A Long, Cold Summer
Halley VI Rising from the Snow
Despite a weekend of escape down to the coast, with relief successfully out of the way it has been a busy summer season. The whole base continues to work twelve hours a day, six days a week in an effort not only to support the construction of Halley VI, which continues to rise out of the snow surface but also prepare the current base for another winter.
Twin Otter Close-Up
On top of this all, the Twin Otter (the workhorse aircraft on base), has been kept busy with plenty of field science to support and maintain as far South as 84°. There are various automated weather stations and low-powered magnetometers (measuring minute fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field), dotted around the continent, which require an annual visit, to both raise above the snow surface and download the accumulated data.
Twin Otter Returning From A81
For while a lot of science on base is being wound down for the next couple of years, while the base is transferred, there are more automated bits of science kit being set up in the field this summer. Along with the low-level ozone monitors, which gave me a chance to head out in the plane, one field party has spent a fortnight installing instruments to measure the earth's geo-electric field, while Sune is still out in the deep field to the west on an extended geological project.
Working on a Space Frame
On the construction site that dominates the west of the base, all but one of the modules that will make up Halley VI are starting to take shape; the last, central and largest module will come in next year. Once the space frame bases on temporary skis were offloaded from the Anderma and successfully dragged across the ice shelf on temporary skis, the Morrisons construction teams went straight to work making the best use of good weather.
Kiting Across the Brunt
Once transferred onto their heavier, permanent skis, which will eventually allow them to be dragged from their construction site on base to the eventual location of Halley VI, the internal modules (pre-made accommodation and work spaces) are loaded on and the steel frames that will support the external cladding then built around them. The photo at the top of the article demonstrates the modules in various states of completion.
The Halley VI Energy Modules
The tent goes on the first module
The first modules to disappear under the temporary tents which will protect the structures through the winter, were the energy modules (inspiringly named E1 and E2). The generators and other plant that will be required to power and heat the new station are now in place and with the tents on, the next job is to put in all the M&E (mechanical and engineering), works to power and fuel them, even though they will not be up and running for a couple of years.
Fog Descends on Base
While most of the work is taking place at the site of Halley V, there is a long season of preparatory work for a small team of people at the eventual site of the new base. A journey of just under an hour in a Sno-Cat, took me the 16 km to the where the base will stand in a couple of years time once it has been completed. I went with the nominal excuse of helping with some maintenance work (though I think the only useful part was making the packed lunch) but it was a chance to see where the new station will be- even if is just a large expanse of flat, white snow like the rest of the Brunt...
Halley VI Construction Site
The team working out there have been marking out the sites for where each of the pods will end up, as well as running cabling between them and the outlying science buildings and masts that will support a lot of the science equipment, particularly the radars which formed an iconic part of the Halley skyline before they were taken down a few months ago.
Current Halley VI Skyline
Coiled cabling sits on mounds above the snow
Meanwhile, on base the summer is an opportunity- given good weather, a surfeit of personnel and some time- for general maintenance required to keep the base running over the next few years. It has been good weather, in that there have been far fewer manky (local, long-standing slang for overcast and dull) days or days dominated by blows than last year but cloudless skies have meant that January was on average the coldest January since records began at Halley, edging as it did into positive Centigrade on only a couple of occasions and even then for only a few hours.
The Emergency Clothing Container Indent
Generally the base is in a good state of repair and would last many years yet if it were not for the threat of calving of the ice shelf taking the immobile buildings with it, however, the one area where its age is showing are the tunnels.
Descending into the Melt Tank Silo
A couple of the bases prior to Halley V, were built underground but soon had to abandonned as the weight of accumulating snow and the movement of the ice stream that leads the base to move 1.5 metres a day, gradually warped and crushed them rendering them uninhabitable. Though the current tunnels are nowhere near that state, the strain on them is beginning to show; the new base will not have a similar system as its fuel and melt tanks will be sited above the snow surface.
Digging at the Bottom of the Melt Tank Silo
Brian and Andy look on as I am supposed to be digging- not taking photographs
As a result I found myself back in the tunnels, digging places where the encroaching ice threatened to cause problems. Digging snow continues to be a major part of life at Halley be it on the surface or 35 metres down.
