Although the winter holidays aren’t quite over yet, the CONVERGE mission to Palmer Station, Antarctica, has begun. On the day after Christmas, some 32 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students said goodbye to their families, left North America, and flew down the entire length of South America. Now we’re all at the skinny tip of the continent, in Punta Arenas, Chile, on the shores of the Strait of Magellan.
Across the water lies Tierra del Fuego; beyond it is Cape Horn; and beyond that is the Drake Passage and Antarctica. We’ll be there in about five days. Now is the time to buy last-minute supplies like sunscreen, chocolate, and seasickness medicine; to try on our Extreme Cold Weather gear to make sure it fits; and to fit all of our gear and supplies onto the ship that will take us across to Antarctica.
Read more about the preparations in our slideshow:
We’re now cruising slowly eastward through the Strait of Magellan. We’ll cross into Argentine waters and then turn south toward the Drake Passage, one of the most fearsome stretches of ocean on Earth. So far the forecast looks like fairly good weather, and the scientists are looking forward to seeing dolphins, penguins, whales, albatrosses, and other wildlife. While we’re at sea we’ll have little contact with the outside world—but we’ll transmit updates via a satellite connection to let you know how we’re doing and what we’re seeing.
17 Comments
Hi Hugh and Chris,
These blogs are amazing. Beautiful pictures!
Thank you
Alexis
Do you ask some tips about your glider to the people at Rutgers, I mean they did send a glider across the Atlantic Ocean. Those tips could improve your glider. Thanks!
what is the lowest temperature recorded in Antarctica?
Hi Brian – The lowest temperature measured in Antarctica was –128.6 Fahrenheit at Vostok Station in July 1983. However, in August 2010 a NASA satellite detected a temperature of –135.8 in a region of east Antarctica. It’s not nearly that cold here at Palmer Station. We’re relatively far north and it’s the middle of summer. It was just above freezing here today. Thanks for asking! – Hugh
thank you for the great pix and informative blog
What if you don’t have enough gear when you arrive somewhere. What do you do?
Hi Heather – Good question. The best answer is to plan well enough that you don’t forget anything at home! Antarctica is really hard to get to and it’s a very harsh place that can be dangerous. So we take packing seriously and try to bring everything we need. Palmer Station has some extra supplies such as warm clothes, medicine, and stores of food in case of emergency. When we go out on the zodiacs, each passenger brings a waterproof bag of extra clothes and food. Most of the small islands off of Palmer Station also have emergency caches—these are blue plastic barrels that contain tents, stoves, food, and warm covers, in case we get stranded by bad weather or equipment failures. We also carry radios so that we can check in with the people back at Palmer Station and call for help if necessary. Thanks for asking! – Hugh
I really like the photos of the boats you’re sailing on. Roughly how many people can fit on one boat?
Hi Danielle – The Laurence M. Gould can carry 37 scientists and 16 crew, for a total of 53 people. Thanks for asking! – Hugh
Do all scientists like yourself always go to that one certain port in chile? How did scientists decided that was the right place to start? Pics are amazing!
Thank you for answering my question it was very helpful to know.
What has been the highest recorded temperature in Antarctica, since you have been stationed there?
Hi Christian – We’ve only been here about 2 weeks, and in that time the temperature has gotten up to about 5 degrees Celsius, which is about 42 Fahrenheit. From what we’ve heard, that’s quite a bit warmer than it has been back in North America! Thanks for asking – Hugh
How do you know how much food and supplies to bring on your trip?
Hi Jahmere – Good question. The answer is by spending a bunch of time beforehand planning. The scientists in charge of this project worked several years in advance with the support staff at Palmer Station to plan out exactly how many people would be here, how long they would stay, and what they would need to do their jobs. That helped them figure out things like how much food we needed to have with us and how much equipment to bring. Thanks for your question – Hugh
Hello Mr.Powell I Am A Student At Rivera Middle School In Trenton New Jersey. I Was Interested To See How The Scientists Live In Such A Cold Place And How There Is Nothing Edible That Grows In Antartica!!!
Really interesting how here going to travel the Antarctica