Halley Diary — December 2010
31 December, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The summer season at Halley is the busiest, most important time in the Halley V calendar. Whilst the science and maintenance activities continue all year round it is during the…
Found 196 blogposts
31 December, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The summer season at Halley is the busiest, most important time in the Halley V calendar. Whilst the science and maintenance activities continue all year round it is during the…
31 January, 2008 Agnieszka Fryckowska
This months diary is more of a snapshot of life at Halley from a couple of authors: David Stephenson and Agnieszka Fryckowska. We have tried to cover many of the…
30 November, 2007 Peter Milner
Thump – Thump – Splash’ > Good ‘Thud’ > Bad Leaving aside the strange title of this diary, November has been a pretty eventful month for the Halley crew. We…
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
What a busy month! With so many people on Halley, I suppose it’s no surprise but it’s difficult to know where to start: Halley Lifetime studies, Halley VI construction, panels…
31 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Halley 89022, Antarctica 89022 is the international weather station number for Halley, a figure I write several times a day in the meteorological register and various other places. It has…
31 December, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…Gareth and Jamie were the first two Winterers to leave Halley. They left on the first Twin Otter flight out of Halley. Ian moved on to the Shackleton at the…
31 December, 2011 BAS Bloggers
…to the “decision to winter”. This was the day it would be decided whether we wintered in Halley 5 or Halley 6. More on this in next month’s diary. Pat…
31 March, 2003 BAS Bloggers
…Halley at the end of February. For first-time winterers like myself the first task was to get used to having so few people around. My whole experience of Halley up…
31 October, 2003 BAS Bloggers
Halley House of Horror Halloween Special Written by Craig Nicholson Chief pot and bottle washer The following diary took place between the 1st October 2003 and 31st October 2003. All…
30 June, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…duties. Now, team Halley VI starts to wait for sun up and getting back to outside work. Greetings from Halley VI! Paljon terveisia! Hilsen fra Halley! Sanna K Field Assistant…
31 January, 2003 BAS Bloggers
Gavin Francis (Base Doctor) New Year, new Halley wintering team, and a lot of new faces at Halley (mine being one of them). Jon Seddon, 2002 AIS engineer, has handed…
28 February, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…quality, without which the Halley VI project wouldn’t be what it is today. So after years of effort and a partial but unavoidable interruption of science at Halley V, it…
31 January, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…twinkles on the ceiling and walls, like diamonds, and you can see your breath. Visitors to Halley are the Halley VI representatives with Karl Tuplin, the Halley VI Project Manager….
28 February, 2011 BAS Bloggers
…case a real emergency should ever occur at Halley. The scenario this year was set up by Dr Mike Rammage, the out going winter doctor at Halley and he had…
31 December, 2004 BAS Bloggers
Summer arrives by Simon Coggins December is always a hectic month at Halley as it signals the end of the months of isolation and the beginning of the busy summer…
30 November, 2004 BAS Bloggers
…Sea to Halley before re-fuelling and to continue the last 800km to Neumayer. The Dornier planes pass through Halley each year and it was good to see some familiar faces…
24 February, 2014 Michal Krzysztofowicz
February was a really busy month at Halley. The month has started with the arrival of Summer Science Staff on the RRS Ernest Shackleton – this was the second Shack’s…
18 March, 2014 Richard Warren
March has been a busy month for all of us at Halley station. Following the departure of the RRS Ernest Shackleton in February, March saw the continuation of winter trips,…
31 May, 2004 BAS Bloggers
Sundown By Rhian La La caveat: don’t believe anything you read below,- none of us are to be trusted any more!!!! Welcome to May at Halley. Halley in May. Mad…
31 August, 2008 BAS Bloggers
…August entry to the 2008 Halley web-diary. Brought to you again by, (still), the only scientist/metbabe on base. 48-hour Antarctic Film Festival The first weekend of August kicked off with…
30 April, 2007 BAS Bloggers
…that some eggs will be found during the demolition of the Halley V platform, when Halley VI is already in operation. April was also one of the two months where…
30 November, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…are removed in favour of a more hospital like feel. 4th November: The plane has managed to get to Rothera and is now on route to Halley. We gather at…
31 March, 2006 BAS Bloggers
Working Hard Winter is on its way. Halley feels almost empty as the summer crowd have escaped and left sixteen happy souls to make the place their own. March is…
31 January, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…Halley 5, whilst Resusci Annie was dancing the night away with the boys at the Halley 6 build site… Far from being a quiet month of winding down, January on…
30 November, 2009 BAS Bloggers
…Halley. Paul Cousens was onboard the second aircraft to arrive at Halley. As well as my line manager for technical services, his secondary job at BAS is the beard expert…
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello and welcome to the Halley June Diary. June is a very important month for all those wintering in Antarctica. This is because we celebrate Midwinter, this is our Christmas,…
23 February, 2015 Thomas Welsh
…fleet of 5 ‘polar’ aircraft, of which 4 are fitted with skis and capable of visiting Halley station. Two of these aircraft, DHC-6 Twin Otters, were temporarily based at Halley…
30 November, 2010 Penny Goodearl
…at Halley the Russian base at Novo was home for a day or two. We were immediately made welcome, and despite there being far more of us than had been…
31 December, 2003 BAS Bloggers
…flight of the season was to decommission an Automatic Geophysical Observatory (AGO). These are sites that are dotted from Halley onward to 84 degrees south. Some of the sites have…
31 March, 2007 BAS Bloggers
March is an underrated time of year at Halley, falling in the Antarctic Autumn, a season sandwiched between the hustle and bustle of summer and the stunning auroras of winter….
