The Wanderer

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Last month after some begging and pleading I was presented with a number of articles. All of which were very sedate and strictly work related with a light sprinkling of humour. When I once again put out the call for articles I was expect- ing much of the same. However, it seems the island madness is setting in quickly. So in this month‟s issue you can expect a crazy romp around the minds of isolated islanders, with very unscien- tific insights into the lives of the animals we study. So buckle up and get ready for seedy stories of penguin infidelity, paranoid accounts of murderous birds and pigmy tribes living in the mountains,

an introduction to the mysterious island DJ, sad and lonely odes to the last chick in death valley and a detailed account of our nightly menu. While some few have clung desperately to their sanity and are as yet writing sensible articles, I cannot hope that this practice will last long, therefore in fear of joining the mad masses I write this letter while I still have the presence of mind to do so; I hope it will serve as both an explanation of the craziness within and an invitation to join us in our descent into island in- sanity. ENJOY and please don‟t take us too seriously...we don‟t!

- Nadia

The first signs of the fun that awaits us during the year ahead.

The Madness Begins

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Penguin “birth”

Watch

2

Sealer Antics 3

High and Low Pressure

4-5

Climate Stats 6-7

The Life of a Diesel Tech

8

Scandals in the Gentoo World

8

From the Radio Room

9

Revenge of the Mutant Giant Petrel

10

A little bit More Space Science

11

The Interior has Eyes

12

Birder Special! 13- 14 Why I come to Marion

15

Ode to 54 16 Fun in the Base 17 Sponsor of the Month

18

Letter from the Editor

The Wanderer

J U L Y 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

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P A G E 2

“the penguins bowing to each other before changing on the nest”

Although we don‟t have televi- sion here, we still keep an eye on the internet to not totally lose track with the world out there. In July, it seemed like the world‟s eyes were fixed on England and all were won- dering when Prince William and Kate Middleton‟s baby would be born. Behind the scenes, there must have been a frenzy of activity to get everything in order for the baby‟s arrival. Baby George Alexan- der Louis was born on 22 July.

The cameras were flashing as William and Kate stepped out of the hospital with their new- born.

Here on Marion Island, the Oceans and Coasts birders have also been on penguin

“birth” watch. From the 1st of June we have been taking turns to go to Ship‟s Cove to

monitor the rate of arrival of the Gentoo Penguins at our monitor breeding colonies. Towards the end of June we could see that the activity levels at the two colonies

had drastically increased. Alt- hough we could see that the penguins were beginning to lie in the prone position (indicating that they are likely on eggs) on the 10th of July, we could only confirm that there were eggs in nests once we managed to see them. Gentoo Penguins lay two eggs within approximately 2.5

to 4 days apart. Tegan was fortunate to see the first two eggs (on 16 and 19 July). On 22 June, it was my turn to see three eggs. It was special to see the eggs as the penguins stood up on their nests to shift. Change over between incubation turns of the breeding pairs is also awesome to watch with the penguins bowing to each other before changing on the nest. The breeding success of the Gen- too Penguins was particularly low last year and we hope that it will be better this year. Best of luck to the penguins, the penguin paparazzi are watch- ing!

Penguin “birth” watch

By Marriette Wheeler

T H E W A N D E R E R

Ship’s Cove. We monitor the penguin nests from the top of the cliffs through binoculars

A few of the Gentoo Penguin nests in the monitoring colony

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P A G E 3

“leaving only scars and minor limps to remind us fondly of our follies”.

The Sealers, having to be out on their own contin- uously, have mastered the

“one handed DIY tourist/

teenage girl head- shot” (soon we‟ll start pouting). Other skills that have shown improvement include pup weighing (Hennie the Machine weighed 93 pups all by his lonesome before tea-time last time), device retriev- al, whisker collection (both of seals and our own), walking speed (especially when heading to dinner) and toughness (mostly referring to the soles of our feet).

