Martin's Antarctic Visit  
January 2004  

Because a large area of the landfast ice in McMurdo Sound is now four years old and as much as 6-7 m thick, two U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are being used to make a channel through the ice to McMurdo Station. The channel allows a container ship and fuel tanker to get in and complete the annual resupply which is essential to the continued operation of McMurdo Station and South Pole Station.

I have done sea ice studies from both the icebreakers pictured here: the "Polar Sea" (left) on my first two visits to Antarctica in 1990-91 and 1991-92, and the "Polar Star" (right) in August and September 1992 in the Arctic Ocean. McMurdo Station can be seen between the two ships. Tim Buckley, our ALISON colleague in Barrow, has worked aboard these ships twice in the Arctic Ocean.

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