The team reports today that they had another good day of travel, logging 10 nautical miles of northward travel. They also gained nearly 2 miles of northward drift last night while they slept. They will happily take these miles because the drift can change any time, and take hard earned miles away!
They experienced a few good sized pressure ridges that they needed to cut a path through, and they also crossed over some larger frozen leads that were old enough to bear their weight. The team feels that they are becoming a "well-oiled machine" and that each day they become more efficient on the ice.
In any given hour the team can experience a multitude of challenges that effect their speed and northward progress. The two biggest challenges are "leads" and "pressure ridges." Leads are cracks in the ice that expose open water. The cracks are formed when an ice flow splits or two ice flows separate. Pressure ridges are formed by the opposite motion. They occur when two ice flows collide causing the ice to buckle and become a ridge of blocky ice. It is an incredible sight to see either of these two processes happen right before your eyes!
Make sure to listen to today's audio report from Paul, and check back tomorrow for another update from the team!
They experienced a few good sized pressure ridges that they needed to cut a path through, and they also crossed over some larger frozen leads that were old enough to bear their weight. The team feels that they are becoming a "well-oiled machine" and that each day they become more efficient on the ice.
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| Navigating around a pressure ridge. |
Make sure to listen to today's audio report from Paul, and check back tomorrow for another update from the team!
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