Arrival at McMurdo Station
We (Heather and Linnea) checked in for our ice flight at 6:00am and boarded the plane at 8:00am. The flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica was about 5 hours. Most ice flights are on military aircraft (C17 or C130). However, we took an Airbus, which is basically a regular passenger plane; this means it had windows! We had the privilege of being able see the Trans-Antarctic Mountains on the Antarctic continent as we flew in to McMurdo station. It is the beginning of spring here, so the annual sea ice is still frozen for quite a distance; the ice edge was well past Ross Island and stretched out into the Ross Sea. Good ice is good news for our work with the seals! We have about a week’s worth of training before we can begin heading out onto the ice to scout for seals. In the mean time, we will set up our equipment in the lab – which is why we are here ahead of the rest of the team – and get settled into life at McMurdo.
Written by: Heather Liwanag