Scotia Sea
This morning brought us continued fine conditions as Endeavour made her way east towards the jewel of the sub-Antarctic, South Georgia. Albatross and Giant petrels, our constant companions, were joined by flocks of Pintado petrels, wheeling gracefully around the stern. Keen-eyed observers soon spotted groups of Fur seals swimming around the ship, leaping in a seemingly synchronized water ballet, apparently oblivious to the cold. And cold it is, both water and air temperatures dropping throughout the morning. By late morning it became clear that we were crossing the Antarctic Convergence, the biological boundary separating the warmer waters of the north from the colder, super-productive water mass that surrounds the White Continent.
The afternoon brought change, the one constant in this dynamic environment. Northerly winds increased and the sea became a bit more bumpy, although conditions remained remarkably benign for these latitudes. Late in the day excitement quickened as the call went out—icebergs ahead! Our first floating ice isles were spotted, and despite the raw wind and a bit of spray over the bow, many enthusiastic observers and photographers streamed out on deck. These icebergs have been adrift for years, possibly originating from the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, on the east side of the Antarctic peninsula. Sculpted by wave action during their journey north, we see them here in South Georgia waters near the end of their lives—as currents continue to push them northwards into warmer water they will break apart and melt rapidly in the next year or two.
In the early evening we were treated to still more icebergs along with a sighting of some of the tiniest and most remote oceanic islands in the world—Shag Rocks, pictured here in the distance behind the iceberg. These pinnacles lie 140 nautical miles west of South Georgia and are so named for their avian inhabitants—scores and scores of Blue-eyed Shags. As we passed close on the northern side of the rocks, hundreds of shags flew out around Endeavour for a closer look at this strange new potential nesting site. Unsatisfied by our continued headway, the birds eventually returned to their permanent home while we pressed on for tomorrow’s exciting rendezvous with South Georgia.
This morning brought us continued fine conditions as Endeavour made her way east towards the jewel of the sub-Antarctic, South Georgia. Albatross and Giant petrels, our constant companions, were joined by flocks of Pintado petrels, wheeling gracefully around the stern. Keen-eyed observers soon spotted groups of Fur seals swimming around the ship, leaping in a seemingly synchronized water ballet, apparently oblivious to the cold. And cold it is, both water and air temperatures dropping throughout the morning. By late morning it became clear that we were crossing the Antarctic Convergence, the biological boundary separating the warmer waters of the north from the colder, super-productive water mass that surrounds the White Continent.
The afternoon brought change, the one constant in this dynamic environment. Northerly winds increased and the sea became a bit more bumpy, although conditions remained remarkably benign for these latitudes. Late in the day excitement quickened as the call went out—icebergs ahead! Our first floating ice isles were spotted, and despite the raw wind and a bit of spray over the bow, many enthusiastic observers and photographers streamed out on deck. These icebergs have been adrift for years, possibly originating from the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, on the east side of the Antarctic peninsula. Sculpted by wave action during their journey north, we see them here in South Georgia waters near the end of their lives—as currents continue to push them northwards into warmer water they will break apart and melt rapidly in the next year or two.
In the early evening we were treated to still more icebergs along with a sighting of some of the tiniest and most remote oceanic islands in the world—Shag Rocks, pictured here in the distance behind the iceberg. These pinnacles lie 140 nautical miles west of South Georgia and are so named for their avian inhabitants—scores and scores of Blue-eyed Shags. As we passed close on the northern side of the rocks, hundreds of shags flew out around Endeavour for a closer look at this strange new potential nesting site. Unsatisfied by our continued headway, the birds eventually returned to their permanent home while we pressed on for tomorrow’s exciting rendezvous with South Georgia.
