Breaking The Ice

 I have been at Rothera for just over a month now and I certainly feel as if this is my home. It is quite wonderful just how quickly a new place and lifestyle can become your new world!  I'll start from my arrival. I vividly remember our final day on the JCR as our team stood on monkey island and Rothera station came into sight. We excitedly watched as the wharf came closer and closer and orange blobs emerged. The current wintering team had positioned themselves around our landing point and were waving us in. I felt a mixture of emotions; sorrow as an epic journey and life at sea was coming to an end but overwhelmingly excited to take my first steps on Antarctic 'soil' (anything below 66.33 °  S is officially considered to be true Antarctica).   Finally, we were arriving at our home for the next 15 months!  Ryan, the Marine Assistant, and I leapt off the ship and excitedly bounded up the path to the main building: New Bransfield House. ...

I excitedly write this blog post from Rothera Research Station, the JCR’s final destination after having completed all of its 'first calls'- essentially delivering cargo and new wintering teams. Each station will now experience a 6-10 week handover period while the JCR travels north, back to the Falkland Islands, to collect more supplies. The JCR will then complete its final round of 'last calls' at each station by   collecting the outgoing wintering teams and summer only staff as their season draws to a close in February.  From my last post I left you at Signy Research Station, 60 o south. After a couple of days of efficient cargo delivery and opening the station, we took a bearing south and headed towards the Antarctic peninsula.   Adelaide Island- west of the West Antarctic Peninsula The marine mammal excitement continued as we sighted our first Antarctic minke whale at 61 o south. Antarctic minke whales are most abundant south of 60 o  durin...

On 15th December, we passed 60 °  south which officially means that we are in Antarctica! The day unfolded like no other on board - whilst climbing up onto Monkey Island, I caught a glimpse of dorsal fins in my peripheral vision. As I hurried onto the deck, Ryan had already spotted a male orca, two females and then.... a calf surfaced right next to its mother. The group were so close to the boat that   we could see them perfectly.  Orca,  Orchinus orca,  are a species with a cosmopolitan distribution. Within the orca species, different ecotypes have been identified according to ocean basins ie. North Atlantic ecotypes, North Pacific and Antarctic. Ecotypes arise due to evolutionary processes which generate genetically distinct populations that can no longer interbreed. Orca ecotypes often look different, prey upon different food sources, maintain geographically distinct ranges and even adopt different vocal communication. When implementing conservation meas...