Sailing south
Today we saw our first icebergs! For those of us who have never sailed into the polar regions before, it was a very exciting moment. It was very large and could be seen from the ship from a distance of about 20 miles. Luckily the ships radar system is able to see these large lumps of ice, allowing the ship to steer clear of such dangers. One German scientist on board informed us that the word "berg" actually means "mountain" in German. This first ice berg that we saw reminded us of Table Mountain, in Cape Town, as it had steep sides and a table-like top. However, as the second berg we saw proved, they come in all shapes and sizes.
Iceberg on the radar
The first iceberg
As the ship headed south, one of the largest changes seen was the reduction in temperature as we approached the Antarctic continent. This colder weather, (and colder sea) results in an abundance of life, from tiny single celled plants, to 20m long Pilot whales- excitingly all were seen today. As we head further south, hopefully we will encounter more marine animals, such as seals, penguins, albatross, petrels, dolphins and sea lions. Although tropical seas, such as the Caribbean Sea are famously portrayed as being abundant in fish and other life, actually, the majority of the worlds most productive regions are found in colder waters!
The serious science is due to start tomorrow, when we will hopefully put 3 of our sea gliders into the water. We are all eagerly awaiting this event, and look forward to telling you about what we might find . . .
Back to the journals.