Log book: Read notes from aboard the Tara

While aboard the Tara Arctic Expedition, which lasted from summer of 2006 through January of 2008, expedition leader Grant Redvers took copious journal notes. MSNBC has selected excerpts from the log book, which can be found in full here. All notes are published unedited.

04/09/2006: Beginning of the drift!

At 1400 hours, with the help of the ice breaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, we moored Tara alongside a large ice floe that will serve as our home for the next two years.

At 79°53’N, 143°17’E we have 24 hours sunlight, allowing us to work around the clock to install the camp and scientific base. We have installed a meteorological station, undertaken preliminary tests with the CTD sound and started to prepare the boat systems for the coming winter. Fatigue is evident in everyone on board as we work to finish this work before the helicopters arrive in a few days.

Grant

12/09/2006: Winds at Over 40 Knots!

Position: Moored in the Arctic ice pack, 80°07’N, 143°29’E
Wind: 40 knots
Sea Ice: Stable
Visibility: Poor
Cloud Cover: Cloudy, 8/8
Air Temperature: -1°C
Water Temperature: -1°C

The barometer fell through the floor overnight and we are now experiencing our first small Arctic gale. With winds peaking over 40 knots this will not be the biggest storm we experience, however it is the first blow we have had since arriving in the pack ice. Due to the wind the pack ice has started to close in and we now have less open water on our starboard side, the increased pressure giving Tara a very slight list to port side. With the poor conditions we were unable to undertake a CTD sounding today, focusing instead on securing and checking material outside. This together with routine jobs such as collecting ice to melt for water and clearing the deck of ice took up most of the day. Late afternoon we took advantage of the bad weather to have our first Russian lesson with Victor and Gamet. Translating Russian to English and then French will ensure that we are all trilingual by the end of winter.

Grant

28/09/2006: The lord of the Arctic

Position: Drifting, 81°11.7’N, 147°47.4’E
Course and Speed: ESE, 0.3kts
Wind: SE, 0 – 5 kts
Sea Ice: Broken pack with new ice on pools
Visibility: Excellent
Sunrise: 0645
Sunset: 1708
Cloud Cover: 3/8
Air Temperature: -7?C
Water Temperature: -1?C

Everyday for us is punctuated by an event that makes the moment memorable. Today was particularly special, we had our first encounter with a polar bear, the lord of the Arctic. This afternoon a young bear approached within meters of Tara. With a curious eye and nose held high he seemed intrigued by this strange foreign object in the ice.

Zagrey was soon onto the sent, proving his worth as our polar bear early warning system. However Tiksi, the pup, still has a lot to learn and was more interested in playing with the paparazzi on the deck. After a month with very little sign of other life in this polar desert we are all happy to finally meet one of the locals. However, we are now evermore aware of one of the potential hazards of venturing onto the sea ice.

Grant