British Antarctic Survey Ships

Transcription

1 Brtsh Antarctc Survey Shps

2 The Antarctc contnent s one of the most solated places on Earth, surrounded by the world s roughest seas and protected by barrers of pack ce. To mantan ts presence n Antarctca and to carry out ts worldclass scentfc research programme, the Brtsh Antarctc Survey (BAS) operates two specally-desgned shps. RRS (Royal Research Shp) James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton are ce-strengthened wth powerful engnes and sophstcated manoeuvrng systems. As well as fulfllng a vtal role n transportng passengers and cargo to and from the Antarctc, the shps also carry out ocean research work. RRS James Clark Ross s prmarly a marne scence vessel for bologcal, oceanographc and geophyscal cruses. RRS Ernest Shackleton works manly as a logstcs vessel, transportng cargo, fuel and people. Both meet the hghest safety and techncal specfcatons. The shps are flagged n the Falkland Islands and ther home port s Stanley. At the end of the Antarctc summer, the shps sal north to work n the North Sea and Arctc or undergo refts and repars. In September or October they head south agan wth supples and personnel for the next season s operatons. The Royal Navy shp HMS Protector also supports BAS scence. The last contnent The frst person to sght Antarctca from a shp s now wdely accepted to be an Englshman, Wllam Smth, who spotted the tp of the Antarctc Pennsula durng a Royal Navy expedton n January However, durng the same month, a Russan, Admral Faban Gottleb von Bellngshausen, caught the frst glmpse of the man Antarctc contnent. The frst person to land on Antarctca was probably the captan of an Amercan whalng shp, John Davs, who went ashore n February 1821 at Hughes Bay on the Antarctc Pennsula. Image: RRS James Clark Ross (left) and RRS Ernest Shackleton.

3 The worst seas n the world The Antarctc s surrounded by the Southern Ocean the confluence of the Indan, Atlantc and Pacfc Oceans. Comprsng more than 10% of the world s ocean, the waters around Antarctca are cold, stormy and covered wth patches of ce. Although the Southern Ocean s harsh and nhosptable to humans, t s rch wth lfe and home to penguns, whales, seals and albatrosses. Beneath the waves the waters harbour an abundance of fsh, squd and krll. The Southern Ocean also plays a key role n global clmate. The Antarctc Crcumpolar Current, that solates the frozen contnent, s the most powerful ocean current system on the planet. The BAS shps that operate n Antarctc waters have to be able to cope wth the fercest storms, hgh wnds and the largest waves on Earth. Wth waves sometmes exceedng 10 metres n heght, t s no wonder salors refer to these lattudes as the Roarng 40s, Furous 50s, and Screamng 60s. For those travellng to Antarctca by sea, partcularly those unaccustomed to lfe onboard shp, ths can make the journey extremely uncomfortable. One of the greatest hazards for shps s ce. In wnter, sea ce s frozen around the Antarctc coast. In places, ths floats away from land n massve sheets called pack ce. There are also cebergs to contend wth huge lumps of ce that have calved away from the ce shelves and glacers surroundng the contnent. In the past, many shps have become trapped n the pack ce. Most famously, n 1915, the legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton s shp, Endurance, was crushed by the ce. Although hs expedton faled and hs shp was lost, n a remarkable undertakng, he managed to brng all hs men to safety. Breakng the ce Both BAS shps are ce-strengthened and desgned to plough through most of the ce they encounter. Navgatng through pack ce requres specalst skll and tranng. Often t nvolves carvng the easest path but sometmes t amounts to sheer brute force. Here s a descrpton of the process from the shp s dary of RRS James Clark Ross: Suddenly the bow contacts the edge of the sold ce and the ar s full of bangs, crashes, scratchng, screamng, tearng, scrapng and crackng. The floor shakes, moves and vbrates wth each crack and the whole shp s rocked from sde to sde. Image: RRS Ernest Shackleton n a force 12 storm.

