Antarctic Science on the move - relocation of Halley Research Station
British Antarctic Survey is getting ready to move its Halley Vl Research Station 23 km across the ice. This is the first time that the station, which has a re-locatable design to cope with life on a floating ice shelf, has been moved since it was towed from its construction site to its present location in 2012.
The station sits on Antarctica's 150m thick Brunt Ice Shelf. This floating ice shelf flows at a rate of 0.4 km per year west towards the sea where, at irregular intervals, it calves off as icebergs. Halley is crucial to studies into globally important issues including impacts of extreme space weather events (which cause billions of dollars in economic losses every year), climate change and atmospheric phenomena. It was scientific investigations from this location that led to the discovery of the Ozone hole in 1985.
As Halley are in the preparation of a big move with a large number of their work force having come through Rothera, I thought i would add a few pictures of my time at Halley during the build season, with the moving of the modules and linking them into the position they are in now. These pictures are from 2012.
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| The link bridge being fitted |
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| Modules being linked together |
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| Sunset over the link bridge |
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| The big red module |
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Me having a go on the Dobson Machine,
which measures the Ozone hole |
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| A few of the many thousand loaves we made |
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| Burning wood for our BBQ |
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| Chef on site |
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| Me in a back board, part of tunnel rescue training |
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| Getting ready to be moved |
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| Some of the fresh food from relief |
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| Adelie Penguin |
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Sledges and skidoos with the Ernest Shackleton
moored at creek 3 ready for relief |
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| Always time for a cup of tea. |
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| Me launching the weather balloon |
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| Always plenty of ice for refreshing food |
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Me, Ant Dubber, Chris Walton, Patrick Malloy
2012 season chefs |
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| In the dining room of the Drewry |
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| Having a go on a cherry picker |
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| The mighty Emperor Penguin |
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| This was a visit to the penguin colony |
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| The way to get around base |
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| The famous Halley Marathon |
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| An amazing sky |
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| Our home made freezer in the field |
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| Halley Vl from a Twin Otter |
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| Fuelling the sno-cat |
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| End of season, journey home |
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| Emperors come to wave us off |
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| We are all hoisted aboard on the Shackleton by the crane |
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| The Emperor Penguins follow us as we cast off |
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| Great journey home crossing the Drakes Passage on our way to the Falklands |
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