Although not scientifically tested yet all these im- provements show a di-

Sealer Antics

By Christiaan Willem Brink

rect correlation to the increasing beard length of me and my fellow sealers and thus one has to wonder what magical

proper- ties this man- make-up has.

Most inju- ries that have acu- mulated seem to

have healed, leaving only scars and minor limps to remind us fondly of our follies.

Many other goodheart- ed field assistants

and base personnel have lent us a helping hand with both our work and our base re-

sponsibilities without

which we would not

have coped so we

gratefully thank these

kind and gentle souls.

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P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

The background

We hear about High and Low atmospheric pressure almost every day when weather forecast is being presented to us. This explains the behaviour expect from the atmosphere at that time. Atmosphere is known to be (or at least behave like) a fluid comprised of many gases including the greenhouse gases. We know that for any fluid, if a disturbance is applied by an external force, the fluid will find a way to stabilise by getting rid of the force.

The other important thing to keep in mind is that temperature and heat is not the same thing. Temperature is the measure of level of energy („‟heat‟‟) of a substance, or more technically the average speed of molecules in a substance. Heat on the other hand is the process of transfer of energy from a warmer body (“Hot”) to a cooler body (“Cold”). This transfer of energy occurs as a result of difference in temperature between the two bodies.

Weather patterns are driven by solar radiation which is basically energy in the form of heat from the sun. The incoming Solar Radiation differs based on the location on earth. Maximum solar radiation is received at the Equator and minimum solar radiation is received at the Poles as shown on Figure 1. For this reason, there is a latitudinal variation of energy (“Heat”) resulting in warmer Equator and cooler North and South Pole. This creates a setup for surplus of heat energy around near Equator latitudes and deficit of heat energy near polar latitudes. This surplus heat at near equator latitudes and deficit heat energy result in warmer and cooler temperatures respectively which create a setup for instability in atmosphere. If there is excess force (“heat or moisture”) introduced in the atmosphere, the atmosphere as any other fluid will try to stabilise. To try maintaining heat energy balance, the atmosphere will transport moisture and heat through complex atmospheric processes from Equatorial area towards the Poles.

Atmospheric pressure is defined as the force of column of air and it is measured in Pas- cal‟s (Unit= Pa). One Pascal will be a mass of 1 kg accelerated at 1meter per second over an area of 1 square metre. In synoptic chats pressure is given in Hectopascal‟s which is a hundredth of a Pascal (Unit= hPa) and usually represented by Isobars. Isobars are lines that joins points of equal atmospheric pressure values on a synoptic chart, and also shows atmospheric pressure variation at constant height.

Low Pressure System

In a low pressure system, the air parcel (which is a body of atmospheric air with different properties to the surrounding environment) close to the earth surface is warmer than the air parcel above it. The air parcel warms as a result of heat that is introduced to it either from Solar Radiation or a much warmer surrounding environment through convection. This result in an unstable atmosphere since the parcel above will be now heavier than the parcel below. Let‟ assume an air column, say of a certain height and weight of 1 kg forced over an area of 1 square meter at the speed of 1 meter per second. If excess heat is introduced in this column, theoretically this will excite the air molecules in the column, and as a result air molecules will move faster and for longer distances. This in turn will result in some air molecules moving out of the assumed air column and leaving less air molecules left within the column. The air density will become less causing air in the column to become lighter and have less weigh than it previously did. The air parcel behaves exactly this way when heated, it expands and in doing so the air molecules have enough energy to move higher up. This the parcel result in an elongated column as air rises in attempt of atmosphere to get rid of the excess heat by transferring it to the cooler surrounding.

What does it means when atmospheric pressure is high or low?

By Mokete Koago

Figure 1: Intensity of solar radiation shown how it varies with latitudes

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As the air parcel rises the warm air in the parcel loses heat to the surrounding cooler environment at a certain rate and in doing so the air molecules loses energy too. Energy carried by air molecules is proportional to the rate and distance they can travel. The loss of energy slows the air molecules down and this happens until they eventually come to near rest where they come together to form droplets which at the end lead to cloud formation (formation process not discussed).

