Sea Ice Blows Out

 Before.

 

After much speculation on when or if the sea ice would blow out of Horseshoe Harbour a blizzard on Saturday 28th January saw Kista Strait clear first and then ice was blown out later in the evening from the harbour. On the 30th most of the ice on the Eastern Harbour had also gone including all the ice and bergs that had carved off the glacier on the 30th November,

After

 

Mt Ward - Cramponeering and other trips.

Mt Ward.

Approach was from the snow banks on left flank.

15 January 2012 - A mid-morning departure from Mawson saw us at Rumdoodle Hut by midday.

Ascent - View of Mt Elliot

A quick lunch of cheese, cracker biscuits and a cup of tea and we headed off for Mt Ward. The intention was to make an attempt on the peak to the north of Mt Ward, this appeared to provide reasonable access up a snow bank to close to the summit.

The last stretch.

Descending the snow bank.

It would also have good views and provide a guide to the best way to attempt Mt Ward itself. The three in the group included Tom (FTO) Fearless (SL) and me.

Welch Is between Rumdoodle peaks

The descent.

From the hut we headed around the edge of Lassitude melt lake, refrozen after a short period of melt water during the peak of summer.
Up and over the ice ridge formed as the glacier forces past the range. Then we descended down the northern edge of another large frozen melt lake to the foot of a snow bank leading up to our peak.

Across the glacier to the hut

The approach was straight forward – head up the snow bank leading to the base of the cliffs that led to the summit. Access was also possible around the snow bank on scree and large boulders.

Lassitude Lake near Rumdoodle Hut

By 3pm we had reached the foot of the cliff and had found a gully that looked like it went to the peak. There was a reasonable amount of steep ice and a couple of long stretches that were made easier with a rope. 

Mt Ward but one.

45 minutes later we were standing on a level ridge that   made up the peak. The views were spectacular but the flat light from overcast sky made photographs less than optimal.

Tom found an alternative decent that led also to Mt Ward but time was against us so we returned

Descending

the way we had come.

Wind Scour - Fern Hill

Wind scour

Wind scour

The following morning we again visited the foot of Mt Ward but this time to look at the extensive melt lakes and wind scour to the north of Fern Hill. 

Melt lake and wind scour

Mt Elliot - Cramponeering and other trips.

Mt Elliot (left) and Fang peak from Mt Ward - David Range

1st January 2012 - After lunch on a sunny, cloudless, windless day Tom and I headed for Mt Fang in the David Range. At about 2:30 we parked the Hag next to Fang field hut, unloaded, had a cup of tea and set off for Mt Elliot, the highest peak in the David Range. We radioed our intentions to climb Mt Elliot and that we would sked in at about 8pm.

East Flank

West Flank

Mt Elliot is about 1200m above sea level  (600m above the hut elevation). We planned a 5 hour round trip. This was our second attempt, the first in the grip of winter was unsuccessful due to dangerous ice and the lack of crampons.

First attempt in the grip of winter.

In the winter we attempted a westerly approach. This attempt took the east flank. The warmth of summer had melted much of the snow and ice on the steeper slopes. We headed south along the ridge line then went lower and skirted around the eastern flank on steep scree before again picking up the ridge.

The ridge allowed good progress until we got closer to the peak. The sheer rocks ahead required a more technical approach than we had the equipment for, so we again worked our way down around the eastern flank between boulders, scree and buttresses.

Mt Elliot Peak

View to Mt Parsons and Mt Fang

We were able to scramble over boulders and snow drifts and up the scree to the base of the summit. The final assault was a 70m cliff climb via a large crack and across a ledge to the pinnacle of Mt Elliot.

View to Mt Coats and Mt Hordern.

With great views of the encroaching Southern Ocean into the fast ice along the coast and along the range to the south Mt Coates and Mt Hordern were prominent.

Mt Parsons in cloud

Centrol Masson mountains in cloud

To the east the North, Central and Southern Masson ranges were in full view as was Mt Henderson.

After some photos, water and energy food we started the descent down the cliff and then a 300m scree slope directly to the glacier edge.

The surface of the scree was mobile and at different points varied from large boulders to fine gravel.

Orographic cloud started to form on all the peaks as the moist easterly breeze was lifted over the mountains. Had we been half an our later there would have been no view from the top. It was on with the boot spikes at the glacier edge.

At the Central Masson range cold air draining from higher up the plateau from the south was forming a thin layer of cloud above the glacier but beneath the orographic layer.

By 8:15pm we were back at the hut.

Fang Hut

Mt Fang in cloud

 

Will the sea ice break out?

Loading from the ship on sea ice.

Helicopter resupply Mawson 2011.

Resupply of Mawson by the resupply ship. 'Aurora Australis' is due at the station on 22 February 2012 – Will she get in?

Icebreaker 'Shirase' photo courtesy of AAD.

This is a question exercising the minds of station staff on a daily basis. Last year the resupply was done by helicopter because the fast sea ice was out to 70km off the coast and was too thick to penetrate. As a result some cargo was not unloaded and re-fuelling of the station was was not carried out.

Re-fuelling of the station is necessary in 2012 to keep the station operating. The Australian Antarctic Division have a number of possible strategies in hand to ensure refueling takes place. Resupply by helicopter and a chartered ice breaker the ‘Shirase’ to push a path through the ice for the Aurora Australis are being considered. But will the ice break out beforehand?

Satellite images show that the outer ice edge is, bit by bit, gradually breaking off but at the end of December the edge was still in excess of 40km from Mawson.

The condition of the sea ice near the station had sufficiently deteriorated to cease all ‘on foot’ sea ice travel from the 23rd December 2011. Quad travel had ceased a week earlier. 

The last trips on the sea ice ensured that Susan and Julie, two penguin biologists, were safely on Bechervaise Island with sufficient provisions to last until the ship arrives on 22nd February.

Julie and Susan haul their equipment to Bechervaise Id.

Provisions not already delivered, including personal belongings, work equipment, computers and extra water were hauled on sled across Kista Strait. Christmas and New Year were celebrated by the biologists in isolation from the rest of Mawson. Station music, available on radio, was the only link to the festive social activities happening on station.

Shore ponding on Bechervaise Island

Rotting ice in Horseshoe Harbour

A warm November and temperatures around zero degrees Celsius through December resulted in considerable melt of snow and ice around the station. Melting snow and ice in contact with the warmed rocky shores as well as melt streams from the plateau entering the sea along the coast accelerate the rotting of the ice close to the shore. This is particularly the case in Horseshoe Harbour.

From http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=76821&src=eoa-iotd

Dates of previous breakouts indicate that since 1954 the break out date has been getting later in the season and in recent years the sea ice has not blown out at all during the summer on 3 occasions. On average breakout would be expected by the third week of January. In the records available there doesn’t appear to be consecutive years when the ice has remained fast to the coast so the odds are good for a breakout this month (January).

From data provided by AAD.

A breakout means the ice sheet becomes broken and the pieces are then blown out to sea leaving only water along the coast. Three factors assist with a breakout, high tides, large swell waves generated by storms to the north and strong off shore wind all at the same time. Blizzard conditions on January 3rd and 4th provided 2 of the three. 
It would be great to see water in the harbour and Kista Strait and it would enable the launch of the rubber boats.  Seeing the Aurora Australis in the harbour would also be special as would the dramatic change in scenery around the station with the ice gone. Time will tell.