The White Island Adventure

In January of 1981, a team of seven scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego set out to the Ross Ice Shelf near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for a yearlong study on Weddell seals. The team was led by Jerry Kooyman, and included Randy and Maria Davis, Mike Castellini, Bob Maue, Bill Stockton and Markus Horning. Together, we set up a small but cozy field station on the Ross Ice Shelf next to White Island, at 78 degrees South, where four of us - Randy, Maria, Mike and Markus - proceeded to live and work until December.

Our year at the White Island field station was one of unbelievable excitement, of breathtaking beauty and unimaginable fury of nature. It was back then and still is the only time a team with the US Antarctic Research Program spent an austral winter at a field camp.

The winter team in July of 1981 at White Ilsand, from left to right: Markus Horning, Randy Davis, Maria Davis, Mike Castellini.

During the year, our field station was entirely drifted in heavy storms, and the accumulated weight of the drift snow depressed the locally thin shelf ice around our camp, causing us to sink by mid-April. With the unwavering help from friends at McMurdo Station, we were able to dig out our huts and relocate to thicker ice. During the storms, we recorded wind-speeds well in excess of 100 knots. In April, air temperatures dropped below minus fifty-five degrees Celsius. Yet the fury of nature was more than compensated by spectacular displays of unimaginable beauty, in the shape of aurora australis, noctilucent clouds, and wondrous ice formations.

Enjoy the pictures of this incredible adventure,
and come back frequently as we will expand these
pages over the next few months.

This project was sponsored by a grant to G.L.Kooyman
from the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs

Back to The Great White South

LABB Home

LABB Site map for disability access

This page is hosted by the LABB. The LABB Logo and website are © M.Horning, 2000.
Please read our Policy on the free use of LABB images, artwork, documents and data from this site.

This page is HTML 4.0 Transitional validated