High Pressure System

On the other hand a high pressure is different from a low pressure. A drier and dense air parcel is initially high up the atmosphere. Let us once again assume a column of a certain height and weight of 1 kg forced over an area of 1 square meter at the speed of 1 meter per second. This time instead of introducing excess heat, the heat of the air parcel is kept constant. The only thing that changes is that we have more air molecules outside the air column than inside the column. With this setting, more room will be created for addition air molecules to move into the assumed air column thus making the weight of the air column heavier than it previously was. The weight of the column keep increasing as more molecules push to get in and creat- ing a high air density in the column. The denser and drier air parcel up in the atmosphere sinks due to its increased air molecules density. This forces air molecules below to keep moving down in the atmospheric attempt to stabilise. As the air molecules get compressed the overall energy of the parcel increases and result in higher temperature. The air molecules eventually reach the surface of the earth and diverge.

The motion of the winds in a low and high pressure cell are illustrated on figure 2 The Conclusion

High atmospheric pressure means the air column is higher than the surrounding atmospheric area, therefore contains more air molecules and as a result heavier than the surrounding atmosphere. Low atmospheric pressure means the air column is shorter than the surrounding atmospheric area and therefore has less air molecules meaning much lighter than the surrounding environment.

As we know that if something is under pressure it will try to stabilise by reducing the pressure from the region of high pressure to the region of low pressure, the atmospheric pressure system also works in the same way. There is a pressure gradient that exists between the high pressure cell and a low pressure cell. This pressure gradient induces what is known as Pres- sure Gradient Force, which is basically what “drives” the air molecules from high pressure area to a low pressure area. This is basically what causes the wind to move from high pressure area to a low pressure area. This cause divergence at the surface of the earth and convergence at the top of the atmosphere for a high pres-

sure cell, while causing convergence at the surface of earth and divergence at the top of atmosphere for a low pressure cell. In non-rotating planet this means we would have air moving from high pressure cell to low pressure cell, but the earth is not stationary instead it is rotating.

As the result of rotation of the earth a deflection force called Coriolis force exists. Coriolis force deflects a body not attached to earth surface to the left in Southern Hemisphere and to the right in Northern Hemisphere. This is what cause winds not to move from a high to low a pressure cell. On their way from high Pressure cell to low pressure cell winds get deflected by Cor- iolis force and result in circular motion around the pressure cells as shown in Figure 3. Winds circulate in an anticlockwise direction for a high pressure cell and circulate in a clockwise direction for a low pressure cell in Southern Hemisphere, the opposite applies in Northern hemisphere.

Figure 2: vertical air circulation in a Low pressure cell (left) and high pressure cell (right)

Figure 3: this figure shows the circulation of air around a high pressure cell (H) and a low Pressure cell (L) in the Southern Hemisphere

