NEWS Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic non-government expedition activities. (Also produced in Spanish) BULK DISTRIBUTION Dispatched on Wednesday, 8 December 1999 @ 0600 UTC. News in this edition: 10-01. 'Millennium' skydiving, ballooning plans proceeding say organisers. 10-02. 'Millennium' skydivers undertake trial high altitude jumps. 10-03. Ross Sea tourist shipping season starts but no 'Southern Australis'. 10-04. Solo French traverse picks up speed as conditions improve. 10-05. Antarctic Site Inventory program begins its sixth field season. 10-06. 'Spirit of Sydney' to depart for Cape Denison. 10-07. Coming events. IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is being produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation. 'MILLENNIUM' SKYDIVING, BALLOONING PLANS PROCEEDING SAY ORGANISERS Russia-based organisers of the multinational 'Millennium Expedition' told ANAN today that they intend to proceed with their plans to support skydiving and hot air ballooning operations at the South Geographic Pole (SGP) early in the New Year, with aircraft involved scheduled to depart Moscow on 16 December for Chile in the build-up to Antarctic operations. Expedition planning announced to date centres on the use of Iluyshin 76 (IL-76) and Iluyshin 18 (IL-18) aircraft to deploy personnel and all support equipment in Antarctica from Punta Arenas in southern Chile. Field camps are to be established at the Patriot Hills (PH), Ellsworth Land, and the SGP, the former by air from Punta Arenas, and the latter via overland traverse from the PH using up to a dozen six-wheeled 'snow bugs' which will also carry SGP balloonists and their equipment (click). Both aircraft types have a proven record of operation in polar regions, however this will be the first time the 'bugs' have been utilised in Antarctica, although they are said by organisers to have proved themselves in 'Arctic conditions'. The Millennium Expedition (ME) is being organised by the Russian Geographical Association's 'Arctica Expedition Centre' (AEC) with the support of a number of government ministries and non-government groups. The expedition has a number of people located in the U.S., France, The Netherlands, and South Africa assisting in program coordination. Timings for Millennium operations available on its web site until recently called for the IL-76 and IL-18 aircraft to arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile, around 20-21 December, with flights to the PH to commence from the 22nd onwards as weather allows. Personnel involved in skydiving were to undertake trial jumps in Santiago, Chile, around 21 December (click), before being flown to the PH around Christmas Day; about the same time the 'snow bug' traverse was to depart for the SGP. The traverse was to arrive at the Pole in time to support skydiving and hot air ballooning around 1 January 2000, as well as a television broadcast from there to the outside world. Plans to support a mountaineering team on Vinson Massif by 'bug' from the PH were scrapped recently. A spokesperson for the expedition told ANAN that they are finalising dates for the program. The logistics section of the expedition's web site ( http://www.nsp.ru/ ), which has remained unchanged for many months, was revised on 6 December and now has an 'under construction' note on it with advice that revised plans will be available on 10 December. It is not known at this time whether the changes being made are to the timing of activities, or if basic planning or equipment changes are under consideration. Concern in Antarctic circles internationally regarding the program has focussed on a number of areas. These include: the uncertainties about expedition logistics, particularly the critical role of the snow bugs given that they have not been used in Antarctica before; the issuing of environmental approval for the program; the drop zone at the SGP; and the potential impact ME's activities could have on research and other programs being undertaken at the US's Amundsen-Scott station at the SGP. ME organisers appear confident about the capabilities of the snow bugs for the program. When contacted about the environmental assessment earlier this week they said that documentation had been prepared and submitted, and that they anticipate a permit allowing them to operate in Antarctica to be issued by Russian authorities prior to the expedition's departure from Moscow. They also said that in their view their program will not impact on activities at Amundsen-Scott, "as all operations are now to be conducted far away from the station", except for "the short period of time" it will take for the TV program. It is not clear at this time however where the SGP field camp, drop zone and ballooning area will be located in relation to the U.S. station. [ANAN-10/01] 'MILLENNIUM' SKYDIVERS UNDERTAKE TRIAL HIGH ALTITUDE JUMPS Some of the skydivers who are reported to have signed on for the Millennium Expedition's (ME) planned jump at the South Geographic Pole (SGP) over New Year, were reported on a U.S. based web site to have undertaken trial high altitude jumps requiring pre-breathing of Oxygen at a site in the north-eastern U.S. on 23-24 October . ME organisers stated earlier this year that jumps at the SGP would be made from at least 6000 m above sea level (ASL) or around 3000 m above the ice surface, and that oxygen would be used by participants. Standard skydiving practice in many countries is to use oxygen for jumps above 4000 m ASL. Prior to the trial jumps in October, briefings were provided on high altitude physiology, operation of oxygen-related equipment and precautions needed against lack of oxygen or hypoxia. The first of the jumps was made from 6000 m above sea level, the second from 7000 m and the last from almost 8000 m. Those involved were required to breath oxygen up until the moment of leaving the aircraft, and while all appear to have been qualified skydivers, the