Arctic diary: Explorers’ ice quest
Information from the BBC News Website
A team of polar explorers has travelled to the Arctic in a bid to discover how quickly the sea-ice is melting and how long it might take for the ocean to become ice-free in summers.
Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley will be using a mobile radar unit to record an accurate measurement of ice thickness as they trek more than 1,000km to the North Pole.
The trio will be sending in regular diary entries, videos and photographs to BBC News throughout their expedition.
The Catlin Arctic Survey team started its gruelling trek on 28 February.
From Pen Hadow:
On Saturday we were finally dropped off at our starting point - I think we all felt a sense of wonder as the light aircraft left us alone on the ice. Excitement and anticipation for the journey ahead.
We’d been making good progress and in the first three days covered about 16.5km - taking into account the ice drifting about.�
The team was dropped off on to the ice on SaturdayThat’s an average of about 5.5km a day - which might not sound like a lot, but when you are hauling 120kg of equipment I can assure you that it’s good going!
Tuesday night was a bit eventful. Just after we’d eaten and were about to bed down for the night, we heard the ice breaking up around us.
It got louder at about 0300, and on checking, we saw a ridge only about 10m from the tent.
I decided that it was about time to beat a hasty retreat, which we duly did, managing to haul our gear across a narrow gap in the ice before setting up camp in a safer place.
We are now getting back on our way north, taking ice measurements with the radar along the way.
From Martin Hartley:
Because of the freezing temperatures some of the equipment has been playing up - so to try to keep it functioning I’m sleeping with cables, cameras, batteries and other communications gadgets.
Sleep is difficult at the best of times - but it’s even harder with this lot.
Our fast getaway from the disintegrating ice on Tuesday night has added to the sleeplessness - so we decided on a rest day.
Once we’d re-camped in a safer place, we managed to sleep through until the afternoon and when we woke up we found ourselves surrounded by open water - we expect this will freeze over during the night so that we can get on first thing in the morning. �
From Ann Daniels:
Martin’s not the only one having problems with equipment!
I’ve been walking around since the first night with a fuel pump inside my clothing.
Like Martin’s kit, our cooking stoves were struggling - the fuel pumps were leaking fuel - it seemed the best way to keep the pump warm!
I have to say, Pen and Martin were heroes on Tuesday night - going outside at three in the morning to check on the breaking ice - they only had their night gear on at the time so it would have been unbearably cold.
Please visit the BBC News website to see Pen Hadow explain how the team’s radar will measure ice thickness.
Tags: Ann Daniels, cas, Catlin Arctic Survey, Martin Hartley, pen h, Polar Exploration