18 April, 2014 BAS Bloggers
…Australis, for which Halley is so renowned. Halley is not only the most southerly, but also the most remote wintering BAS station. As such it’s vital that the 13 of…
31 May, 2011 BAS Bloggers
The sun sets for the last time May already… wow. One thing I’ve noticed since arriving down at Halley is just how quickly the time has flown by. It doesn’t…
31 January, 2009 John Eager
…their winter. The summer season at Halley begins. At 07.00 relief begins. Sea ice is groomed, the ships crane is fired up and all those not working on the ship…
31 October, 2010 BAS Bloggers
…be GPS’ed and sent to the various air groups that use Halley during the summer. Once this was done Halley International Airport was open for passengers. Tech services were busy…
31 January, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Dear Diary, January, as a month, is usually looked forward to not a lot particularly in the UK where the usual rain and fog takes a break to be replaced…
30 November, 2003 BAS Bloggers
…fourth Christmas dinner in the last twelve months, the others being on the ship on its way to Halley, on the base when we arrived, and at Midwinter (when we…
31 March, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…(see January’s diary, Hoc of Halley, last sentence): The answer is (of course) YES. Congratulations from everyone at Halley! Lots of love to my family and friends at home Petra…
30 June, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Well here is the June diary, a chance to write something about something? It is now my chance! I’m Craig Douglas Brown, the electrician at Halley and I have the…
31 October, 2007 Mark Wales
…to the sea it really was amazing. After a great trip and a short break it was time to return to Halley The last part of my diary for October…
31 October, 2004 BAS Bloggers
October Web Page By Allan “Tommo” Thomas Hello there, and welcome to October’s web diary. My name is Allan Thomas, I’m Station Electrician, and I shall be your guide this…
31 March, 2009 John Eager
As time is called on March 2009, the 54th Halley wintering team completed its first month alone on the Brunt ice shelf. Nights lengthen and darken, temperatures plummet and the…
30 April, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
Extreme is a word I could use to describe April at Halley this year. We hear it often when referred to living in the Antarctic. It was drummed into us…
28 February, 2013 BAS Bloggers
February, the shortest month of the year and probably the most jam-packed one, here at Halley VI. 28 busy days with almost every day filled with an event, the station…
31 March, 2010 BAS Bloggers
So here we are at the start of another winter season at Halley! Since late Feb the numbers on base have dropped from 111 to 11. It has been a…
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings from everyone at Halley base. February was a month where the summer season was in full swing and there were the usual preparations and maintenance programmes being carried out…
31 October, 2011 BAS Bloggers
…plan this season it should be the last ever winter month diary from Halley V. This month we would start to see a lot of change. With the end of…
31 July, 2011 BAS Bloggers
…participating Antarctic bases, which made us all very proud of our acting skills! Watch The Halley Hairstylist (Halley 48hr Film) ‘So did you do any work at all in July??’…
30 April, 2007 BAS Bloggers
The Halley Diary for April 2007 was written by Thomas Spieß (FOCAS UAV scientist). English | Deutsch…
30 November, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…trips. While Frances, Ian Jamie and myself were out camping in the Rumples (as Frances mentioned in the October diary) a strange incident happened. I was inside the tent when…
30 June, 2007 BAS Bloggers
…and be merry. But first, there was work to be done… At the start of June, the last of Halley’s large fleet of vehicles were put to rest for the…
28 February, 2007 BAS Bloggers
February is usually an odd month at Halley. The summer ends, the crowds depart, and Halley is left in the hands of the wintering team once again. A huge amount…
31 August, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…later won by Petra after our Annual “Halley Weathered Flag Raffle” – the new flag was raised with much cheer. However, imagine our disappointment at having to put the celebrations…
30 September, 2004 BAS Bloggers
…get uncomfortable around 20 Knots also visibility and contrast will drop if there is blowing snow. The first 2 post winter trips have departed and returned. Science at Halley Halley…
30 June, 2009 Karen Fowler
Midwinter This is a particularly special month for all of us down here at Halley. It marks the middle of our year and sees the start of our week-long celebration…
31 August, 2010 BAS Bloggers
August already and according to the Halley planners, as it stands, we will soon see our winter finish in just shy of 2 months, but all is not lost! Our…
30 June, 2006 BAS Bloggers
…of the midwinter week was a demure riot of celebration and frivolity. In comparison to the other bases at which I’ve been stationed there’s less to do recreationally at Halley….