report hints that a number had not previously jumped from so high, or had prior experience in using oxygen. All jumps were completed safely, although slight symptoms of hypoxia were reported by some of the jumpers during the first two skydives. Those taking part in the October trials were said to include people from Malaysia, the leader of a South African group, a Canadian team, U.S. members, and a skydiver from the U.K. Reports from several participants indicate that they expect to travel to Santiago, Chile, in the next ten days to undertake further trial jumps there around 21 December prior to travel to Antarctica around Christmas Day (click). [ANAN-10/02] ROSS SEA TOURIST SHIPPING SEASON STARTS BUT NO 'SOUTHERN AUSTRALIS' The two and a half month long tourist voyage season in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica is scheduled to commence next week with the departure of the 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' from Lyttleton, New Zealand. Operations in that region this season will not however include those proposed by the Southern Australian Shipping Company (SASCO) as the company has been unable to acquire a vessel in time. SASCO's proposed purchase of the vessel 'Olga Sadovskaya' from Russia's Far East Shipping Company in Vladivostok for Ross Sea voyages has not been completed despite the company's optimistic outlook over the past few months (click). Originally, SASCO envisaged that the vessel would conduct up to three voyages to the Ross Sea between January and March 2000 under the name 'Southern Australis'. According to SASCO Chairman John Webb however, delays had resulted from 'unexpected additional negotiations' with the original project lenders, and that despite the fact that "alternate funding has (now) been arranged", it would be 'foolhardy' at this late stage for the company to proceed with operations in Antarctica this season. Four vessels, 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' (Quark Expeditions and Zeghram Expeditions, both U.S.), 'Akademic Shokalskyi' (Heritage Expeditions, New Zealand), 'Marco Polo' (Orient Lines of the U.S.), and 'Lyubov Orlova' (Marine Expeditions, Canada), are scheduled to conduct a total of six tourist voyages to the Ross Sea this season. While the combined passenger capacity of the voyages is around 850, it appears probable that less than a third will actually be able to go ashore along the coast of Victoria Land due to ice conditions and other factors. 'Khlebnikov' ('KK') is to leave Lyttleton on 15 December for her first voyage and operate along the coast of Victoria Land over the Christmas period, with New Year to be spent in the Balleny Islands if conditions allow. 'KK' is to return to Victoria Land in mid-January in an operation that is expected to coincide with the first visit by 'Shokalskyi'. 'Shokalskyi's second visit will be around mid-February at the same time as that of the 'Marco Polo' ('MP'). 'Orvolva' will not be in the general area until late March, although it will not enter the Ross Sea proper. 'MP' and 'Orlova' are to visit the region as part of semi-circumnavigations of the continent from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Lyttleton, New Zealand. [ANAN-10/03] SOLO FRENCH TRAVERSE PICKS UP SPEED AS CONDITIONS IMPROVE Frenchwomen Laurence de la Ferriere has over the last few days averaged close to 50 km per day on her solo traverse after a very difficult start which saw her make only forty-five kilometres in the first ten days. Her aim is to travel the 2,500 km from South Geographic Pole (SGP) to the French station Dumont d'Urville on the coast of Adelie Land via Concordia station at Dome 'C' (click). On 7 December she reported that she was 186 km from the SGP which left just over 1300 km to travel before she reaches Concordia. de la Ferriere commenced her trek northwards from the SGP on 23 November, after a three week delay due to poor weather which affected Adventure Network International flying operations first between Punta Arenas, Chile, and their Patriot Hills field camp in Ellsworth Land, and then between there and the SGP. During the first week of her journey she was only able to pull her 140 Kg sled forty kilometres. Surface conditions during that time were reported as very poor with heavy sastrugi limiting the use of skis, while winds were insufficient for parasails to be used. Difficulties were also experienced in acclimatising to the strenuous work involved at an elevation close to 3000 m, in part because fitness had been lost during the long delay to the start of the journey. Another hindrance was unseasonably cold conditions, Amundsen-Scott station at the SGP recording a temperature of -42° C on 1 December, the lowest on record for that month over the forty-two years of the station's operation. Given the difficulties being experienced, the decision was taken on 1 December to lighten the sled, and food and fuel was reduced to thirty days supply, enough to get her to Concordia provided she reaches there by the planned 31 December arrival date. This change did not have an immediate effect and just twenty-five kilometres was made in the next two days. In the three days from 4-6 December however, de la Ferriere was able to make 145 km as surface conditions improved so that skis could be used, the wind rose to allow use of parasails, and temperatures rose to a comparitively 'warm' -32 ° C. To arrive at the Dome 'C' station by New Year de la Ferriere will have to continue to average over 50 Km a day for the rest of the month and wind conditions will be critical as parasails will have to be used regularly to maintain that rate of progress. Expedition organisers have indicated that with the right wind conditions distances of up to 150 km per day should be possible with parasails, something achieved in the past by other Antarctic crossings which have utilised that technique. The timetable for the trek calls for her to rest at Concordia from 31 