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P A G E 6

MARION ISLAND SEA TEMP AND CLIMATE STATS REPORT

SEA TEMP REPORT: July 2013

Date Sea Temp Date Sea Temp Date Sea Temp

01 4.8 11 4.7 21 4.9

02 4.8 12 4.8 22 4.7

03 5.0 13 4.7 23 4.7

04 5.0 14 4.7 24 4.8

05 5.0 15 4.7 25 4.3

06 5.0 16 4.7 26 4.3

07 4.9 17 4.4 27 4.3

08 4.8 18 4.4 28 4.2

09 4.8 19 4.4 29 4.2

10 4.8 20 4.8 30 4.2

31 4.2

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CLIMATE STATS: July 2013

Ave Max Pressure 1012.6 hPa

Ave Min Pressure 999.4 hPa

Ave Pressure 1006.3 hPa

Max Pressure 1030.7 hPa

Min Pressure 976.2 hPa

Ave Max Temp 6.8° C

Ave Min Temp 1.7° C

Ave Temp 4.3° C

Max Temp 12.2° C

Min Temp -2.3° C

Ave Humidity 86%

Max Humidity 100%

Min Humidity 31%

Max Wind Gust 36.0 m/s or 129.6 km/h

Total Rainfall 166.0 mm

Highest in 24 Hours 32.2 mm

Total days with rain 22 days

Total days > 1mm 20 days

Total Sunshine 85.1 hours

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My daughter asked me what I actually do as the diesel tech. Well, you first and fore- most need to include 'makaplan' (make a plan) and 'do a MacGyver' in your outlook, then certain words are needed in your day to day tasks - 'Bugger', 'Balls' and 'F.... (not fudge)' are just a few examples.

Your job description is that of diesel tech- nician, but in reality you are the plumber, electrician, refrigeration tech., fitter and turner and handyman. Every day one needs to think of "what if ...." and get a

solution before it hits the fan. Knowing that we are secluded and without a hardware store close by, brings about unique challenges (our DCO Shiraan's favourite word). A base without power can turn into a nightmare - no lights, heating or communications - and let‟s face it, a hot shower is a must.

A nine to five working day is non exist- ent. A leaking pipe needs repair imme- diately (even if it means crawling under the base - happens often), generators and diesel burners (hot water and base heating) need constant monitoring, and a faulty freezer (sorry Shiraan, a chal- lenged freezer) could be the end of a

large portion of our frozens.

Freezers get monitored the most, as a year without ice-cream would really get me down.

Even with maintenance and daily repairs I still get to enjoy this un- spoilt paradise by going for walks, falling (and cursing) in mires and having a good time. Life on Marion can be cold and wet, but just being here warms you up from the inside.

The Life of The Diesel Tech

By Marius Wolmarans

The Abandoned Mistress

visits to Marion Island became less and less! Eventually, ceasing alto- gether. We thought this behaviour strange for such an adventurous and courageous penguin, until us birders put penguin and nature together! You see, it was not two girlfriends Triple X was travelling between. It was a mistress and a wife! A distraught gentoo sheila was left on Marion Island alone and eggless when Triple X‟s wife laid an egg. Triple X had no other op- tion but to return to Prince Ed- ward Island for his egg‟s sake. He has a father role to play now. An egg to keep warm, so that one day this egg may hatch into a chick, a chick he will feed and teach to swim, play and eat!

Triple X‟s satellite tracker revealed much more than any birder could have hoped for! A scandalous, but not loveless story, emerged from the data that we thought would be similar to any other penguin‟s movements about the island. If you remember from the last news letter, we mentioned the elusive Tri- ple X that we were unable to relo- cate to place a Temperature and Depth Recorder (TDR) device on his back. The initial data we re- trieved back from the satellite transmitter, already placed on Tri- ple X during takeover, showed that he casually travelled between Prince Edward Island (19km North east of Marion island) and Marion Island. The birders joked that he had girlfriends on either island and was visiting them both with hopes to improve his fitness, if you know what I mean. As the days rolled past and July began to age a more devious story unfolded! Triple X‟s

Scandals in the Gentoo world

By Tegan Carpenter-Kling

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P A G E 9

“The age of the Base DJ has arrived”

There are 8 huts scattered along the perimeter of the island and one high up in the mountains. These are used as overnight shelters by the team members working out in the field. The huts are stocked with food, beds, heaters and 2- way radios, used for communi- cating with the other huts and the base.

Every night just before 6 pm, I make my way to the radio room, tune to the right frequency and mode and wait for the various hut to report in.

We Establish the wellbeing of everyone, give them a weather forecast and then lastly comes the good night wishes. A pretty uneventful task... Until the rest of the team stepped in.

