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flN.TflRCiT.IC A NEWS BULLETIN published quorterly by the NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY (INC) &S» Pause in history. New Zealand huskies from Scott Base rest outside Scott's hut at Cape Evans before resuming their journey up the lower slopes of Mt Erebus late in October. With the team is Con Faber, dog handler at Scott Base last winter. Photo by Colin Monteath Vol.9, No.4 wlmnKNew^ December, 1980 PGZMSP&GVEW1 SOUTH GEORGIA ".. SOUTH SANDWICH Is SOUTH ORKNEY Is ' \ *&2H ■ Sanae s a Noydlazarevskaya ussr 6Signy I.uk y\ //oOrcadas arg \ /^{ I Syowa sjapan \ K.E SOUTH AMERICA j/\ ff Borga I oo Molodezhnaya \y A- SOUTH t o N v r \ U S S R S \ SH€TIAN0>>. Wep0HMm,nmM ORONNING MAUD tANO• E N D E R B Y \ ) / ^ \ L A N D T V " \ Druhnayau s s r . ^^General J C * . ^Belgrano " " - »arc ^ > /\\ Mawson \ ANTARCTIC'7 MAC ROBERTSON LAND^ \ *ust \ /PENINSULA'* Sobldl ARG Davis aust ! 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CONTENTS ARTICLES AMUNDSEN'S KNIFE 142 POLAR ACTIVITIES NEW ZEALAND 110-113, 135-136 UNITED STATES 114-119 AUSTRALIA 120-121 JAPAN 126-129 UNITED KINGDOM 130-132 ARGENTINE 132-133 NORWAY 133 WEST GERMANY 136-138 EAST GERMANY 138-139 GENERAL TRANSGLOBE EXPEDITION 122-123 BIOMASS EXPERIMENT 134-135 SCAR MEETING 124-125 FIRST EMPEROR CHICK 140-141 TOURISM 113 ANTARCTIC CALENDAR 144 .SSN 0003-5327 © New Zealand Antarctic Society (Inc) 1978. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the prior permission of the publishers. 'iW*- ANTARCTIC December 1980 NEW ZEALAND FIELD WORK BEGINS Although southerly storms and blowing snow in October delayed the start of some field operations New Zealand's Antarctic research pro gramme for 1980-81 was in full swing by the middle of this month. After the first two months of the new season, which began officially on October 6, field parties or summer support staff from Scott Base were at work in the dry valleys of Victoria Land, on Mt Erebus, at Cape Bird, around McMurdo Sound, and on the Ferrar Glacier. Early this month the Royal New and survival team was on the job early, Zealand Air Force completed 12 flights and on October 17 tested its search and from Christchurch, using Hercules rescue equipment by travelling 26km wheeled aircraft, to provide logistic sup across the sea ice to White Island where port for the New Zealand and United it spent the night. Carl Thompson States programmes. This was the 16th (leader), John Prosser and Peter Som- season that the RNZAF had carried merville (field assistants) took with them passengers and cargo between New two members of the new winter team, Zealand and Antarctica. Between John Mackey and Bruce Scott. November 26 and December 6 its Her cules aircraft also transported some of DOGS ON EREBUS the material for the new accommodation block at Scott Base which is under con A five-day expedition up the icy slopes struction this season. behind Cape Royds to the lower slopes New Zealand's summer programme of Mt Erebus completed the transfer of began as soon as 20 New Zealanders on the 21 huskies at Scott Base to their new the first flight of the season by a United handler. Three men, Colin Monteath, States Air Force Starlifter reached Scott field officer, Antarctic Division, Con Base. The party included Mr N. C. Faber and Allan Taylor, left on October McPherson, executive officer, Antarctic 17 with a team of 1 f dogs and 272kg of Division, Mr R. J. Clark, officer-in- equipment. charge for the summer, and his deputy, They travelled north on the sea ice to Mr H. J. Webb, the 1981 winter team, Scott's hut at Cape Evans, and camped and key summer support staff. the night behind the Adelie penguin On the morning of October 9 the 11 rookery at Cape Royds about 30km men who spent last winter at Scott Base from Scott Base. During the night a completed their Antarctic service. The strong southerly wind broke out a huge leader, Mr C. A. Roper, hauled down section of sea ice stretching across his New Zealand flag, which