Summer Survey Work on the Ice

10 March 2008

Glen Rowe has been involved in Antarctic surveying activities for 20 years, but until this past summer had never set foot on the continent.

Glen, a Data Analyst (Hydrographic) in LINZ's Specialist Processing and Data Management group, spent five and a half weeks at Scott Base in November and December, carrying out a number of surveying functions as part of LINZ's annual work programme in Antarctica.

Antarctica's extreme climate and challenging work environment is something newcomers to the continent need to adapt to quickly. Field training involving alpine skills and spending a night either in a polar tent or snow shelter had to be completed before any work could begin.

"I was determined to sleep in the snow trench we had constructed. With full gear on, inside two sleeping bags, on top of a closed cell foam mat and self-inflating air mattress it was very cosy and warm."

Temperatures early in his stint were around -20 degrees C, though on one of the worst days the temperature ranged between -20 and -28 degrees. With a 20 knot wind blowing this put the wind chill temperature down to -58 degrees.

The work Glen carried out this season included photo control surveys for new 1:50,000 scale mapping of the Darwin Glacier area, and for a proposed wind farm site near Scott Base (for Antarctica New Zealand).

Glen also recalibrated tide gauges at Scott Base (the world's southern-most tide gauge) and at Cape Roberts, which involves setting up GPS equipment on the sea ice and measuring the vertical movement of the ice due to the rise and fall of the tide.

Hut monitoring surveys on Scott's and Shackleton's Huts at Cape Evans and Cape Royds respectively were other important tasks.

LINZ completes these surveys every year in support of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's conservation work on the huts. The 'levelling' surveys in and around the huts help conservators ascertain how much vertical movement the huts are being subjected to by the build up of snow and ice.

Glen also erected a trig beacon at the United States' McMurdo Station to protect the trig mark established in the 1961/62 season for the early survey and mapping activities carried out by the United States and New Zealand.

"Although the weather conditions are tough and the working environment is physically challenging, the experience of living and working down 'on the ice' has been amazing," wrote Glen in the final of his weekly travelogues for colleagues back home.

"I have come away with a sense of respect for the achievements of the early Antarctic explorers and many memories (and photos!) of a place that is both harsh and fragile."