The age of the Base DJ has arrived. As soon as the huts report in and the formalities have been taken care of, the

From The Radio Room

By David Hartzenberg

base DJ takes over. The introduction theme song is played, followed by news of the day - local and from across the water - and then various activities take place. This ranges from guest speakers (a few interesting characters have popped in), to make believe adverts and sponsors to competitions with some interesting prizes. The night is ended with a song ded- icated to those far away, a weather bulletin and signing off.

I would like to thank the fol- lowing people for making comms a great team event.

Anche as JD you-know-who, Irma as DJ-nobody-

knows-who (and now ever body does...), Kim the weather girl (even in Afrikaans!) and Stef- an, Hennie and Johan for standing in as lots of different characters in the show that is brought to the

“poor wretched hut dwellers”.

Great thanks to the rest of the team for just sitting with us during this, now a fun event, and exercising their laughing skills.

Once again, thank you from my side.

The Weather Girl at work

DJ-nobody-knows-who Up to the minute journalism…island style.

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P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

I seem to have a sense of being watched by many eyes, lurking behind hills and high in the sky, whenever I go out walk-

ing around the island. The Giant Petrels (GP‟s), Macronectes spp., have mutated. They have changed their diet to a meatier (and I personally think a tastier) larger prey. You see, the GP‟s usually prey on the poor King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagoni- cus), Gentoo penguins

(Pygoscelis papua), Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) chicks and opportunistically on seal carcasses. Lately they seem to have more refined taste for human (and by human, I mean me). I have personally have had two close encounters with these petrels. They flew high surveying me with their laser eyes and land right next to me when I least expected it. Moments later, more laser-eyed GP‟s came flying over my head like vultures over a dying, defenseless animal and suddenly, I get the feeling that I was targeted as a quick lunch for these natural born killers.

My first dangerous encounter with these fierce giants was when I was tentatively monitoring Great-winged Petrel (GWP), Pterodroma macroptera, burrows. Now for monitoring burrows I have to lay low and spy deep into the warm and cozy burrows to find out what these great wings are up to. Anyway, as I am diligently and stealthy spying on the GWP‟s, the GP‟s came swooping in above me, when one landed at my feet. At first I thought nothing of this

Revenge of the mutant Giant Petrel

By Makabongwe Siggala

until he started to gnaw at my leg. I jumped up, startled, and ran for my life. Little did I realise that I was being followed back to

home base (Fig.1). Guess they know where I live now. I have not felt safe in base ever since that day.

My second, and more gruesome, encounter with these vicious killers was near Swartkops hut during my two day round island exer- cise. As Tegan and I were walking gleefully through

the cotula plains of Swartkops, one GP came up to us all curious and friend- ly. This was all an ingenious guise to get up close to us.

As I knelt down to say hello, it revealed its true form and started to gnaw at my hand (Fig.2). There was blood and fingers flying everywhere. I had lost my hand to the cunning killer.

Least to say I ran as fast as my legs could carry me back to home base to seek refuge and medical treatment.

I think everyone at base has come to realise how dangerous the island has become.

We now know to arm ourselves with an arsenal of defensive and offensive weapon- ry. Walking outside to do some work has become a risky and deadly endeavour. The giant petrels wait in ambush for the hope of eventually finishing the job they started.

Until then, we will be not hindered or intimidated to walk outside. We will not be silenced. We will face the GP‟s head- strong in the pursuit of freedom and we will prevail victorious once again as the top predators of this island. Hopefully these mutants GP‟s will not be as much of a hassle to the next batch field researchers.

P.S.: The events described in this story are all true, although some sections have been exaggerated a little for entertainment purposes.

Figure 2: The insidious GP that bit my fingers off.

“I have

personally have had two close encounters with these petrels.”

Figure 1: Being chased by the man-eating Giant Petrel.

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P A G E 1 1

“The Ionosphere changes throughout the day, and changes how the transmitted signal travels”

Todays article is based on the UltraMSK project run by SANSA on Marion Island.

