Activities of the summer party of the 22nd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 1980-1981

Abstract

The summer operations of the 22nd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition Party are summarized. The icebreaker FUJI, carrying 450t of cargo and 44 members of the expedition party led by Prof. Y. YOSHIDA, left Tokyo on November 25,1980. The icebreaker arrived at the edge of pack ice, about 200 miles from Syowa Station on December 31,1980. Then, the icebreaker reached the point suitable for air transport, about 27 miles from Syowa Station on January 1,1981. All activities at Syowa Station went on smoothly as previously arranged. The air transport started on January 3,and almost all cargos except fuel were transported to Syowa Station by January 15. The air transport of fuel was accomplished by January 28. The construction works of an information processing building, a MARISAT station, unmanned observatory at West Ongul Island, radio wave receiving antenna and so on were completed by February 3. As field activities, SCUBA diving for biological survey was carried out fifteen times in frozen sea near Syowa Station. Geodetic and geological surveys were carried out at Tenmondai Rock, Akebono Rock, and Sinnan Rocks located on the coastline of Prince Olav Coast. Two field parties for explosion seismic experiment and POLEX-South meteorological experiment made oversnow traverses to Mizuho Station. The icebreaker FUJI left Syowa Station on February 6 in the summer operation. She visited Molodezhnaya Station from February 10 to 13 for the cooperative research program of upper atmosphere physics. After FUJI left the frozen sea on February 19,oceanographic and biological observations were carried out at 13 stations. The FUJI returned to Tokyo via Port Louis and Singapore on April 20,1981.