had flown McMurdo Sound north of Cape Royds. at the base since February 14, and On October 18 the party began to handed over to Roger Clark. Two days make its way up the slopes behind Cape later 10 members of the winter team flew Royds, but it was checked by a violent back to Christchurch. Con Faber, the southerly storm when at 600mn. Tether dog handler, remained until November 4 ing the dogs and erecting a polar tent in to complete the handover of the dog 30 to 40-knot winds took three hours, teams to his successor, Allan Taylor. and the storm pinned the party down for By the beginning of the third week in 24 hours. October the summer support staff had A sudden clearance in the weather at settled in, and was busy preparing for midnight on October 19 enabled the the dispatch of Field parties, and engaged party to climb the extensive icefields in its duties at Scott Base. The snowcraft running up towards the Fang Glacier. In December 1980 ANTARCTIC A Scott Base dog team and its driver checked by a blizzard at 600m during a descent from 1700m on Mt Erebus towards Cape Royds early this season. Photo by Colin Monteath some parts the party had to push the thick and 100m from Cape Evans. Alex sledges from behind to help the dogs pull Pyne (leader), Barbara Ward, Paul Fitz uphill on the smooth ice. gerald, and Bruce Garrick, an Antarctic Division field assistant, returned to SUMMIT CLIMB Scott Base at 2 a.m. on October 29 Finally the dogs were tethered below exhausted after four hours of battling the west face of Erebus at 1770m. Allan high winds over the 20km of sea ice from Taylor remained with them while Con Cape Evans. Faber and Colin Monteath made a With winds of up to 67 knots for five 10-hour round trip to the summit area of days the party could do little except the volcano, which is 3794m high. Their read, write, eat, and sleep inside the climb in temperatures of minus 30deg tents, and wait for a lull in the storm. Celsius lay between that used by The constant flapping of the tents and Shackleton's 1908-1909 expedition, and the noise of cracking ice made sleep that used by Scott's 1911-1913 expedi difficult. tion, which made the second ascent. Both dogs and men had an exciting SLEDGES UPSET run over hard sastrugi snow to the sea ice near Cape Royds on October 20. Eventually, when there was a lull, the party decided to start for home. But the Before the final run home to Scott Base return journey was the worst part of the the party inspected Shackleton's hut and stormy week. The sea ice had been swept the Antarctic Division's survival hut. clear of snow by the gale to a glassy The historic hut was in perfect condition smoothness, and offered little traction after the winter. to the party's three motor toboggans A Victoria University of Wellington with their 453kg sledge load. Nearly all Field party which left Scott Base on the way south from Cape Evans the October 24 to recover cores from the motor toboggans were hit side on by seabed of McMurdo Sound was also pin high winds, and were continually pushed ned down by a storm — for Five days — off course. Every violent gust overturned in two tents pitched on cracking ice 5m the party's sledges. i^KS^HBrWKT ANTARCTIC December 1980 For the last two weeks of October undertaken by New Zealanders this Scott Base experienced southerly storms, season. although the winds sweeping down from This team will carry out geological the Polar Plateau brought consistently mapping in the Ferrar Glacier area as high temperatures. Earlier in the month part of a continuing programme to pro the temperatures had ranged from minus vide detailed geological mapping of the 45deg C to zero. Koettlitz Glacier-Blue Glacier reigon Towards the end of the month gale- northward to the dry valleys. The work force winds and blowing snow brought will continue last season's project in the the first field events to a standstill. Heli Blue Glacier region. copter operations were resumed on Dr R. H. Findlay is the leader of the November 2, and two field parties which team.