Very basically the UltraMSK system monitors signals from transmitters placed at various places around the world.

These transmitters radiate large power signals with a constant amplitude and phase continuously throughout the day. They transmit in the VLF (Very Low Frequen- cy) frequency range 3-30 kHz. These signals radiate from the transmitters, and propagate between the Earth -Ionosphere wave guide until they reach Marion Island, and the signal amplitude and phase is measured. If the propagation path was com- pletely static, then the measured signal would not vary at

A little bit more Space Science!

By Carson McAfee

all, because the transmitted signal does not vary; however this is not the case.

The Ionosphere changes throughout the day, and changes how the transmitted signal travels in the Earth- Ionosphere wave guide. The change is due to solar energy increasing and decreasing the electron density in the ionosphere. Therefore during the mid day, when the sun is highest, the electron density is high, and the transmitted signals radiate well. The opposite is true for night time.

Therefore there is a diurnal cycle in the measured signal, and makes the signal fairly consistent on a day to day basis, changing slowly throughout the day. This is where things get interesting!

When a solar flare occurs, a large amount of solar energy is radiated away from the sun, and spirals out until it hits the earth. When this additional energy hits the earths Iono- sphere, it rapidly changes the electron density, and therefore has an immediate effect on the radiated signals. This effect is seen as an increase in the received signal amplitude, and is clearly visible as a "bump" on the plot of the signal amplitude.

So by monitoring the UltraMSK system, SANSA is monitor different solar events, as well as improve our understanding of the effects the Ionosphere plays in modern communication.

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onto black lava, losing her Buff and her M70 beanie. Luckily Mariëtte managed to run after the Buff and catch it, while the beanie was swept away. Eventually we joyously reached the hut. Even though all water was frozen, we could make

slush puppy with snow and orange Game.

After a beautiful sunset at Katedraalkrans, we snuggled up in the hut for a peaceful evening.

Little did we know that something or somebody was shopping in the hut pantry. Strange noises were heard from around the hut, but we attribut- ed these to the wind.

Next morning we found that some food containers were missing from the pantry – there were no tuna, two minute noodles, potatoes, pasta-and-sauce or green Game!! With a somewhat confused GPS (at times showing that we had to walk in the wrong direction), we ventured under blue skies and sunshine into the snowy- white interior.

Approximately 2 km from the hut, close to the ice plateau, we made a

remarkable discovery - FOOTPRINTS!!

Staring at the prints in disbelief, we ana- lysed the situation. The last people to pos- sibly have walked here was during take- over. In June, we had thick snow even at

base. As the interior is at higher altitude, it certainly must have snowed more up there.

Certainly take-over footprints would have been covered by now? Even if not, nobody here for take-over had halfman-sized feet. Is the team the only people on the island? We haven‟t been to the ice caves, are “they” sheltering there? Are they living on green Game and tuna? Thorough investigation of Katedraal hut and the interior will have to be done in this year to resolve the case of the possible Interior Be- ings..

Anche (botanist) had to go to Katedraal to collect soil and plant samples.

Mariëtte (birder) has never slept in Kat- edraal hut and managed to fit the trip into her schedule, while Irma (medic) wanted a taste of hut life. Bravely the three ladies set out for Katedraal on the 18th of July.

Katedraal is the only hut in the interior of the island (724 m above sea level), so we knew that we were in for a climb.

On our upward journey we faced a cou- ple of setbacks. The 65+ knot wind pushed over our fellow traveller Irma, resulting in her turning back after sever- al attempts. So we were one woman down. Fortunately, the sealers before- hand had given us the recipe to mix cement and epoxy to harden up, where- by Anche and Mariëtte could continue the journey. Next in line for a

taste of the wind was Mariëtte when the wind lifted her off her feet and threw her on black lava. In the process, her walking stick hit her on the nose between the eyes. Tissues, ice and Aqueous Cream were applied to stop the bleeding. Last in line for an attack from the strong wind was Anche when the wind zoomed her a few feet back

The Interior Has Eyes

By Anche Müller and Mariëtte Wheeler

Katedraal hut in the mountains

Exploring the mysterious interior The three adventurers

Halfman-sized FOOTPRINTS!?

