First Days in Antarctica
Sailing around the picturesque island in search of a bay to anchor, Pangaea and her passengers eventually found a sheltered bay where they could run out lines and secure her safely. With the tide going out, and the boat aground, this gave Mike and our young explorers the opportunity to make their first exploration of the island. They were not disappointed. The team met their first Antarctic penguins and sea lions! It was amazing how close they could get to the animals who weren't at all perturbed by what must have seemed like an alien presense on their peaceful land.
Back on the boat in the evening, the young explorers enjoyed a hot meal and discussed excitedly their experiences throughout the day.
The following day was a day of research for the young adults. This was a follow up on what they had learnt about during the selection camp in Switzerland one month earlier with Roswitha from the University of Munich. Eager to discover more about human impact on the Antarctic, the young explorers would now undertake scientific measurement procedures. This time in the real Antarctica! They started by taking ocean samples to test temperature, salinity and turbidity measurements. Plankton samples were also recorded at different depths to learn more about abundance and types living in these Antarctic waters.
Today Pangaea has shifted to the mainland and this allows opportunities for more tests to be done. The young adults will analyse snow profiles taken from trans-section of two different glaciers. Snow wetness and grain size are are important factors when learning more about the development of the sea ice and the effects of global warming.
Ready to walk, the young explorers have been kitted with warm gear and are currently crossing overland. Weather conditions are good with temperatures at -1°c, skies overcast with some snow falling. After one day and evening on the Antarctic Peninsula, Mike, the guides and the young adults will rejoin the boat in the evening. We are eager to hear their stories of their overland adventure.
As well as their warm messages that they are sending home to their parents they have also sent us their blogs for the website. Here are the blogs from our English speakers;