Whale tails

Slight delay in posting due to need to catch up with image processing: I filled my 8gb card twice, in a day. It's also been quite a busy period for work, but all data and image processing up to date now and much further between stations (40 miles instead of 4) and they are deeper so more time for work and non-work. First cardful was Southern Right Whales in the morning and then Humpback Whales in the afternoon. Conditions not ideal for photography but managed to find a good setting on the camera, came in and wiped the snow from the lens every so often and then had a play in Lightroom.

Southern Right Whale fluking:

And Humpback Whales

Humpback Whale spyhopping

And a couple of others


And a final Black-browed Albatross

More icy photos

Quick trip up to the bow while we were stopped on station, Sea spray from the last couple of days has been freezing on it in temperatures down to -9. Another Southern Right Whale yesterday, unfortunately just too far away for a photo as it hung around by a small piece of ice with about 15 Chinstrap Penguins on, much as the one the day before had hung around the ship.

Southern Right Whale (and it's cold)

Just as I was about to turn in yesterday news went round the ship that there was a whale close in on the starboard side. Turned out to be a Southern Right Whale, a relatively rare species but one I've seen a few times this trip (including a brief view of a tail earlier in the day). It continued to hang around the ship, coming within a few metres at times.

Split 'V' shaped blow




Arched jawline


Right Whales also don't have a dorsal fin

Quite close!

It showed the tail properly once but I was in the wrong place for a photo at the time. Interestingly, as it did, a second Southern Right Whale stuck its tail up as well:
It regular showed its tail flat on the surface but didn't raise it again


Also of note yesterday was the temperature, reaching -9C during the day, which is cold enough for the sea spray to freeze, and given that we were pushing into a force 7 at times (south-westerly, straight from the area of sea ice), there was a fair bit of spray. We now have light northerlies and the temperature is a balmy -2.

Hive of inactivity

After a day and a half swathing - mapping the sea floor with a wide echosounder - we hove to for a day while the engineers fixed a problem with the driveshaft. Wasn't a simple job but it seems to have worked. The delay was annoying but a working ship is obviously the priority. Meant we all had a chance to get out on deck and enjoy the Chinstrap Penguins that always congregate around the boat in these areas, together with the Giant Petrels.

Chinstrap Penguins

Penguin watchers

Young Southern Giant Petrels socialising

White morph Southern Giant Petrel

Whales, Ice, Penguins, Albatrosses - just the usual

We're well in to the science now and have completed the first set of CTDs - measuring temperature, salinity and oxygen down to just (10m) above the sea floor and collecting water on the way up (if the bottles seal, which they haven't been doing as well as they should) for carbon dioxide and trace gas measurements. The trace gases, especially CFC's, are a good tracer of recently formed bottom water that is sinking to the bottom of the ocean, taking some (about 40%) of our carbon dioxide emissions with it, as well as carbon that is part of the natural cycle. As there were no CFC's before we started making them about 50 years ago, if we find high concentrations at depth, then the water must have sunk recently. The water sinks due to getting very cold and also through increased salinity in the water left behind as sea ice forms - the ice itself is mostly fresh water. The average residence time of bottom water is about 1500 years so the water that is rising to replace the sinking water has carbon levels typical of 500AD, plus all the organic material that has decomposed into it, but that is more closely balanced by what is sinking now. We're currently having a break from CTDs to map a deep passage that we think most of the water is going through.

Swath screen giving the depth of the seabed - the beams extend about 55 degrees each side of the ship.

Anyway, enough science and on with the photos.

Me releasing a Kerguelen Petrel that had come onto the bridge wing overnight. Photo courtesy of Jo the doc.


Some preliminary entries into the unofficial airborne penguin photo competition - OK but to be improved on. Chinstrap Penguins often come and hang around the ship when we stop.


Grey-headed Albatross - beautiful bird but still trying for a good photo

Male Wandering Albatross

Nortern Giant Petrel playing in the ship's updrafts
White morph Southern Giant Petrel
Some icebergs

And the whales. Fin Whales put on an excellent show yesterday, relieving some of the tedium of the swath survey. A conservative estimate is that there were 50 in the two hour period, some coming close in towards the boat. The large swept back fin is the key identication feature. The right lower jaw is also pale (not sure why they have asymettric markings). There have also been a couple of Southern Right Whales but no photos yet.


They were regularly lunging feeding at the surface. One actually breached, which is very unusual for a Fin Whale.
One of several continuous shooting sequences: