This is the last report from NOA-Svalbard and the participants want to thank everybody and all organizations who contributed to the success of this expedition. And thank you for following us during the last month!
Shortly after we arrived to the Polish station two days ago we got the message that our helicopter flight to two inland localities and then back to Longyearbyen was adjourned to Friday.
Half past eleven last night our two saviours from the Polish station arrived at Hyttevika. After a small party we went to bed and got up early in the morning. They had to go to Werenskioldbreen and get data from a couple of data loggers, we had to get ready for leaving Hyttevika.
Good weather in the morning, worse during the day and better again in the evening. Waiting for the 21.00 communication with the Polish station and their plans.
Yesterday, in the early evening, the polar bear came back. Three of us were enjoying a nap while I thought that there was something around the house which is more than the wind.
At half past seven in the morning the four from Werenhus arrived at Hyttevika. They were on their way to the Polish station to board M/S Horyzont II for the trip back to Poland.
Not much new today. Bad visibility because of low clouds and wet. Better around noon, but our trip to Vimsodden and Skoddebukta is cancelled since all the sand in the outboard engine blocks now the switching of gears. And we can't fix it, although we tried.
Today we left Hyttevika at noon when the weather looked fine. The rain started again 10 minutes later... But only for 30 minutes.
The weather report promised 11 m/s wind from the south/southeast and somehow my sleep was uneasy. Around six in the morning the first wind gust shook the cottage and got me out of the sleeping bag.
In the morning we tried the outboard engine – some heavy pulling to get it started and the engine worked on all three cylinders.
A good night's sleep. The wind is down. We checked the outboard engine and the obvious damages are the hood, a broken cover in the engine (including the cast aluminum bolts), an electrical connection, two pipes and the fixation of the pressure sensor for the fuel injection system – and sand, sand, sand everywhere.
I woke up about half past six when a board from the bed above mine fell down on me while the hut was shaking in the wind gusts. A minute later Majek shouted his alarm – the Zodiac was moving again.
We escaped from Båthamna with the evening high tide on the 23rd. Strong winds around Sørkapp and from the largest glacier in the area, Olsokbreen, made the first 90 minutes of the trip rather uncomfortable.
In calm but cloudy weather we walked again northwards to better understand the structure and stratigraphy of the area we visited two days ago.
The weather being still the same, sunshine and a hard wind, we walked eastwards through Trollstabbane and around the southern slopes of Kistefjellet.
Båthamna (boat-harbour) is a small (~ 100 m) northwards opening bay in the about 10 km wide southwards opening Sommerfeldtbukta. Obviously a perfectly sheltered place for a boat.
We spent most of yesterday with minimizing our personal equipment for the Zodiac trip to Sørkapp and using the internet connection at the Polish station for work and private things.
This morning we arrived at the Polish research station in Hornsund in beautiful and calm weather. A warm shower is nice after two and half weeks washing/bathing in glacial streams.
The weather wasn't exciting this morning, but better than yesterday. We walked southwards towards Alasdairhornet where the rain caught us.
Yesterday we got up at 4 am, but getting us and the Zodiac ready took longer than expected. We left the camp at half past five, probably waking up the sailor who had anchored his mighty yacht in the deep water on the other side of Selvågen.
Terrible weather this morning – wet, wet, wet and no visibility. With topographic maps at 1:100000 scale, good visibility is a must for fieldwork.
A beautiful morning. No wind, the clouds rising, we could almost see the sun. Thus, we began the day with successfully drying our equipment – from tents via sleeping bags to clothes – and went later for fieldwork along the southern shore of Selvågen, looking mainly for the tillite (glacial deposits) marked on the maps.
We woke up in an absolutely calm morning. Still a lot of moisture and some fog in the air, but good weather conditions for the move to camp 2, at least to try to get the first equipment there.
The weather seemed to improve this morning, although the barometer now began to drop. Everything is ready for the move and we can break the camp any time the weather is suitable. But unfortunately, we have to wait for another day.
The barometer shows increasing air pressure, but outside it is still the same – relative air humidity must be at the condensation point. Everything is getting wet just by being exposed to the air.
Today we walked to the western side of the island to look at the Sutorfjella Conglomerate, a unit of uncertain age.
Another beautiful morning, sunshine and no wind. We made the Zodiac ready for a trip to Grimaldibukta, to look for more high grade metamorphic rocks of the Pinkie Formation.
A bang woke us up in the night – Jarek and I jumping out of our tents with the rifles ready. But it was just the fox who is frequently visiting the camp area, this time pulling one of the lower trip wires...
The first thing today was some panorama photography in the camp, the second to repair the 12V charger for the computer – otherwise there wouldn't have been more entries here.
Today it is again cold and windy. We decided to go for a reconnaissance trip through the late Neoproterozoic Taylorfjellet, Glenbergdalen and MacNairrabbane units.
At 8 am we met up at the harbour where the captain and owner of M/S FARM, Stig Henningsen, was already waiting for us. After stowing the remaining equipment and a group photo in front of the ship we sat immediately course for Prins Karls Forland. The weather was still calm but cloudy.
It's good to see that all of us were able to handle the guns and get remarkably good results for geologists who are used to hammers and not guns. I just hope we will not have use for it and only meet "peaceful" polar bears.
Waiting here at Tromsö airport for the continuation of the flight to Longyearbyen is the right time to start the expedition diary and an introduction to the research project NOA.