Looking East Over the Laws
Along with the extra (but not exactly significant) medical burden of living on a construction site with a hundred people around, there are other various medically related duties to discharge, one of those is looking after the Major Incident Plan, covering the response should we have two or more seriously injured people. Though such a scenario could be comfortably dealt with in the UK, with the limited resources in the Antarctic, it becomes a lot harder to handle.
The Exercise 'Accident' Scene
With the constant turnover of staff, its become an annual event to run an exercise based around a realistic scenario to ensure that the plan is fit for purpose as well as a chance for individuals to rehearse their role should the worst happen. Given that Hannah, the new wintering Doc is also on station, I took the opportunity to step back and watch the scenario I had set up unfold.
The Drewry 'Hospital'
Despite the inherent pandemonium that ensues in a scenario where the participants are unsure as to what is going to happen, it all went reassuringly well, though it remains the hope that it will never have to be tested in reality. Planning the whole thing was made harder as we had an acute shortage of petrol on base which power the ski-doos; that said a petrol shortage has made the whole base a lot more pleasant with less noisy ski-doos whizzing around and more people on skis.
The Fassi Crane in Action
Despite the long hours, I have managed to get out frequently across the week to ski; my cross-country is coming along and I am finally getting to grips with the dark art of ski-waxing. The winds have not been that great for ski-kiting and regardless, as I am unlikely to be doing much once I leave here, my large kite is being passed onto one of the new winterers.
Winterer's Sunday Afternoon Trip to the 4km Marker
Photo thanks to Dave Evans: L to R- Dave, Ant, myself and Deano
Worryingly, time runs on fast and I am full aware that before too long I will be heading out for Cape Town on a ship. As whenever one approaches the end of a stint somewhere, there is some excitement about the next steps but this is heavily overshadowed this time by the realisation that I am going to miss this place a lot, made worse by the knowledge that I am very unlikely to come back.
Sun Pillar Over Halley
Not long now before the first sunset of 2008
Despite a weekend of escape down to the coast, with relief successfully out of the way it has been a busy summer season. The whole base continues to work twelve hours a day, six days a week in an effort not only to support the construction of Halley VI, which continues to rise out of the snow surface but also prepare the current base for another winter.
Twin Otter Close-Up
On top of this all, the Twin Otter (the workhorse aircraft on base), has been kept busy with plenty of field science to support and maintain as far South as 84°. There are various automated weather stations and low-powered magnetometers (measuring minute fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field), dotted around the continent, which require an annual visit, to both raise above the snow surface and download the accumulated data.
Twin Otter Returning From A81
For while a lot of science on base is being wound down for the next couple of years, while the base is transferred, there are more automated bits of science kit being set up in the field this summer. Along with the low-level ozone monitors, which gave me a chance to head out in the plane, one field party has spent a fortnight installing instruments to measure the earth's geo-electric field, while Sune is still out in the deep field to the west on an extended geological project.
Working on a Space Frame
On the construction site that dominates the west of the base, all but one of the modules that will make up Halley VI are starting to take shape; the last, central and largest module will come in next year. Once the space frame bases on temporary skis were offloaded from the Anderma and successfully dragged across the ice shelf on temporary skis, the Morrisons construction teams went straight to work making the best use of good weather.
Kiting Across the Brunt
Once transferred onto their heavier, permanent skis, which will eventually allow them to be dragged from their construction site on base to the eventual location of Halley VI, the internal modules (pre-made accommodation and work spaces) are loaded on and the steel frames that will support the external cladding then built around them. The photo at the top of the article demonstrates the modules in various states of completion.
The Halley VI Energy Modules
The tent goes on the first module
The first modules to disappear under the temporary tents which will protect the structures through the winter, were the energy modules (inspiringly named E1 and E2). The generators and other plant that will be required to power and heat the new station are now in place and with the tents on, the next job is to put in all the M&E (mechanical and engineering), works to power and fuel them, even though they will not be up and running for a couple of years.
