Hornsund, Spitsbergen
A dense ice pack on the western side of Spitsbergen Island is highly unusual, especially in the middle of the arctic summer, as the remnant warm waters of the Gulf Stream flow along this coast.
Just after 7 a.m., Expedition Leader Ralph Hopkins made his wake up call with the news that a bearded seal was in sight. This confirmed what we already knew – Endeavour was pushing through the ice. Throughout the morning, we scanned for wildlife and enjoyed the endless aspects of sea ice, accompanied by Kittiwakes and Fulmars scouting for food. Eventually it became clear that the ice was too densely packed for us to pass through and we headed south.
Dr. Tom Smith’s presentation provided insight into the marine mammals of this region. Later, Ian spoke about “Winds, Waves, and Weather.”
By mid afternoon we were on approach to the mouth of Hornsund, a major fjord cutting into the southwestern coast of Spitsbergen. Dense pack ice again confronted us, but Captain Skog brought us into and through what turned out to be a narrow band and into open water. During this time we were in radio contact with a sailing vessel, Pelagic Australis, which was trapped inside of Hornsund. We turned around and opened a channel through the ice for Pelagic Australis which followed closely behind Endeavour, and then we returned to explore the fjord.
Dropping the anchor near a Polish research station, we went ashore. The abundant lichens and beds of moss were a direct result of the massive breeding colony of Dovekies on the hillside above the station. These little black and white relatives of the Puffin flew in and out of their nesting area, often perching in easy view. Svalbard reindeer, Barnacle geese and Common eider were some of our other sightings.
Back to our warm welcoming ship for dinner, we headed to sea for more adventures.
A dense ice pack on the western side of Spitsbergen Island is highly unusual, especially in the middle of the arctic summer, as the remnant warm waters of the Gulf Stream flow along this coast.
Just after 7 a.m., Expedition Leader Ralph Hopkins made his wake up call with the news that a bearded seal was in sight. This confirmed what we already knew – Endeavour was pushing through the ice. Throughout the morning, we scanned for wildlife and enjoyed the endless aspects of sea ice, accompanied by Kittiwakes and Fulmars scouting for food. Eventually it became clear that the ice was too densely packed for us to pass through and we headed south.
Dr. Tom Smith’s presentation provided insight into the marine mammals of this region. Later, Ian spoke about “Winds, Waves, and Weather.”
By mid afternoon we were on approach to the mouth of Hornsund, a major fjord cutting into the southwestern coast of Spitsbergen. Dense pack ice again confronted us, but Captain Skog brought us into and through what turned out to be a narrow band and into open water. During this time we were in radio contact with a sailing vessel, Pelagic Australis, which was trapped inside of Hornsund. We turned around and opened a channel through the ice for Pelagic Australis which followed closely behind Endeavour, and then we returned to explore the fjord.
Dropping the anchor near a Polish research station, we went ashore. The abundant lichens and beds of moss were a direct result of the massive breeding colony of Dovekies on the hillside above the station. These little black and white relatives of the Puffin flew in and out of their nesting area, often perching in easy view. Svalbard reindeer, Barnacle geese and Common eider were some of our other sightings.
Back to our warm welcoming ship for dinner, we headed to sea for more adventures.
