Antarctica from Above

After finally getting some time to sort through more pictures, I figured a post focused on viewing Antarctica from above (in a Twin Otter to be specific) would be worthwhile. Seeing Antarctica from the ground is certainly an unforgettable experience, but seeing the continent from the air brings about a whole different perspective. Most of what I've experienced and posted on in the past has focused on flights to/from McMurdo and our specific stations (namely Lorne and Tall Tower), but the flights to and from Cape Hallett and the penguin colony allowed me to see a different part of Antarctica. The trip to Cape Hallett meant we got to fly north along the Admiralty Mountain Range. Along the way, we saw all manner of mountains, glaciers, sea ice and ice shelves while being mindful that this is one of the very few places on earth mostly untouched by man or animal.

 Glacier and snow covered peaks dominate this landscape.

Glaciers could be found everywhere you looked. Occasionally, the leading edge of a slow-moving glacier would partially collapse as it moved into steeper terrain. In other areas, portions of the mountains edge could be seen peeking out around the edge of glacier.

A portion of the leading edge of a glacier recently collapsed onto the ice shelf below.

A small portion of the mountainside can be seen peeking out as a glacier flows past it on both sides.

The edge of the glacier-covered mountains made for some spectacular vistas, with giant cracks in the glaciers appearing as they went over the edge into steeper terrain.

The edge of the glacier-covered mountains.

Some glaciers could be traced all the way from the top of the mountain to the ice shelf they joined on the ocean. Pieces of rock could be seen in some glaciers that had been carved away from the mountainsides.

A long, winding glacier slowly makes its way down the mountainside.

In other areas, stronger winds tended to scour the snow off the ice shelf, showing the stunning blue ice below.

This wind-scoured ice shelf showed the blue ice below.

Some regions showed that looks can be deceiving. Giant crevasses, evident from aloft, can fill in or bridge over with snow. These types of hidden crevasses have claimed lives in the past when an unsuspecting person unknowingly walked over them and fell through the thin crust.

Giant snow-filled crevasses can be seen on this ice shelf.

Occasionally, large icebergs could be seen frozen into the sea ice.

A large iceberg is frozen into the seasonal sea ice. A giant crack can be seen in the sea ice, exposing the water below.

The sea ice itself made for some simply breathtaking scenery in areas where it was breaking up. This process, which occurs every year, usually starts with small fractures in the ice, eventually leading to larger chunks breaking up. It's usually not hard to see how all the puzzle-like pieces of ice could fit right back together.

The broken sea ice often looked like a shattered mirror.

Sometimes the exposed water will freeze during cold weather outbreaks, capturing the larger pieces of ice and holding them in place.

Chunks of sea ice temporarily refrozen in place.

More pieces of thicker sea ice frozen into thinner ice.

Oftentimes, ice could be seen moving with the ocean currents.

A clearly defined boundary can be seen between the ice-covered water and the open water.

One of my favorite pictures was catching the edge of an ice shelf where the sea ice had completely melted away. It clearly shows just how much deeper in the water the ice goes from an ice shelf.

The edge of an ice shelf.

With the conclusion of our field seasons, we are in full swing with the data analysis right now and hope to have some papers coming out this fall. In the meantime, stay tuned for more posts regarding the results we are seeing and maybe some previously unpublished photos from prior seasons.