Out on the Ice

The ice camp includes the meteorology tower, which includes flux measurements. The first ice hole is a few metres away and will look at the emissions from the water as it freezes particularly when frost flowers grow. I thought frost flowers only grew on salty ice/snow but when we tested the frost flowers in our ice holes they are practically fresh water!

So far three holes have been made in the ice. It takes a lot of work to keep these holes open: there is usually 3 inches of ice to remove every morning. I documented Trev doing his bit to help out poor James in the evening before sunset. Frost flowers had formed in the hole. As the layer of ice wasn’t too thick, the edges of the ice are cut with an axe and the layer lifted out with a shovel. When the ice is much thicker, this delicate operation is conducted with a sledgehammer. The boys often come back to the container with the splashes of water frozen in weird shapes!











Prior to arriving here I had no idea how quickly all things can freeze. From pipes to liquids of any kind, most things do not like the cold. Metal becomes brittle, cables freeze into the shape they are left in and cable ties all snap. It has made me appreciate warm and wet Ireland all the more! At least things are designed to work there. There is not much that can survive outside here for long. I’m glad we had the patience to give our equipment enough time to warm up properly – Though not being able to do anything for the first couple of days did annoy me at the time!