The Blog

Solar Halo A Solar Halo is an optical atmospheric phenomenon frequently seen in Antarctica. It is caused as a result of the scattering of light by ice particles suspended in the air. Such phenomena are usually encountered in the winter rather than summer when lower temperatures make such occurrences more likely. This spectacular photograph was taken by our very own Ice Team member Ian…

There is an ATM in Antarctica. In fact there are two machines (just in case one breaks down), making them the most southerly ATM’s in the world. They are located in McMurdo Station, a U.S. Antarctic research centre located on the southern tip of Ross Island and Antarctica’s largest community, capable of supporting up to 1,200 scientists and researchers. Although right now there are roughly…

Gateway to Antarctica. Above is a plaque found at the base of the Captain Scott statue in Christchurch, New Zealand. It reads: Christchurch is one of the main gateways to Antarctica. From the early 1900s, British expeditions used the Port of Lyttelton on their way to Antarctica. In 1955, Christchurch became the base for the United States Antarctic programme known as Operation D…

Time in Antarctica – Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone. Antarctica sits on every line of longitude, due to the South Pole being situated near the middle of the continent. Theoretically Antarctica would be located in all time zones, however areas south of the Antarctic Circle experience extreme day-night cycles near the times of the March and September equinoxes. This makes it…

Over the last six months we have been sent hundreds, if not thousands of questions from our loyal supporters, and often these go unanswered due primarily to lack of time to respond. Today we are offering you the chance to put your questions to the Ice Team. Please post your questions in the comments field below or email them to opsroom@thecoldestjourney.org. Some important notes: No more than 30…

Mount Erebus is the highest and most active volcano in Antarctica, it is located on the Ross Ice Shelf. One of the Volcanic Seven Summits, and the largest of 4 volcanoes that roughly forms the triangular Ross Island (Mt Erebus, and the extinct Mt. Bird to the north, Mt. Terra Nova and Mt. Terror to the east). Mount Erebus was discovered by explorer Caption James Clark Ross in 1841 and first…

Since we saw the sun for the first time earlier this week the weather has kept it hidden from view until today. So, this picture taken yesterday was just our second view of the sun. Cloud and a lot of drifting snow meant that we didn’t see it until its was at its highest point in the sky and it was a very brief encounter. Back to the twilight and darkness within a few hours. By Brian…

Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba) are small shrimp-like crustaceans and are a major item in the food chain of the Southern Ocean. They make up an estimated biomass of over 500,000,000 tonnes, roughly twice that of humans. Image courtesy of Uw…

Q1. What was your favourite subject at school? My favourite subject was always math. I was never very creative in my youth and with math, everything was always constant, you just had to fill in the blanks. Math was always the easiest for me to do well in, that is probably another reason why it was my favourite . Q2. What make was your first car? My first car was a blue 1989 Ford Grand Marquis. It…