4 Logstcs BAS operates four research statons n and around Antarctca as well as managng an addtonal research staton on South Georga. Durng the Antarctc summer there can be more than 250 scentsts and support personnel statoned around the contnent. Everythng they need to survve and work needs to be mported by ar or sea. Those 50 or so who reman n Antarctca durng the wnter need adequate supples for over sx months of solaton. The BAS shps are a lfelne to the UK s presence n Antarctca. They supply the statons wth food, drnk, equpment and nfrastructure. Wth the excepton of sewage and food, they also remove all waste generated by BAS operatons. If a new buldng s to be constructed, the shps wll supply the materals. Any demolton and the shps wll take away the debrs. Onboard shp Most people workng for BAS travel to Antarctca va the Falkland Islands or Punta Arenas, Chle. They wll then ether fly to ther fnal destnaton or travel by shp. The largest Brtsh research staton n Antarctca, Rothera, has a gravel runway whch can accommodate BAS s four-engned Dash 7 arcraft. Others wll travel to and from Antarctca by sea, partcularly those statoned at Halley, whch s bult on a floatng ce shelf and almost exclusvely suppled by shp. For many, ths wll be ther frst tme onboard shp and apart from the, often volent, movement of the vessel there are new customs to get acquanted wth. As well as learnng all the mportant safety procedures, staff are expected to help wth cleanng, cookng and cargo handlng. However, both shps do have a gym, sauna, DVDs and a bar. From the dary of RRS Ernest Shackleton It s amazng the varetes of jobs that go on durng the daly routne of lfe onboard. The fve [BAS scentsts] are not spared as they get enlsted to assst n repars, pantng, puttng up smoke extractors n the common room and mechancal jobs down below decks n the Engne Workshop. The meteorologsts are gettng ther ntroducton to makng daly observatons on the brdge and our Cadets are also gettng some good tranng from the Deck Offcers as tme and operatons permt. Image: Careful packng of the hold onboard RRS Ernest Shackleton.

5 Scence Both RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton are equpped as floatng laboratores. Because they can operate n the harshest of condtons, they are perfectly suted to studyng the oceans surroundng the Earth s polar regons. Research cruses seek to tackle a dverse range of scentfc questons ncludng the mpacts of clmate change, the effects of change on marne organsms, the mpacts of fshng and the geologcal hstory of the planet. The shps have wet and dry laboratores and specalst samplng equpment as well as wnches and cranes to lower experments nto the sea. Case study bology and bongos There s a long hstory of over-explotaton of Antarctc marne lfe. In the 19th century ths meant whalng. In the 21st century the man problem s over-fshng. Managng these natural resources requres scentfc knowledge that can only be obtaned by detaled studes of the food web. Ths nvolves examnng the whole ecosystem from the smallest bactera rght through to the largest predator. One of the key components of the food web s rght at the bottom. It s been estmated that copepods fngernal szed crustaceans make up the greatest mass of any many-celled organsm n the world s oceans. Ther stocks have a major effect on hgher anmals. To study them, BAS scentsts lower specal nets known as bongo nets over the sdes of the shp. These nets are dropped to 400m then brought back up catchng all the crustaceans above them. Speces are then dentfed and counted to gve an ndcaton of the number n the water. Ths nformaton can then be used to help understand and assess the health of the Antarctc ecosystem. Image: Lowerng bongo nets over the sde of RRS James Clark Ross.

6 RRS James Clark Ross s one of the most sophstcated marne research vessels afloat. Bult by Swan Hunter Shpbulders at Wallsend on the Rver Tyne, t was launched by the Queen n December The shp s powered by desel engnes whch drve an electrc propulson system. In open waters the vessel can travel at a steady 12 knots for more than 50 days at sea. In pack ce of up to one metre thck, the engnes can drve the shp at a constant two knots. To help break through heavy pack ce, the shp s also equpped wth a specal compressed ar system whch forces water from one sde of the shp to the other causng the shp to roll. Ths rollng prevents the pressure of the ce from squeezng and damagng the hull. The ce-strengthened hull, the propulson and other shp s systems are desgned for extremely quet operatons. They prevent background nose from nterferng wth the performance of senstve underwater research equpment. Bow and stern thrusters combned wth a joystck control system allow for extremely precse manoeuvrng and postonng for scentfc work. Who was James Clark Ross? Admral Sr James Clark Ross ( ) s one of Brtan s most successful early polar explorers. He dscovered the North Magnetc Pole n 1831 before gong on to make three voyages to Antarctca. In 1841 he dscovered a barrer of ce, later to be renamed the Ross Ice Shelf. In the same year he was amazed to dscover an actve volcano, whch he called Mount Erebus after one of hs shps. The volcano was later to provde a backdrop to Scott s and Shackleton s expedtons to Antarctca. Image: RRS James Clark Ross n heavy sea ce.

