Senior Research Scientist Ben Twining has wrapped up his time aboard the RSS Sir David Attenborough. In this final dispatch, Ben shares a few last observations from the expedition, including pulling in an instrument called a towfish that supplied uncontaminated seawater from the Southern Ocean and entering the Strait of Magellan to return home.
ANTARCTIC DISPATCH 7: THE EXPEDITION’S END
As the expedition wrapped up, we brought in the towfish, which had been dangling off the RRS Sir David Attenborough. This device has faithfully supplied contamination-free seawater since we left Rothera Research Station. The Drake Passage supplied an unforgettable backdrop as we pulled it in; check out the video above.
After 44 days of studying the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, it was exciting to head west into the Strait of Magellan toward Punta Arenas.
Lastly, I’ve been asked if I was on the Antarctic expedition that was featured in the New York Times. That expedition took place aboard the Korean icebreaker Araon, which sailed out of New Zealand. Still, there were many similarities between the two expeditions. Both sought to better understand this remote region that plays a big role in the global climate. Additionally, they both involved scientists from many nations and took place aboard non-US research vessels.
Thank you for following along: I hope to be able to return to this region in the future!
Photos/video: Ben Twining and Joe Resing. Drone photos: Lewis Bumstead.
Check out Ben’s previous Antarctic Dispatches:
- Antarctic Dispatch 1: Punta Arenas
- Antarctic Dispatch 2: Aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough
- Antarctic Dispatch 3: Rothera Research Station
- Antarctic Dispatch 4: Cruising the Southern Ocean
- Antarctic Dispatch 5: #MicroMonday, Antarctic Edition
- Antarctic Dispatch 6: Uncontaminated Southern Ocean Seawater
- Antarctic Dispatch 7: The Expedition’s End
