Location: Recovery Lake “B”, northern part, 82º 37’ S, 17º 52’ E
Weather: All clear, -27 C, wind 5 kts

In Tromsø, the sun will peek over the mountains to the south for about three minutes around noon today. It is but a glimpse, but it signals the beginning of a rapid return to the normal rhythm of days and nights – as always a very welcome sight after months of living in darkness and blue half-light.

At the opposite latitude – 70º S – we find the coasts of this continent, and there the sun’s reappearance in Tromsø mirrors the loss of the midnight sun.  At our ship loading site down at the Fimbulisen ice shelf, the sun will dip below the horizon again today, and the long, bright day of summer is coming to a close.  Here at the Recovery Lakes, further south at 82º S, we have some respite; for yet another few weeks we can bask in brilliant sunshine throughout the 24 hours.  But we are moving northwards; by the day our source of warmth is getting lower in its night-time path over the southern horizon, thus waning in the evenings.  The nights are getting colder.

It is good then, that we are through most of our science programme.  We are almost done here at site 5. What remains to be completed are three days at site 6, 170 kilometres ahead, and a planned six day stop at site 7, close to the Fimbulheimen mountains far to the north.  The rest is driving, a full 16 days of it to get to the ice shelf where the good ship “Ivan Papanin” will meet us and take on board our ice cores and scientific equipment.  By the time we get there, we too will be well and truly into the normal cycle of day and night, light and darkness, work and sleep. The daily routine, everyday life, is drawing nearer – but for a month still, we are here to enjoy this radiant adventure.

Still bright, still warming, still illuminating our tracks around the clock.  Photo: Stein Tronstad/NPI