Meeting the Hell
Published on 26.03.2010 - General Info
Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 today confirmed their Explorer Team has been experiencing what they themselves call the weirdest ice conditions any of them have experienced in years of polar travel.
In a message posted on the expedition website, team leader Ann Daniels said they were on highly dynamic thin ice which was constantly moving, breaking and shifting. "We're all highly experienced, but we agree the way the ice is behaving is simply the strangest we have ever seen. Today we spent all day on what we've called 'flippy floppy' ice. It was bending, bouncing and wobbling as you pass over it."
It was confirmed by the expedition headquarters in London that the trio had been caught in a fast changing area of ice which was making northwards progress extremely hard. "It's a highly unusual combination of fast moving ice, large amounts of open water and a continual breaking up of ice floes splitting and rucking up right in front of your eyes, hour after hour for days" said Survey Director Pen Hadow. "I've certainly never experience anything like this. It's remarkable. And once they stop to do their survey work and pitch their tent for the night they are effectively drifting backwards again."
The cause is believed to be an extremely unusual weather system which has persistently blown strong northerly winds over the area for the last week. With thinner ice in that part of the Arctic, it has caused drifting of around 4 kilometres every 24 hours, making headway for the explorers difficult. Other expeditions approaching this area have also been reporting similar experiences.
According to Dr Seymour Laxon at University College London "The record low Arctic Oscillation index, due to much higher than normal air pressure over the North Pole, is resulting in exceptionally high ice motion across the central Arctic. This increased ice motion in turn may lead to a higher rate of ice breakup and occurrence of leads."
Since setting out from their starting point at 85°32'N, 77°45'W on March 14th their sledging should have taken them about 53 kilometres. However with shifting ice, they have moved north by just 5.5 kilometres.
The team has resorted to some daring manoeuvres to make any progress, inching their way across ice only just thick enough to hold their weight. The ice held as team leader Ann Daniels, dressed in her dry suit, carefully swiveled across by spreading her weight before using their sledges as rafts to get the others across.
Expedition photographer Martin Hartley said: "There are small chunks of ice floating here and there and very far apart. They're like tiny snow covered rocky islands."
Survey Director Pen Hadow, himself a seasoned Arctic explorer, said "The indications are that the weather is beginning to change, so our Explorer Team will be able to break out from the treadmill they've been on soon and begin to make greater headway."
