From: Coronesi, Stephanie [mailto:Stephanie.Coronesi@lmg.polar.org] 
Sent: 01/14/2002 4:05 PM
Subject: Message 8

17:25 (2002.01.14)
65 Degrees 51.803' South Latitude
67 Degrees 00.579' West Longitude
(Bellingshausen Sea)
Air Temp: 1.7 Degrees C
SST (Sea Surface Temperature): -1.1 C
Wind Speed: 22 knots  230 Degrees
Air Pressure: 978.9 mBar

Hey Guys!

Yesterday was SO cool! I didn't really expect to have the opportunity to 
see sea ice, since it's the summer here and all, but around 4PM our lab got 
a call from the bridge telling us to look outside. We were in ice! We 
flipped up the porthole cover (we keep it closed for the photo-sensitive 
chlorophyll measuring) and sure enough, there were ice floes, and little 
chunks, and slush and even a seal or two riding on the floes! We raced to 
get out coats on, grabbed the digital camera and went up to the 02 level so 
we could look out over the bow and have an unobstructed view. We saw about 
fifteen seals in that first half hour and they seemed only slightly curious 
about us and our big orange boat. Most looked up, flopped over and resumed 
napping. I did get a picture of a real cutey-pie though, and I'm sending it 
along your way.

We were headed to the Grand Didier and further on into the Lemaire (a small 
strait inside the barrier islands) where there is spectacular scenery. The 
ice started to get thicker with bigger bergy bits, but the decision was 
made to press on as long as the ice seemed manageable. The Gould is a 
strong and sturdy ship, but she doesn't possess the ice-breaking capacity 
of her sister ship, the Nathaniel B. Palmer, so we had to be fairly 
cautious in our endeavor. We stood outside and watched the ice get thicker 
and more packed as we continued our approach towards land and its 
breathtakingly beautiful mountains enshrouded in a veil of white, peaks 
peeking out from the misty cloud cover. There was lots of shuffling at the 
bow as we all took turns getting the ultimate shot with our cameras.

When the ice is thickly packed on the surface of the water it almost has 
the appearance of being solid land, but as the swells gently shift the 
water below, it seems as if this enormous tiled floor is gradually, almost 
imperceptibly rolling. I stood up on the bow for ages, just soaking it all 
in, trying to absorb that I was really SEEING this. It was definitely an 
"all hail almighty nature" moment. Eventually our Chief Scientist Robin 
came up to tell us that the ice was unfortunately too thick and we would 
have to turn back. While it was disappointing that we wouldn't be able to 
explore the Lemaire, I saw sights yesterday that I never expected to see in 
my life, so I am hardly complaining. ;)

Today has been a very low-key day. We were supposed to working a 
"high-density" grid near Palmer Station, sampling in a sort of zig-zag, 
covering the area thoroughly, but the weather has been so rotten that we 
had to abandon that plan and head south to what will hopefully be calmer 
waters. It's been too rough to do a lot of science today, and it looks like 
it will still be too rough to do the CTD drop we have planned for tonight. 
A lot of people have spent the day in their bunks or on the couches in the 
lounge, trying not to feel too rotten, myself included.

When I was down in the mess hall getting lunch earlier, I was walking to 
get a fork when we hit a major swell. It felt like I was being squished 
into the floor, then all of a sudden I was totally airborne, taking three 
or four scrabbling steps just off the floor. It was the coolest floating, 
weightless sensation, but it took me completely by surprise. Everyone at 
the table laughed good-naturedly at my yelp and look of total disbelief.

Back to the old bunk until tomorrow!

-Steph
"Miss C-Sick"