Drescher Inlet

Sunday, December 29 2015

Position 74° 33’ S, 26º 58’ W
Temperatura del agua -1,8°C
Temperatura del aire -7,0°C

Drescher Camp’s goods in front of Polarstern.

In Neumayer we picked up four colleagues dedicated to the study of marine mammals to bring them to the Drescher Inlet, where this research group has been setting a field camp for decades to study the behavior of Weddell seals. Among other things, they stick cameras, depth and temperature sensors and satellite trackers to identify routes and diving habits. A result of this research is what led us to work at the Filchner Depression, where the navigation routes of several seals coincided. Drescher Inlet is southwest of the Ekström Ice Shelf, on the way to Filchner. We navigate along the coastal polynya, an area of open water where you can navigate relatively fast because the impact of wind and sometimes upwelling of warmer water prevent the accumulation and formation of sea ice, which also helps saving fuel, as there is no need to break ice.
We arrived at the Inlet at dawn, but in this part of the world, this is just figurative speaking because we have 24 hours of intense sunlight and, for example, is difficult to distinguish between 02:00 and 14:00. Early in the morning the ship started unloading the material with which our 4 colleagues assembled their camp, 11 tons of material was taken to the camp with the help of the two helicopters traveling aboard the Polarstern. While the 4 new inhabitants of Drescher Inlet remained at the camp point to assemble the basic modules, i.e., rooms to provide protection from the cold (which can reach -15°C with wind chills sensation of much lower temperatures), the rest of us stayed at the docking station about two kilometers away to help offloading the material to set a one-month camp.
This time the investigations of this group will include underwater observations through a remotely operated vehicle or ROV. The ROV has high-definition underwater cameras and small thrusters that allow easy navigation with relative autonomy while filming the seabed or what happens under the ice with high-quality images. It is an ideal tool to observe the marine environment without disturbing it.
Our colleagues will live in the harsh Antarctic conditions for 4 weeks, until Polarstern is back from the far south of the Weddell Sea to pick them up and offer them a deserved hot shower. Another day of work await for us, as we have to repack and bring onboard the dismantled camp, which should not leave any trace of it behind. This is almost the last activity of this expedition, as the ship will navigate from there in the direction of Punta Arenas where this expedition will finish. However, there are still several weeks of work and new experiences.

Greetings from Drescher Inlet,
Enrique