Wednesday 26 December 2007 à 10:12
Pitching and rolling at sea!
Sophie Mouge. Correspondent aboard the Aurora Australis
We were right to mistrust the still water. Today the sea proves to be very rough! The captain sends out a general call to advise us to be careful with our things and tie them down well so they don’t fall. Some of us are suffering a recurrence of seasickness but overall, we’re staying the course!
Wednesday 26 December 2007 à 10:00
Welcome on board
Sophie Mouge. Correspondent aboard the Aurora Australis
The crew welcomes you on board. Visit the bridge of the Aurora Australis, an area from which the ship can be commanded.
Sophie Mouge, Education & Outreach Officer - CAML
Wednesday 26 December 2007 à 09:10
Data for the Aurora Australis at 12h30 (= 1h30 UT)
Sophie Mouge. Correspondent aboard the Aurora Australis
Position of the icebreaker:
- latitude: 66°20.395' S
- longitude: 142°36.234’ E
Wind:
- direction: ESE
- speed: 28 knots
Water temperature: -1°C
Air temperature: -2.2°C
Atmospheric pressure: 968 hPa
Relative humidity: 100 %
UV-B: 3.7 W/m²
Water depth: 320 meters
Sunrise: above the horizon all day
Wednesday 26 December 2007 à 09:05
Position of Aurora Australis
Sophie Mouge. Correspondent aboard the Aurora Australis
FROM: Martin Riddle
DATE: 26/12/07
REPORT (SITREP) NO.: 309
UNIVERSAL TIME: 0100
LOCAL (SHIP) TIME: 1200
AUSTRALIAN EASTERN STANDARD TIME: 1200
POSITION: -66 18, 142 29
HEADING: 115
CURRENT SPEED (KNOTS): 4
DISTANCE TO NEXT WAYPOINT (NAUTICAL MILES): N/A
DISTANCE COVERED LAST 24 HOURS (NAUTICAL MILES): 71
WEATHER CONDITIONS: moderate to por visibility,overcast, rain and sleet, wind 40 kts from 135T with gusts to 50 kts
AIR TEMPERATURE: -2.3
SEA TEMPERATURE: -1.0
SEA CONDITIONS: Rough seas, moderate to heavy SE swell 4-6m
ICE CONDITIONS: Frequent icebergs and bergy bits
REMARKS: The wind got up almost exactly on the shift changeover at midnight
last night. The sidescan sonar was deployed at the time - this tool creates
an image of the major features on the seabed in a wide path either side of
the ships track, such as old scour marks caused by the keels of passing
icebergs as they rip up the bottom. The underwater video camera is showing
that the sides of these scours are an important habitat for filter-feeding
animals living on the sea-bed. After the sonar was recovered in the early
hours, the wind and sea state were too strong to safely continue sampling
and since then the ship has been travelling gently with the weather to limit
the motion as much as possible. The wind is caused by a low pressure system
to the north of us and is likely to pass in the next 12 hours or so.
Sampling will resume when the sea settles down to the point that working can
continue safely on the trawl deck. Meanwhile people are catching up with the
various tasks that were neglected during the busy period of sample
collection and processing. I understand that more information on the voyage
is being posted to the internet at the Census of Antarctic Marine Life web
site at www.caml.aq/voyages - feedback on the content would be appreciated
as we do not have web access on the ship.
Regards, Martin and Sarah.