7 Scence on RRS James Clark Ross Wth well equpped laboratores, computer sutes, cranes and wnches, the shp s deally suted to ts scentfc role. Its equpment ncludes a compressor bank to power a large sesmc ar gun array; ths s used to fre sound waves nto the seabed. The echo that s reflected off the rock and back to the shp s pcked up by underwater mcrophones called hydrophones. The nformaton s then processed by computers to determne the undersea geology. The sedments of the Southern Ocean contan a record of the past and provde scentsts wth nformaton on the hstory of ce coverage n the area. These can be vtal for understandng past clmate patterns and predctng future global clmate change. The mdshps gantry of RRS James Clark Ross s used to lower eght tonne corers, capable of obtanng 30 metre-deep sedment cores from the sea bed. To obtan bologcal samples, from the smallest plankton to the largest fsh, the vessel s able to deploy a wde range of samplng equpment, ncludng trawl nets, to nvestgate stocks of commercal speces of fsh. Wnches are used to lower equpment or tow nets behnd the shp and the 25 metre-long afterdeck gves plenty of space for operatng equpment or for housng small contanersed laboratores. For oceanographc research, the chemcal, physcal and bologcal characterstcs of the surface sea water can be montored contnuously by electronc sensors. Insde, there are wet laboratores to study lve bologcal samples or messy sedments. There are also dry laboratores, specalsed areas for chemcal or physcal analyss, and a central scentfc control room. From the dary of RRS James Clark Ross The frst objectve for the week was to map the bathymetry [depth] of the sea floor, usng SWATH (a term used for echo soundng a swath of ground on the seabed).we re pngng 191 lttle pngers every 20 seconds. These send pulses out that bounce back from the sea floor to the shp, lke an echo. The length of tme t takes them to do ths tells us the dstance to the seafloor and maps the topography Tradtonally, swath surveys are conducted n horrble weather. The words t s for the sake of scence are uttered often through grtted teeth as all onboard batten everythng down for yet another lumpy day! Image: Deployment of the benthc sledge from RRS James Clark Ross on a snowy mornng n Marguerte Bay, Antarctca.

8 RRS James Clark Ross factfle Shp type Lloyds +100A1 ICE CLASS IAS + LMS UMS (Research/Survey/Cargo) Year bult: 1990 Length overall: metres Breadth: metres Loaded dsplacement: 7,767 tonnes Deadweght: 2,887 tonnes Gross tonnage: 5,732 tonnes Speed: 12 knots Endurance: 57 days Scentfc facltes: Accommodaton: Cargo: Propulson: Personnel: 6 laboratores plus workshops and control areas 20 cabns (1, 2 and 4 berth) 1,500m 3 general cargo Desel Electrc, sngle fxed propeller, 8,500SHP (shaft horse power) Bow thruster, controllable 360, 10 tonnes thrust Stern thruster, controllable 360, 4 tonnes thrust The maxmum number of personnel onboard s lmted to 80 (27 Offcers/Crew, 1 Doctor and 52 Expedton Personnel) Image: Part of the orgnal plans for RRS James Clark Ross.

9 RRS Ernest Shackleton was bult n Norway n 1995 for the Norwegan company, Reber Shppng of Bergen. Orgnally named MV Polar Queen, t was acqured by BAS n August 1999, renamed and re-regstered n the Falkland Islands. As a versatle support and research vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton s deally suted for operaton n polar waters. The ce-strengthened shp s prmary role s a wde range of logstcs tasks, provdng support to BAS operatons. However, the shp also has a scentfc capablty and on most voyages a small research team works onboard. Scence facltes nclude dry and wet laboratores, cranes, and surveyng and oceanographc equpment. When used for Antarctc work, the shp sals from the UK to South Amerca or drectly to the Falkland Islands. However, she s also deployed n the northern hemsphere for up to 120 days per year, workng n a support and survey role. Desgned to cruse at 12 knots n open water, RRS Ernest Shackleton s equpped wth two powerful desel engnes as well as a sophstcated manoeuvrng system. The shp also has a helcopter deck. It s the only BAS shp used to supply the solated Antarctc staton at Halley every year. Who was Ernest Shackleton? RRS Ernest Shackleton s named after the famous polar explorer. Sr Ernest Shackleton ( ) frst travelled to Antarctca on the Brtsh Dscovery expedton of He went south agan n 1908 when he came wthn 97 nautcal mles of the South Pole. But he s best remembered for hs faled attempt to cross the contnent n After a wnter trapped n the pack ce, hs shp, Endurance, was eventually crushed. The men s epc journey from the Weddell Sea to South Georga remans one of the greatest-ever tales of survval under the most extreme crcumstances. Image: RRS Ernest Shackleton anchored to the sea ce.

