at Bonney camp.