Expeditions
A selection of photos from research voyages to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica
In reverse chronological order
QUICCHE Research Cruise to the Cape Basin, South Atlantic, March 2023
(Team members: Sebastiaan Swart, Sam Fredriksson, Isabelle Giddy, Johan Edholm, Estel Font & Michaela Edwinson)
Polar Glider in Gothenburg joined forces with scientists from the Universities of Miami, Cape Town, Rhode Island, and Bangor to investigate the fine scale ocean and leakage of Agulhas Current waters into the South Atlantic Ocean. Setting sail from Cape Town with R/V Roger Revelle, we spent 26 days at sea, with a myriad of oceanographic technologies, including a Seaglider, two SeaExplorers, two Sailbuoys, a Wave glider, a WireFlyer, two CPIES, nine EM-APEX floats, two moorings, and a vertical microstructure profiler. The combination of instruments will give us an unprecedented view into fine scale processes in the most energetic part of the ocean globally.
Round the southernmost tip off Africa.
We’ve won, we’ve lost, we’ve learnt, we’ve discovered.
Withstood swells and currents worthy of their reputation.
Upon seemingly a lone royal blue spec heaving in the middle of the Cape Cauldron,
Less a lonely storm petrel to be seen, fluorescent pyrosome, light-addicted squid
The dark moonless nights beam, reminder that somewhere SWOT is circling, watching.
We have gathered in our watches, tirelessly, happily for the last 27 days, tight bonds, teamwork, each sharp mind and supporting hand, essential to the goal – excellent science created kindly.
We come now to a peaceful finale, after a spin in the world’s most energetic curve of the ocean. Humbled and excited with anticipation for the next chapter of the story – figuring out what our observations mean and how the puzzle pieces fit together. We, on the ship and those who joined as the land-based team, are now grappled together for the next years.
A seagull squawks. The silhouette of Table Mountain, a cloud in the distant horizon. We inch closer at 3 knots as the sun sets deep oranges and reds. The last wireflyer transect profiling through the night.
By Isabelle Giddy
SO-CHIC Research Expedition to Maud Rise, Weddell Sea, Dec 2021 to Feb 2022
Marcel du Plessis, Theo Spira and Hanna Rosenthal travelled by private plane, then Basler plane, and finally to the ship to start the EU H2020 SO-CHIC Expedition to Maud Rise in the Weddell Sea. It took 28 days of hotel C-19 quarantine in Cape Town to finally get on board. A large variety of scientific activities took place, including multiple CTD transects, deployments of floats and moorings and importantly for us, the deployment of 2 Seagliders and a Sailbuoy to start a 1-year long-endurance mission by the autonomous platforms.
SANAE Expedition to the Southern Ocean & Antarctica 2019-2020
(Team member: David Hagman)
Voyage to SANAE by the South African National Antarctic Program. Masters students David Hagman spent 1.5 months on this expedition and was involved in the deployment and retrieval of numerous gliders and Wave Gliders in the Southern Ocean and part of the ROAM-MIZ project. On the journey back to Cape Town, multiple ARGO floats were also deployed over a range of latitudes.
SCALE Spring Cruise Oct-Nov 2019
(Team members: Louise Biddle, Isabelle Giddy, Hanna Rosenthal, Johan Edholm)
A continuation of glider deployments in the Southern Ocean for the ROAM-MIZ project. One Seaglider was deployed near the sea ice edge during spring, as well as two SWIFT buoys and a Seasonal Ice Mass Balance buoy within the sea ice zone. Continuous underway measurements with a UCTD were made during 40 hours in late October.
SCALE Winter Cruise July-August 2019
(Team members: Louise Biddle & Kevin Thielen)
A continuation of glider deployments in the Southern Ocean for the ROAM-MIZ project. One Seaglider and a Sailbuoy were deployed near the sea ice edge in the middle of winter, as well as two SWIFT buoys and a Seasonal Ice Mass Balance buoy within the sea ice zone.
Weddell Sea Expedition 2018-2019
(Team member: Martin Mohrmann)
First deployment of a Sailbuoy in the southern hemisphere. Our “Kringla” was doing a great job collecting data in the rough environment. Two Sealiders and a profiling float for the ROAM-MIZ project were also deployed. Check the live data output on roammiz.com!
ORCHESTRA voyage to Drake Passage 2017-2018
(Team member: Louise Biddle)
First deployment of the Gothenburg Seaglider (Semla) in the Southern Ocean as part of the British-led ORCHESTRA project. Semla was deployed at the southern end of the Drake Passage between November 2017 and February 2018, collecting high resolution measurements in conjunction with 4 Slocum gliders and a Wave Glider. Louise deployed Semla from the RRS James Clark Ross, and assisted with other oceanographic measurements taken on the SR1b line between the Antarctic Peninsula and Chile.
SOSCEx II & Antarctica 2013-2014
(Team member: Seb Swart)
Second major deployment of Seagliders and Wave Gliders as part of the SOSCEx II campaign. Science conducted on the RV SA Agulhas II between Cape Town and Antarctica. Seb spent two weeks at SANAE base, assisting the geologists on fieldwork to Antarctic Nunatuks.
Photo credits: Rosie Dwight, Ken Findley, Dave Scott
SOSCEx I & Antarctica 2012-2013
(Team member: Seb Swart)
The first Southern Ocean glider deployments ever made during the SOSCEx I campaign. A total of 5 Seagliders were deployed in one austral summer season, two deployed near Gough Island and three deployed along the GoodHope monitoring line. Science conducted on the RV SA Agulhas II.
South Georgia and Southern Thule Islands 2006
(Team members: Seb Swart & Isabelle Giddy)
South Georgia and Southern Thule research leg to conduct a CTD and UCTD survey on route between Antarctic ice shelf.
Photo credits: Phil Massie
SANAE Expedition and Antarctica 2005-2006
(Team members: Seb Swart & Isabelle Giddy)
Three month SANAE expedition between Cape Town and Antarctica on the grand old lady, SA Agulhas (I) along the GoodHope monitoring line with a visit to SANAE base.
Photo credits: Phil Massie
sebswart.com 