Are we alone on the island?

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P A G E 1 3

Meditating and feet steaming is often used for relaxation after long walks and recovering from bites, scratches and

puke smells

BIRDER SPECIAL!

The making of team bird started on Robben Island after which we moved to Marion to become awesome (more awesome than the sealers).

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After a while you get used to the size of a wandering albatross, but putting your foot next to a footprint of one brings it back into context.

Penguins have a pretty face… but that is pret- ty much all they have going for them as they often get stuck on kelp rendering them help- less for a few minutes.

But Tegan loves them.

By The Birders

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P A G E 1 5

“the unspoiled nature of the island is worth staying for a year”

Why I come to Marion

By Allen Tshautshau For that past three years I

have been bombarded by a number of questions about the Prince Edward Islands (PEI), and the South African National A n t a r c t i c P r o g r a m m e (SANAP). Well, to me some of these questions were relatively disappointing, and understand- able at the same time. In this article I will share with you some of the Marion Island frequently asked questions. In no particular order, the questions are, 1) Do you have malls and night clubs, 2) Will you meet some attractive men and women on the island, 3) What will your mobile phone number be while on the island, 4) Will you come back during the holiday or can I visit you, and how much will it cost me to visit the island. Like any average person I used to get annoyed and agitated by such questions, but was humbled by the fact that only a few of us will be afforded the opportuni- ty to sail down to these islands. I then realized that I also have an obligation to educate those around me about these islands, and the programme itself.

To begin with, the Prince Ed- wards comprise of Marion Island (the larger of the two), and Prince Edward Island. The- se two are South Africa‟s only overseas territories, which are approximately 2000 km away from the mainland. The islands are remote, and exclusively for scientific purposes. On Marion

Island, a state of the art research base has been con- structed, and only a team of twenty people is accommodat- ed in this facility throughout the whole year. Because there is no other mode of transport during the year accept walking, personnel walk to nine field huts that are strategically placed on the around the island. Although you will need a passport for travelling to the PEI you are considered to be on a South African land. Con- sequently, all the logistical is- sues are administered by the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa, which includes the provision of the SA Aguhlas 2, a research ves- sel commissioned for annual relief voyages. Unfortunately, other funny business like malls, mobile phone networks and visiting your friends on the island as you wish are not part of the PEI package.

On a serious note, I have been asked by many people why I dare to leave the civilized world for spending a year on a remote place. Well, the SANAP is one of the most prestigious research programmes on the planet, that seek to understand patterns, systems, trends and fluctua- tions of our natural environment in relation to climate change and invasion biology.

Various research groups such as the Mammal research Insti- tute, South African Weather Services, Centre of Excellence

For Invasion Biology, South Af- rican National Space Agency, Percy Fitzpatrick Centre of Ex- cellence For Ornithology, De- partment of Environmental Af- fairs and some of the South African Universities do send skilled personnel to the island to spend a year to do scientific research of varying subjects.

These programmes are not only of great significant to the scientific world, but also contribute some pointers when it comes to natural disaster management, biosecurity, agriculture and fish- eries management on the mainland.

Most importantly the unspoiled nature of the island is worth staying for a year (e.g. small numbers of invasive aliens species compared to the mainland, unique species, and the purest natural flowing water you will ever get on a South African land). The island is regarded as the “living laboratory” for this reasons, hence the commitment by the South African National Antarctic Programme to con- serve and sustain the island‟s natural resources. So, next time when the boredom is frustrating you, and start asking the ques- tion why Marion Island or Prince Edward Island please refer to this article.

