IPY 2007-2008

Fleming Glacier Filedworks

Second Year Fieldwork (2008)

The second field campaign of CECS to Fleming Glacier took place between November 29, 2008 and January 2, 2009. The access to the glacier via the Chilean base "Profesor Escudero" (INACH) and the British base Rothera (BAS) was supported by the Chilean Air Force, the Brazilian Air Force and the British Antarctic Survey, coordinated by the Chilean Antarctic Institute.


On December 7 a reconnaisance flight took place, employing the CECS Airborne Mapping System CAMS. Eventually, on December 16 the team arrived to the glacier after several days of waiting for adequate flight conditions.

Arriving at the field site they found the Automatic weather station (AWS) with only 25 cm sticking out of the snow. This is an impressive evidence of the high amount of snow accumulation since the installation of the 4 m high tower one year ago.

They dug out the station and could download all GPS and met data. Additionally to the reinstallation of the AWS and the mounting of a new GPS tower, they carried out GPS measurements at various stakes during the two weeks they stayed at the glacier.

On December 30 they returned to Rothera on board of a BAS Twin Otter to spend the New Year´s Eve in the British base, before flying back to Punta Arenas on January 2.