This morning, I dove to redeploy the fluorometer to a location near Hal. Then, the plan was for me to go to the shallower water and collect a core and surface mat sample from two sites. Unfortunately, my left arm was leaking water again today, so I only obtained the samples from one site. My arm had gone numb from the cold, so it was time to get out. The goop suit has struck again! This time, however, the hole seems to have been caused by a snag. I found the hole(s) back at camp and it looks like the suit has gotten snagged on something - unlike the other holes which seem to be from degradation in the suit. Perhaps these new holes formed when I jumped off the ATV yesterday. At any rate... more glue and patching tonight! It's a good thing we only have a few more days of diving because I'm running out of glue!
A really odd experience happened today while diving. I had just gotten in the water and started descending down the tube. I was about 13 feet down; I had just reached the magic "blue zone". I suddenly felt like my vision had gone a bit blurry and there was an enormous CRACKing and then thundering sound through the ice. A large crack had formed RIGHT in front of me and extended out into the lake! It was amazing to watch, as well as a bit startling. The initial cracking looked like the tube was opening up, which is why I felt my vision had gone blurry, then the crack extended outward in slow motion. It was amazing to see it happen! I have been under the ice before when the ice cracks; it sounds like massive cracks of thunder underwater. But, I have never had a crack develop right in front of me.... what are the chances of me being right there at that moment, and facing in the right direction to watch it happen. It was really neat! I asked Ian and Satoshi if they had heard it up top. They said it had been quite a loud crack and they felt the ice rumble a bit. Ian was tending the line, so he was right near the edge of the hole. He said he thought the ice he was standing on was going to collapse. It was all quite exciting!
Ian guns the ATV across a small section of the moat. He made it across - barely!
About to head down with the fluorometer.
I have attempted to draw a sketch of the process we call "fin tipping". Our goal while diving is to not touch the mat at all. There are some tasks, however, that require some stability. In order to complete the tasks with minimal impact, we fin tip. This means we allow the very tip of our fins to rest on the mat. Then, through buoyancy control, we can keep everything else off the mat except the sampling tools. When our buoyancy is adjusted just right, when we inhale, we lift up away from the bottom and when we exhale, we lower down towards the mat. It's quite relaxing actually!
This is the leading edge of the crack that formed in front of me; it extends into the lake quite a distance. When I first arrived at this spot, it was clear blue like the left hand side of the picture. Then the ice cracked suddenly. Can you understand why I felt like my vision had gone blurry? It was really neat to watch (especially once I knew what was going on)!
The goop suit gets a little more goop! It's starting to look like a quilt!
•Ms. Ellwood - rellwood@sau50.k12.nh.us
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Antarctica 2006 
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