“People from other parts of the world pay thousands of rands to get on vessels to watch seabirds that I see wandering around on Marion Island everyday”- Allen Tshautshau

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Ode to 54

By Kim Stevens

There was a young albatross chick in Macaroni Bay Which grew up nearby friends of its own kind.

Through hail and snow and rain and ice They survived through night and day.

But one by one they disappeared

„Til only 54 was left –

A brave little soul – he sat alone Thinking it all a little weird.

The humans did go to this Death Valley With camera traps to find an explanation.

But little did they know that this no. 54 Was a fighter – so no culprits were found, sadly.

May he live long and prosper evermore.

Until the day that he can fly away.

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Fun in the Base

By Carson McAfee

One of the things I am enjoying the most about being here, is learning that you can MAKE almost anything that you need.

Being a Joburg Boy, it is often simpler (and cheaper) to just buy everything that you need. It also saves you a lot of time that could be better spent sitting in Joburg Traffic, traveling from home to work and back again.

Thankfully this is not the case on the island. Commuting

to the office involves slipping on the Crocs, and walking 200 m from the bedroom to the office (stopping in at the kitchen nook for a cup of Milo).

So with all this free time, and lack of shopping centers, most of us here have learnt to MAKE the things that we need. This is especially true with regards to food! Here is a list of some of the foods I have learnt to make since being here:

Bread Rolls: I managed to find a nice recipe that is not dependent on eggs, so we should be able to make it throughout the year! I have also made different variations of white and whole grain bread. I think half the fun in making it is trying different bread shapes, and obviously trying not to burn it (which is easy if you

spend 20 minutes staring it down inside the oven).

Rice Krispie Treats: I know that this is a simple recipe (Rice Krispies + But- ter + Marshmallows), but they are unbelievably nice, and easy to make.

And surprisingly enough fairly simple to clean up! I don't know why, but I had a huge craving for them last week.

I think it has something to do with the

"crunchiness". There are very few

food items on the island that

"crunch", mostly because it is either tinned, frozen or soaked. Biscuits crumble so they don't count.

Biltong: Again, being a Joburg Boy, it is simpler to pop into Spar, Pick n Pay, or a butcher and buy biltong. Here we get to do the whole process ourselves, and we get to try out own spice variations. Its great. So far the

nicest surprise was the Chilli Bites Marius made!

Empanadas: This is essentially a South American Pie. So far I have made a chicken and beef version.

The beef one was a bit bland, but the chicken one was delicious. 1 Bag of Chicken strips, 3 cans of creamed mushrooms, 1 bag of veggies, and a whole lot of chicken spice. Yum! I think the best

part was making the pie pastry, which is simply flour, margarine (butter would probably be better) and water. After you roll out the pastry, and fill with some of the chicken/mince, you then fry the whole thing in oil (had to combat the veggies in some way). I would recommend this recipe. Just Google it, for better directions.

So from this short list, I am probably not quite a master chef yet, but I am having fun, and enjoying the experience. Cooking for 20 people is a lot of fun, because not only is it a large amount of food, but it is also a large amount of people to keep happy.

So far everyone has kept raising the bar on the quality of food, and it is great eating well every night!

Empanada

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East Pier Shed East Pier Road V&A Waterfront CAPE TOWN South Africa

Phone: +27 (0)21 405 9400 Fax: +27 (0)21 405 9424 E-mail: [email protected]

South Africa's involvement in Antarctica and the sub-antarctic islands dates back to the earliest voyages of discovery, due to the then Cape of Good Hope's position as a stopover for explorers, whalers and sealers.

After World War II, South Africa became more formally involved, undertaking meteor- ological expeditions to the Prince Edward Islands. A permanent weather base was es- tablished on Marion and the annexation by SA of these islands was concluded in 1948. In 1959 the first South African National Antarc- tic Expedition (SANAE) was undertaken, es- tablishing a permanent presence on Antarcti- ca that endures to this day.

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