Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

y 6 enclosing some large tabular bergs one of which had overturned recently. There
was plenty of brash and sludge in Borge Bay. Temperatures remained rather lower
than in recent days, though not really cold.
Three days later there was a sudden drop in temperature to -21.7°C during the
night. In the morning it was -19.5°C, rising during the day to -17.8°C; the change was
felt by all of us. Next day it was even colder; it was blizzarding and felt very cold, the
temperature down to -24°C. By the 11 o’clock Ob it had risen to -18.4°C when Derek
and I went up to the top of Observation Bluff to see how the pack looked. The sea
was frozen and there were numbers of large bergs concentrated along the south
coasts of Signy and Coronation; the edge of the pack was about eight miles
southwest and not easily distinguishable. Prominent ice-blink was visible to the
south, so the pack was probably fairly extensive. We had to cut steps down as the
surface was very glazed and slippery.
Another few days and the temperature was -27.2°C, falling during the day to -
29°C , the pack unbroken to the horizon. The sea was still re-freezing and while
crossing Starfish Bay on the ice it began to groan and sag. The surface was sticky and
ice-axes went through in patches, so we got off it as soon as possible! 8 July was a
clear, crisp, sparkling morning, with the temperature at -25°C and powder snow
everywhere. I saw Derek on top of the crags and went up to join him. The pack was
unbroken to the horizon. Later the temperature rose a few degrees and next day it
was up to -18.6°C and continued rising during the day to -9°C. The sea was now
quite frozen over, except for an east-west lead just off the Robertson Islands. Pack fog
was forming over it, in a black cloud creeping in from the south. There were two
other leads each a few hundred yards long, just off Gourlay Point, aligned towards
the Divide, but it wasn't possible to distinguish the pack from the fast ice as the latter
was hummocked too.
The temperature next morning was -5°C; it was gloriously fine, falling during the
day to -13°C, and on 11 July it was fine again, the temperature down to -27.8°C,
falling further during the day to -32°C.. Derek and I went up to Observation Bluff in
fresh, floury, powder-snow and some deep drifts. The sun was low and casting
beautiful shadows, the sunlit snow sparkling in myriads of tiny points and the air
was full of diamonds. The spell of low temperatures and fine weather continued,
including a minimum overnight temperature of -33.4°C, our lowest yet. There was no
change in the ice situation; the bay ice was about 6 in to 1 ft thick.
Then in mid- July the temperature had begun to rise again, to -20.2°C in the
morning, having been -29°C at minimum the previous night. It rose during the day to
-13°C. The bay ice averaged 9 inches in thickness now, but in places it was over a foot
thick. I got about halfway through my task before it became too much and I could see
neither end of the line. So I turned back, and following a perfect curve, was heading
for Bare Rock and about to take a compass bearing, when the blizzard cleared a little
and I saw Berntsen Point. I changed direction and met Ralph on the way back; he
was coming out to look for me and helped pull the sounding sledge, which was now
heavily coated with ice. We had quite a struggle to get it up the hill. The temperature
next morning was about -18°C, but fell two degrees during the day. The bay ice was
about 1 ft thick now; was it thinner over deeper water?
Two days later the temperature was well down again; -27°C that morning and
falling 2 degrees during the day. Next morning it was -24°C and rose 2 degrees,
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