30 May, 2008 BAS Bloggers
…of the summer was a bit of a debate. It is important though. Halley tradition dictates that the eldest in the team lowers the base flag on the day the…
31 August, 2011 Brett Walton
…When it does make it above again in early August the youngest person of the team (Rory Fleet) lifts the flag high above Halley station where it will stay flying…
31 May, 2013 Agnieszka Fryckowska
So it’s May, the flag has gone down, days are dark, it’s cold and yes winter is well and truly here at Halley. What on earth do we do on…
24 January, 2014 BAS Bloggers
It was a strange way to welcome in the New Year, standing outside the modules at Halley, at midnight with a clear sky above us and the sun glaring down,…
31 July, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…had just broken −50°C. There is an apparently long standing tradition at Halley of running stark naked around the base when the temperature falls below this magic point. Therefore, at…
28 February, 2003 BAS Bloggers
…mention Chuffer as well because that would be “Nice!” (A little bit of in house fun there folks – sorry) The Halley Pool Championship took place with two rank outsiders…
31 August, 2007 BAS Bloggers
…daylight, wouldn’t be too far away. As the Halley flag came down for the start of the Sun’s cycle — setting below the horizon and staying there for our 100…
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
…partly due to how their flower heads follow the sun around the sky, thus making the most of every drop of energy it provides them. Here at Halley the importance…
30 April, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Welcome to the April diary. My name is Matt and I am the wintering Genny mech this year. So what has happened in April? We have had our first proper…
31 May, 2010 Timothy Gee
Changing temperatures Welcome to the May 2010 winter diary. My name’s Tim and I am the wintering vehicle operator mechanic at Halley. So what happened in May then? Well May…
31 January, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…funnier as they wonder where something that existed in Halley V is located, or even if it came across to the new base at all, and of course ‘we never…
31 August, 2004 BAS Bloggers
Sun up! by Edwyn Dodd August is a busy month at Halley. The end of the 105 or so days or darkness arrives on the 10th-ish (debate about when the…
30 September, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…I do think Halley is at its most breathtaking during the hours of first light. September also saw our Search and Rescue team swing into action. Ian, Bryn and Dan…
30 November, 2006 BAS Bloggers
November — Who needs running water? November at Halley saw an average temperature of -9.2°C, average pressure of 978.8hPa, mean scalar wind speed of 14.8 knots. We had 21 days…
31 July, 2007 Neil Brough
…Halley and so the monthly weather statistics provide a valuable source of information. Although the amount of snowfall this year is slightly less than those of previous years the weather…
30 September, 2007 BAS Bloggers
One of the great secrets of the Halley winter is that the period after the end of permanent darkness is filled with bad weather. While the fresh-faced eager first year…
31 July, 2008 Joe Corner
Red sky at night… July is always a quiet month here at Halley. Midwinter has come and gone, the sky is still dark and sometimes the base feels like a…
31 March, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…start using them during the winter and the temporary living accommodation (used throughout the Halley VI construction) was taken apart. The RRS James Clark Ross (JCR) steamed into Creek 3,…
30 June, 2011 BAS Bloggers
The following events took place between 1st June and the 30th of June Welcome to the June diary, June has been a busy month for all of us on station,…
31 May, 2012 BAS Bloggers
The month of May started with the lowering of the very weather damaged British flag. This will be the only flag to have been flown above Halley 5 and Halley…
31 July, 2010 BAS Bloggers
I thought I had drawn the short straw having to write the diary for July because, with no birthdays to celebrate and mid-winter festivities behind us, I suspected there might…
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
…raised it at sun up 2008. While those at home were stuck in Bank Holiday traffic on the first weekend in May, here, at Halley, we were doing what we…
31 January, 2004 BAS Bloggers
Apologies for the tardiness of this first diary installment of 2004. Life at Halley has been very hectic to say the least since RRS Ernest Shackleton arrived for first call…
30 November, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…just a research station, Halley is also an airport, where planes and their crew can stop for a few days to rest and refuel on their way to other destinations….
