NZ's extreme mission: Where -20C is 'pleasant weather'

Professor Gary Wilson, Director of New Zealand Antarctica Research Institute (NZARI) pictured in Antarctica. Photo / Alan Gibson

The Herald will be travelling to Antarctica this summer to meet Kiwi scientists investigating what the frozen continent has meant for our past and what it might mean for our future. In the first of a series of lead-up interviews, Professor Gary Wilson, director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute answered these questions from Scott Base about plans for a monitoring point at far-flung Cape Adare.

1. Firstly, can you tell us a little about the natural setting of Cape Adare. Just how remote and extreme is its environment?

Cape Adare is a narrow peninsula that sticks out nearly 50km into the Southern Ocean.
It is at the northwestern corner of the Ross Sea, some 750km north of Scott Base.

It will take us several days to get there - two flights to get to Cape Hallett (700km away) and then another hop using a helicopter to get the last 100km to Cape Adare.

At this time of year, the cape is still surrounded by sea ice, but it is far enough north that it won't last long so the expedition has to be completed by December 1 when things start to melt up there.

But, going up there early in the Antarctic Spring means we'll have to put up with some fairly challenging weather - winds of more than 100km/h for days on end.

It means we'll have to make sure everything is well anchored down, but our weather reports tell us that in between the storms we should expect some very pleasant weather, little wind and temperatures between -20C and -10C.

2. What has been the history between the cape and mankind. When did we first reach it and how accessible is it to humans?

One of the first expeditions to land in Antarctica was the British Antarctic expedition at the turn of the last century, when Carsten Borchgrevink wintered over in a hut that he built at Cape Adare amongst the penguin colony.

Scott's Northern Party established another hut there in 1911, where they also wintered over.

Borchgrevink's hut is still standing today, but the hut from Scott's Northern Party is in ruins.

Both expeditions landed by ship.

Cape Adare and nearby Robertson's Bay is still pretty difficult to access by ship - there are strong currents offshore that accumulate pack ice and ice bergs against the cape, which makes landing near impossible at times.

3. What is it about the cape's position at the edge of Robertson Bay and between Antarctic and Southern Ocean pressure systems that makes it an ideal "sentinel for change"?

Antarctica is most likely to be affected from warmth propagating into the continent from the Southern Ocean.

Robertson Bay is a fairly deep bay connected to the outer shelf of Antarctica, so we're hoping that our studies might identify any warm water incursions that have spilled over the shelf edge and into the Ross Sea, and on into Antarctica's interior beneath the floating Ross Ice Shelf.

Equally, Cape Adare itself sits well into the cyclones that circle the Antarctic Continent so we're hoping to see evidence of change in those weather patterns.

Professor Gary Wilson. Photo / Alan Gibson

4. Further, what might the large colony of Adelie penguins nearby be able to tell us about larger changes in the Antarctic environment?

Finding ways to monitor changing environments in a comprehensive way is quite difficult and knowing whether changes are part of a longer-term trend or just variability will take a long time to determine.

But, the penguins and other wildlife at Cape Adare will hopefully provide a good monitoring tool.

We expect that the overall health and success of the colony will be linked to the changing environment and that the colony's response will integrate a number of variables over a period of time.

5. The pilot study you'll be conducting this year will be a first step. What will determine whether the spot is suitable for a research station?

At this point there have been so few expeditions to Cape Adare, we are yet to determine what species of plants and animals, in the ocean and on land, are there and which of those are likely to be sensitive to changing environments.

Once we've been able to establish that, we should be able to develop a more comprehensive research and monitoring plan to track the environment as it changes of the next decade.

Photo / iStock

6. If a station is established there, what form might it take and how would it be operated?

It's early days.

But, the station will be designed for the science task, so until we have answers from this year's expedition we are not entirely sure.

I do think station is not the right word to describe it.

It will be more like a remote summer camp to work from and keep the scientist and instruments safe.

We only expect to operate in the summer months and leave various sensors operating through the winter to get a full seasonal cycle of observations.

But all of that is a few years off and we'll need to obtain permits for something linger term.

7. Venturing to the extremes of a hostile place like Cape Adare seems true to the Kiwi spirit of adventure. Does this project mark one of our more ambitious feats on the ice?

We've been planning this expedition for nearly two years.

It's pretty complex to get about six tons of camp get, scientific equipment, people and food to such a remote location.

But any expedition that far away from Scott Base takes the same effort and planning.

That said, yes, we'll have to weather some big storms in tents and small structures, so it might be a bit sobering at times but we've prepared for it and everyone's pretty excited at this point - and maybe a little nervous.