Pressure Ridge Tour

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I was lucky to get on a Pressure Ridge Tour last week. It was a great experience getting to see some unique views that you can only see in places like Antarctica.


First of all, what's a pressure ridge? Pressure ridges are huge ice formations that appear between floes of sea ice. Currents and winds create stress that causes chunks of ice to form and be forced up above the surface. The result are dramatic, huge "sculptures" of ice. Another bonus of touring pressure ridges is that seals are all over the place. Thin ice exists near pressure ridges, making it easier for seals to surface. Right now is pupping season for seals, so they spend considerable time hanging out on the ice, giving birth to and nursing pups.


Here are some pictures from our time. The biggest pressure ridges near McMurdo are on the sea ice near Scott Base, the Kiwi science base that is a mile away from us. There is a road that connects the two bases, and lots of positive cooperation exists between the two scientific efforts.



 Mt Erebus in the background, the southernmost active volcano in the world.

 

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