17 December, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…during relief. Is it called relief because it is a relief we have fresh food again? December is a busy month at Halley, as well as Christmas and New Year,…
31 October, 2012 BAS Bloggers
…You are able to even stand up. Windy Bay is located 35km straight line from new Halley VI base. The bay is home to Emperor Penguins. Windy Bay was the…
31 May, 2003 BAS Bloggers
…Halley Station.I shall start with the downs first, and work my way up. We finally waved goodbye to that blistering ball in the sky as the sun left us for…
30 April, 2004 BAS Bloggers
…been looking at legs — of the building variety, fortunately! Because Halley is on a moving ice shelf the legs that support the main platform and the three science platforms…
28 February, 2005 BAS Bloggers
…winter and our outgoing winterers who are being rehabilitated after 2 years here at Halley….Bark!! In exchange for the old broken winterers going out we got some great new ones….
30 June, 2004 BAS Bloggers
…saw the premier of Simon’s Data Manager Halley 5 Monopoly game. Different however to the original Monopoly but just as good. Simon has spent much of his free time constructing…
30 November, 2011 BAS Bloggers
…for what was the deciding season on whether to winter in Halley 6’s new swanky base. For me, my journey started with a series of connecting flights from Heathrow, Madrid…
31 October, 2006 BAS Bloggers
October is a busy month here at Halley. We have many winter trips going on and a lot of other stuff to have the base ready for the summer season,…
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
“1, 2, 3, 4, er…d’oh, damn it, I lost count! 1, 2, 3, 4…” By the end of April, the residents of Halley 2008 had experienced “winter” life for just…
28 February, 2010 Christopher Walton
…the temperature at Halley was higher than it was back in the UK, during a particularly cold spell back home; it really was summer in Antarctica! After having worked a…
30 September, 2010 BAS Bloggers
…Halley style with a fancy dress party to celebrate my twenty-fourth birthday. Eleven cartoon characters descended upon one of the finest selections of party food ever to adorn a pool…
31 January, 2011 BAS Bloggers
Happy New Year from Halley base Antarctica! As 2011 was rung in, I was ‘fresh off the boat’ (RRS Ernest Shackleton) having sailed from the UK eight weeks previously. In…
30 June, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…well, for some anyway… I really do miss a good pub garden! Anyway, I digress. June here at Halley marks the winter solstice, the mid-point of our 103 sunless days…
31 July, 2013 BAS Bloggers
…extra training in dentistry and carried out the checks over a three day period. Pictured is the Halley VI base commander, Agnieszka having her teeth checked in the surgery. With…
31 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As the last month of solitude for the wintering Halley eleven starts, the base gears up for the first of the new intruders to arrive by air. Everyone is busy…
30 November, 2008 Joe Corner
…came through unscathed. Here is our winter photo to finish off November’s diary. All I have to do now is try and make the frame!!! Cheers Joe Corner Halley Electrician…
31 July, 2009 Nicholas Gregory
…Halley. This winning photograph would be used for the Halley station corporate gift. Second and third place were snatched up by Colin and the Doc, respectively, with first place going…
31 March, 2004 BAS Bloggers
…offering an alternative to the Halley Hard Ice cafe and Tommo’s illustrious Wednesday Workshop on Laws, Club Nido in the Garage, and Rob’s ‘subterranean’ grotto (see June 2003 diary). A…
30 April, 2003 BAS Bloggers
By Paul Torode April has been a very quiet month at Halley, characterised by a steady decrease in daylight hours as the winter approaches. For many of us wintering for…