Day 9 - Zodiac Landing: Mikkelsen Harbor

- November 27, 2022

Mikkelsen Harbour

Mikkelsen Harbour is a small bay indenting the south side of Trinity Island between Skottsberg Point and Borge Point, in the Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica. It provides excellent anchorage for ships and was frequently used by sealing vessels in the first half of the nineteenth century and by Norwegian whaling vessels at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was discovered by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901–04. The origin of the name comes from Peder Michelsen, a whaling manager who was lost in the whaling grounds in December 1910. The harbour was charted by Captain Hans Borge. Apparently the name was in common usage by 1913, at the time of the geologic reconnaissance by Scottish geologist David Ferguson in the whale-catcher Hanka.

Mikkelsen Harbour is bordered to the west by Skottsberg Point, the southernmost point of Trinity Island. It was first charted by the SAE, it was named for Carl Skottsberg, botanist of the expedition. Borge Point is a headland forming the east side of Mikkelsen Harbour. Klo Rock is a rock on which the sea breaks, lying at the east side of the entrance to the harbor. Both features were charted and named by Captain Borge.

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikkelsen_Harbour

Each of 24 Zodiacs carried 10 passengers (5 on each side) with seating on the outer air chambers. The driver stood at the stern holding the engine controls.

Today the wind kept the ice chunks from jamming our landing site.

Our expedition ship in the background. The ocean is too deep to drop anchor; GPS controlled engines and side thrusters kept the ship in fixed locations.

Navigation was often slow due to the density of ice.

Our landing site was clear today! Crews carried snow shovels to cut steps for ascending the steep banks.

Poles were placed by crew members after clearing (stomping) paths for us.

Ski poles at all landing sites provided walking aid, especially on slopes.

Our line-up to catch a Zodiac back to the ship. Unloading and reloading was a slow process. We slid off Zodiac sides into the water, generally over a foot deep (we were provided excellent boots).

A pair of seals feeding close to our landing site.

Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word krill, meaning "small fry of fish," which is also often attributed to species of fish.

Krill are considered an important trophic level connection – near the bottom of the food chain. They feed on phytoplankton and (to a lesser extent) zooplankton, yet also are the main source of food for many larger animals. In the Southern Ocean, one species, the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, makes up an estimated biomass of around 379,000,000 tonnes, making it among the species with the largest total biomass. Over half of this biomass is eaten by whales, seals, penguins, seabirds, squid, and fish each year. Most krill species display large daily vertical migrations, thus providing food for predators near the surface at night and in deeper waters during the day.

Krill are fished commercially in the Southern Ocean and in the waters around Japan. The total global harvest amounts to 150,000–200,000 tonnes annually, most of this from the Scotia Sea. Most of the krill catch is used for aquaculture and aquarium feeds, as bait in sport fishing, or in the pharmaceutical industry. In Japan, the Philippines, and Russia, krill are also used for human consumption and are known as okiami in Japan. They are eaten as camarones in Spain and Philippines. In the Philippines, krill are also known as alamang and are used to make a salty paste called bagoong.