We were advised that the ocean area from 40 degrees S lattitude to the Antarctic Circle 66.5622 degrees S has the strongest sustained westerly winds on earth. These lattitudes are known as the "roaring forties", "furious fifties", and "screaming sixties".
A storm blew up so we altered our planned course away from the South Orkney Islands to Elephant Island further north. We still experienced hurricane winds in an 8 - 10 metre swell for 24 hours!
Tim Jarvis gave a lecture "Safe Return Doubtful" describing Shackleton's journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia and outlined how he and 5 colleagues will replicate the journey in 2012!
Geoff Renner brought the geology of the area into focus with his lecture "Glaciers, Icebergs, and Glacial Landscapes of Antarctica and South Georgia".
No comments:
Post a Comment