10 A lfelne to Antarctca Transportng cargo, people, food and supples to Antarctca s a major logstcal undertakng whch starts many months before the shps sal. By the end of August most cargo needs to be ready for loadng and careful records are kept to ensure everythng s packed correctly and reaches ts correct destnaton. An oversght at ths stage and an mportant pece of equpment could reman n the UK, on the other sde of the world from the scentst that needs t. As well as BAS equpment and supples, personal possessons also need to be shpped south. Wth some people remanng n Antarctca for up to two-anda-half years, what to take and what to leave behnd requres a good deal of thought. RRS Ernest Shackleton s usually loaded at Immngham n October and t can take up to 10 long days before the holds are full and the shp s ready for the journey south. From the UK to the Falkland Islands takes 27 days passage. On arrval, t s a further sx days salng to Rothera and almost two weeks to Halley. Unloadng at Rothera s relatvely straghtforward as the staton has a wharf. At Halley there s only ce, so a sutable natural dock has to be found before the cargo can be unloaded onto sledges and hauled n trans by snowmobles across the ce shelf. The only year that thck pack ce prevented the shp from makng t to Halley was n A decson was taken to anchor the shp n comparatve safety over 300 klometres away and ferry passengers and essental supples usng four BAS Twn Otter arcraft. From the dary of the RRS Ernest Shackleton The far Shackleton went to sea and straght out nto a gale force 8 n the Englsh Channel. For those new joners who had never experenced the Polar Roller before, t was a bt of an awakenng. Not that many of them have been awake snce leavng land on Thursday As we turned the corner nto the Bay of Bscay, there was a slght relef from the ptchng. She started to roll nstead. Ether way, the mass of papers strewn all over the offce floors and the cabns pays testmony to the moton of the ocean and we are all hopng for an mprovement n the next days, so we can walk the alleyways wthout bouncng off the walls lke so many pnball machne balls. Image: RRS Ernest Shackleton durng relef of Halley Staton.

11 RRS Ernest Shackleton factfle Shp type DnV +1A1 ICEBREAKER ICE 05 EO HELIDK ICS DYNPOS-AUTR W1 (Research/Survey/Cargo) Year bult: 1995 Length overall: 80 metres Breadth: 17 metres Loaded dsplacement: 5,455 tonnes Deadweght: 1,910 tonnes Gross tonnage: 4,028 tonnes Speed: 12 knots n open water Endurance: 130 days Scentfc facltes: Accommodaton: Cargo: Hel-Deck: Propulson: Personnel: Dry lab, wet lab, craneage for package deployment 37 cabns (1, 2, 3 and 4 berth) 3,000m 3 general cargo Maxmum Helo weght 10 tonnes Maxmum Helo rotor dameter 20 metres 2 x Desel Man Engnes, 7,200SHP (shaft horse power), drvng varable ptch propeller n nozzle 360 retractable azmuth thruster, 1,100SPH 1 x tunnel thruster, 1,100SPH 3 x tunnel thrusters, 800SHP The maxmum number of personnel onboard s lmted to 72 (22 Offcers/Crew and 50 Expedton Personnel) For more nformaton on BAS shps ncludng full techncal specfcaton, tnerares and dares of lfe onboard shp, please vst the BAS webste: Image: Part of the orgnal plans for RRS Ernest Shackleton.

12 Brtsh Antarctc Survey (BAS), a component of the Natural Envronment Research Councl, delvers and enables world-leadng nterdscplnary research n the Polar Regons. Its sklled scence and support staff based n Cambrdge, Antarctca and the Arctc, work together to delver research that uses the Polar Regons to advance our understandng of Earth as a sustanable planet. Through ts extensve logstc capablty and know-how BAS facltates access for the Brtsh and nternatonal scence communty to the UK polar research operaton. Numerous natonal and nternatonal collaboratons, combned wth an excellent nfrastructure help sustan a world-leadng poston for the UK n Antarctc affars. Brtsh Antarctc Survey, Hgh Cross, Madngley Road, Cambrdge, CB3 0ET, UK Emal: nfo@bas.ac.uk NERC All rghts reserved.