Field Operations

Antarctica New Zealand's operations team plans all transport and support activities for the groups we support in Antarctica. This includes transport (air and land)in and out of the field, equipment and set up of field camps, communication systems (radio and Iridium phone) back to Scott Base, and specialist clothing, equipment and people who can help complete the teams objectives.

FIELD CAMPS
Field parties, equipped with the correct clothing and a balanced diet, need to ensure their living accommodation is equally well designed. They use specially designed polar tents, with separate groundsheet made to withstand high winds and wind-driven ice particles. A warm night's sleep is ensured by using a mattress and two sleeping bags.

Field parties may camp up to a hundred days in an Antarctic summer. The weather dictates how much work can be accomplished. The most demanding conditions are associated with high winds or with whiteout conditions. Whiteout is a time of complete cloud cover at low altitude possibly with snow. In whiteout there is no detail in the snow or cloud, and is well likened to living on the inside of a table-tennis ball. Crevasses and the horizon are both invisible, so it is dangerous to be moving into unknown territory. By contrast, in high winds, snow drifts near the ground, and a combination of wind-driven snow and wind-chill can make it difficult to collect scientific data accurately. Such days are best spent "lying up" and working within the safety of the tent. In periods of good weather during the continuous daylight of midsummer field parties may work around the clock to compensate for time spent lying up.

Field camp at Minna Bluff

Megan Balks
Antarctica New Zealand
Pictorial Collection:K123:03/04

SAFETY
Antarctica New Zealand has a number of policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of all people supported by the programme, whether they are at Scott Base or out in the field. These procedures include:

always signing out when you leave the base. The signout book is regularly checked by the communications operators who will initiate search procedures if a person is overdue.
setting radio schedule times for field parties and people who are travelling away from the base on day expeditions. Radio skeds are at set times and missed skeds may result in a search and rescue team being deployed.
always taking or wearing the correct survival clothing when away from the immediate area of the base. Weather in Antarctica can change quickly and being prepared at all times may save your life.
marking and regularly checking safe vehicle and walking routes. These routes are marked by coloured flags, while areas of potential danger are marked by black flags. These areas may contain sea ice cracks, crevasses or hazards such as fuel lines.
Antarctic Field Training (AFT) which is completed by all people travelling to Antarctica with the New Zealand Programme. This course teaches awareness of the environment and how to recognise potential dangers. A full course is undertaken every three years with a refresher course in intervening seasons.

AFT training includes moving through the icefall to show crevassed areas

John Mitchell
Antarctica New Zealand
Pictorial Collection:K080:03/04

TRANSPORT
A variety of transport methods are used to transport people and equipment in Antarctica. Transport types include:

Traverse/field tracked vehicles:

Cat D6H, Cat D4G
Personnel carriers: Hagglunds BV206 All-Terrain Tracked vehicle
Kassbohrer PB300
Kassbohrer PB100

Snowmobiles:

Scandic super-wide track

Operational support vehicles:

ATVs: 4x4 Yamahas
Wheeled loaders: Cat 926E, Deci tele-handler
Toyota hi-lux utility
Toyota Landcruiser Troop-carriers
Isuzu FTS650 4x4 truck

HELICOPTER TRAVEL IN ANTARCTICA
Antarctica New Zealand currently contracts Helicopters New Zealand (HNZ) to provide flight services within Antarctica. HNZ provide a twin engined Bell 212 helicopter, which is joined with aircraft from the United States and Italian Antarctic Programmes to form a logistics pool shared between the three nations. This shared pool enables each programme to travel where they need to go to support their activies in the most efficient way, reducing fuel consumption through shared loads, thus lowering the impacts of human activity. Helicopter travel must also adhere to environmental regulations which prohibit flights over protected areas and provide guidelines for landing close to animals.

Hagglunds tracked vehicle is used to transport people and equipment across both land and sea ice.

Patrick Maher
Antarctica New Zealand
Pictorial Collection:K073:03/04