Fog Descends on Base
While most of the work is taking place at the site of Halley V, there is a long season of preparatory work for a small team of people at the eventual site of the new base. A journey of just under an hour in a Sno-Cat, took me the 16 km to the where the base will stand in a couple of years time once it has been completed. I went with the nominal excuse of helping with some maintenance work (though I think the only useful part was making the packed lunch) but it was a chance to see where the new station will be- even if is just a large expanse of flat, white snow like the rest of the Brunt...
Halley VI Construction Site
The team working out there have been marking out the sites for where each of the pods will end up, as well as running cabling between them and the outlying science buildings and masts that will support a lot of the science equipment, particularly the radars which formed an iconic part of the Halley skyline before they were taken down a few months ago.
Current Halley VI Skyline
Coiled cabling sits on mounds above the snow
Meanwhile, on base the summer is an opportunity- given good weather, a surfeit of personnel and some time- for general maintenance required to keep the base running over the next few years. It has been good weather, in that there have been far fewer manky (local, long-standing slang for overcast and dull) days or days dominated by blows than last year but cloudless skies have meant that January was on average the coldest January since records began at Halley, edging as it did into positive Centigrade on only a couple of occasions and even then for only a few hours.
The Emergency Clothing Container Indent
Generally the base is in a good state of repair and would last many years yet if it were not for the threat of calving of the ice shelf taking the immobile buildings with it, however, the one area where its age is showing are the tunnels.
Descending into the Melt Tank Silo
A couple of the bases prior to Halley V, were built underground but soon had to abandonned as the weight of accumulating snow and the movement of the ice stream that leads the base to move 1.5 metres a day, gradually warped and crushed them rendering them uninhabitable. Though the current tunnels are nowhere near that state, the strain on them is beginning to show; the new base will not have a similar system as its fuel and melt tanks will be sited above the snow surface.
Digging at the Bottom of the Melt Tank Silo
Brian and Andy look on as I am supposed to be digging- not taking photographs
As a result I found myself back in the tunnels, digging places where the encroaching ice threatened to cause problems. Digging snow continues to be a major part of life at Halley be it on the surface or 35 metres down.
Looking East Over the Laws
Along with the extra (but not exactly significant) medical burden of living on a construction site with a hundred people around, there are other various medically related duties to discharge, one of those is looking after the Major Incident Plan, covering the response should we have two or more seriously injured people. Though such a scenario could be comfortably dealt with in the UK, with the limited resources in the Antarctic, it becomes a lot harder to handle.
The Exercise 'Accident' Scene
With the constant turnover of staff, its become an annual event to run an exercise based around a realistic scenario to ensure that the plan is fit for purpose as well as a chance for individuals to rehearse their role should the worst happen. Given that Hannah, the new wintering Doc is also on station, I took the opportunity to step back and watch the scenario I had set up unfold.
The Drewry 'Hospital'
Despite the inherent pandemonium that ensues in a scenario where the participants are unsure as to what is going to happen, it all went reassuringly well, though it remains the hope that it will never have to be tested in reality. Planning the whole thing was made harder as we had an acute shortage of petrol on base which power the ski-doos; that said a petrol shortage has made the whole base a lot more pleasant with less noisy ski-doos whizzing around and more people on skis.
The Fassi Crane in Action
Despite the long hours, I have managed to get out frequently across the week to ski; my cross-country is coming along and I am finally getting to grips with the dark art of ski-waxing. The winds have not been that great for ski-kiting and regardless, as I am unlikely to be doing much once I leave here, my large kite is being passed onto one of the new winterers.
Winterer's Sunday Afternoon Trip to the 4km Marker
Photo thanks to Dave Evans: L to R- Dave, Ant, myself and Deano
Worryingly, time runs on fast and I am full aware that before too long I will be heading out for Cape Town on a ship. As whenever one approaches the end of a stint somewhere, there is some excitement about the next steps but this is heavily overshadowed this time by the realisation that I am going to miss this place a lot, made worse by the knowledge that I am very unlikely to come back.
Sun Pillar Over Halley
Not long now before the first sunset of 2008
