Current Casey Temperature

The past week at Casey will be remembered as the time that the CASAs first came and went. Both aircraft landed without incident in low evening sunshine on the 30th, having flown from Dumont D'Urville to where they flew direct from Hobart the previous day.

It was a pleasure to see them at last, and to welcome the four pilots Garry, Jorn, Eivind and Dan.

CASA212 aircraft Gadget and Ginger

Photo: J.Smith

Algae bloom in melt pools

Photo: J.Smith

The scientists have not been wasting time, using the boats to get to their various study sites now that land access is difficult or impossible.

On Tuesday the boats were out for science, dropping off the penguin counters at Shirley to census the new generation of Adelie chicks, before heading south to make gravity measurements. Peter and Brad hoped to make observations at five sites on three islands, but by the end of the day they had done twenty sites scattered over thirteen islands, and seen a Leopard Seal into the bargain.

Resupply:

The weather was perfect for the four days Vasiliy Golovnin was here, greatly aiding the ongoing operations. She slipped smoothly out of harbour on an almost mirror-calm sea on Friday evening. By late Saturday a gale was blowing again, but by then everything was under cover, and even the emu bob of Main Street postponed from last week due to the winds before Vasiliy's arrival was completed.

The station is now refuelled for another year, and although we are still sorting through all the delivered boxes, packets, crates and containers for a few items, it is clear we have received most if not quite all that we hoped for, with some surprise extras thrown in.