December until 2 January. There she will obtain further supplies before starting the second leg of her journey, the 1,000 km to Dumont d'Urville which she is scheduled to be completed by the end of January. A French tractor-supported resupply traverse is also expected to be operating on the Concordia-Dumont route in late January and could provided back-up if needed. de la Ferriere is scheduled to travel from Dumont to Hobart, Australia, on board the French Antarctic Expedition vessel "L'Astrolabe" early in February. [ANAN-10/04] ANTARCTIC SITE INVENTORY PROGRAM BEGINS ITS SIXTH FIELD SEASON Researchers from the U.S. non-profit foundation Oceanites are continuing the collection of baseline data at tourist landing sites in the Antarctic Peninsula region this austral summer as part of the Antarctic Site Inventory (ASI) project. The project, now entering its sixth season, coordinates its work effort with a number of Treaty Parties and national Antarctic research programs, and with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Over the next few months the project will utilise a number of IAATO-affiliated tour vessels for logistics support in conducting its survey work. Oceanites' ASI project is considered by many researchers and policy makers as providing important benchmark information on tourist visitor sites. Over time the data collected may provide indications of whether there have been environmental changes at visitor landing sites in the Antarctic Peninsula, and if so, what the mechanisms involved may be. Such knowledge, if available, could be expected to play a fundamental role in the management of visitor and other sites under the Madrid Protocol, and contribute to efforts under the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) to ascertain the 'health' of the Southern Ocean ecosystem. According to site visit reports submitted by tour operators to the U.S. National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (NSF), tourists have visited more than 150 sites in the Antarctic Peninsula region in the last ten years, with 70-85 sites being visited each season. In the 1998-99 season, four sites received more than 4,000 visitors and eight others received between 2,000 and 4,000 visitors. During the life of the ASI project, survey work has been carried out in the South Orkney Islands, at Elephant Island, the South Shetland Islands, and along the Antarctic Peninsula as far south as Marguerite Bay. To date a total of 233 survey visits have been made to 52 separate locations, including all of the most frequently visited places on the Peninsula. Fifteen of the 52 sites have been mapped and 29 documented via aerial photography. In some field seasons, site visits and aerial photo documentation is undertaken from the British Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel H.M.S. 'Endurance'. Reports and summaries of ASI field work have been tabled at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings held over the past five years. Survey work is targeted at two key times. The first is in the austral spring at the peak of penguin egg-laying to enable censuses of nests to be made (usually November-December), and the second is in summer proper and coincides with the peak of penguin chick-crËching thus providing information of chick numbers (usually January-February). This season seven ASI researchers, working in groups to coincide with key census times, will be provided with support by IAATO-affiliated tour vessels including the 'Caldedonian Star' (Special Expeditions, U.S.), 'Explorer' (Explorer Shipping Company, U.S.), and 'Akademic Shuleykin' (a sub-charter by Mountain Travel Inc., U.S.), with other IAATO operators and vessels willing to assist if weather and unforeseen complications arise. Field researchers involved in the project this season include project principal investigator Ron Naveen, Steven Forrest, Louise Blight, Rosemary Dagit, Wayne Trivelpiece, Susan Trivelpiece, and Boyd Pyper. In 1997, Oceanites submitted a report to the U.S. and U.K. governments titled 'Compendium of Antarctic Peninsula Visitor Sites', and published a popular description of Peninsula tourism and visitor sites under the name 'The Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula'. The latter is presented in a form that is readily usable by expedition leaders, staff and passengers. Currently a paper is being completed which examines the location and frequency of visitor landings in the Antarctic Peninsula between 1989-99, and updates census data for key sites that are heavily visited or are considered potentially sensitive to environmental disturbance. Inventory work carried out by Oceanites has been sustained since 1994 with support from and the cooperation of, five Antarctic Treaty governments (and their internal operating agencies and scientists), IAATO, many Antarctic tour operators, private foundations, corporations, and individual citizens. [ANAN-10/05] 'SPIRIT OF SYDNEY' TO DEPART FOR COMMONWEALTH BAY The yacht, 'Spirit of Sydney', is expected to leave Hobart, Australia, on 17 December for Commonwealth Bay, George V Land, on a voyage aimed at returning home 1999 winterers Jim and Yvonne Claypole (click). Nine people are to crew the yacht with skipper David Pryce making his fifth journey in as many years to Commonwealth Bay onboard 'Spirit'. It is anticipated that the boat will be away from Australia for 5-6 weeks, around two weeks of which will involve the craft being moored in Boat Harbour, Cape Denison, at the head of Commonwealth Bay. During that time the hut will be prepared for the coming winter and the Claypoles and their equipment loaded for the journey northwards. Arrival back in Hobart is estimated as being around 24 January. The Claypoles' sojourn at Cape Denison is the third non-government winter activity to be conducted there in the past five years. [ANAN-10/06] COMING MEETINGS IAATO annual meeting. Hobart, Australia, 25-28 June 2000. [ANAN-10/07] ##