We’ve got our eyes on the prize 24/7, through blowing snow, lashing winds and sunshine. With more than 100 metres of sediment core retrieved, we’re more than halfway towards our target of 200 metres. Co-Chief Huw Horgan shares this expedition update from our deep-field camp at Crary Ice Rise.

A bit late in sharing, but we've successfully rotary-cored sediment under 523m of the ice sheet at Crary Ice Rise! This was a whole team effort, with special mention to our drillers and hot water crew. Watch the moment we got our first glimpse of the sediment we’ve been waiting on for so long.

We’ve hit a century! 100m of core! Our night-shift crew took us past this milestone – we’re now more than halfway towards our target. Reaching this point is testimony to the skill and hard work of our drillers, who are clocking up long runs and cores of up to 3.1m 👉https://bit.ly/4aHvt5e

Our science team are preparing for when we have our first core on deck. They’ve dug out a pit for cold storage of microbiology samples. The warm science container has been transformed into a lab, ready to X-ray cores and take sediment samples for microbiological analysis.

It’s a very Crary Christmas for our on-ice team in Antarctica! After several weeks of weather delays preventing them getting out to our deep-field camp at Crary Ice Rise, on Christmas Eve the team received the best possible present – a Basler flight to Crary! Crary Christmas from SWAIS2C!

Drilling a 200m sediment core from the bedrock beneath 500m of Antarctic ice is a complex process, so we've broken it down step-by-step in this explainer. From melting snow in our flubbers through to filling our core barrels, what we're attempting 700km from the nearest base is no mean feat!

Hot water drilling is underway at Crary Ice Rise! The team have begun to melt a hole through the ice to make our well. They’ll melt the hole to around 100m below the ice surface, widen it to make a well cavity, and install a pump 📷 Luke Murphy / Antarctica New Zealand

First pics are in from our deep-field camp at Crary Ice Rise! To melt a hole through the 500m ice sheet we need hot water, and there’s no shortage of a crucial ingredient - snow. The team made ’seed water’ by melting snow in a small tub. They use this to melt more snow in our big flubbers.

Interviews with our Co-Chief Scientists Molly Patterson and Huw Horgan feature in this excellent story by RNZ's climate correspondent Kate Newton. Have a listen and a read, to learn more about our work this season! www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

❄️ESE-led research is rewriting the history of Antarctica's ancient landscape & revealing insights about the stability of its ice sheets in a warming world. 🧊This comes as the international @swais2c.bsky.social project (involving Imperial scientists) gets underway www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

The first flight to our deep-field scientific drilling site at Crary Ice Rise has departed Ross Island. The approximately 700km journey over the Ross Ice Shelf took around 2 hrs on a Basler. On board were our hot water drillers, most of our AIDD team, and camp staff 👉https://bit.ly/3KxwJgC

Our mission for ancient climate clues beneath 500m of Antarctic ice is underway! Our drillers have arrived at our deep-field camp at Crary Ice Rise and the science team will fly out soon. Our Co-Chief Scientist Molly Patterson shares this expedition update video from Scott Base bit.ly/3KxwJgC

The on-icers are on the ice! The fourth and final group of our on-ice team have arrived in Antarctica for the season. They’re an international bunch, coming from Germany, US, UK, and NZ. It’s exciting to have a full SWAIS2C contingent on continent!

Here's something those travelling to Antarctica hope they won't need. If your flight 'boomerangs' and has to turn back around, you'll be reunited with your checked-in boomerang bag.We're sharing Antarctic terms and phrases so that you too can #TalklikeanAntarctican!

Antarctica Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, setting the foundation for international collaboration in Antarctic research. SWAIS2C brings together researchers from 10 countries, dedicated to understanding how Antarctica’s ice sheets will respond in our warming world.

The smiles say it all - they've finally made it to the ice! After an extended stay in Christchurch due to weather delays, followed by an 8hr boomerang back to Christchurch, the first of our science team have landed in Antarctica.

With our season underway we're sharing Antarctic terms and phrases so that you too can #TalklikeanAntarctican! First up is: Going south - Travelling to Antarctica. Our drillers have already arrived in Antarctica, and the first of our on-ice scientists are going south today! 🎨 @icebirdstudio

They’ve made it across the Ross Ice Shelf! Huge congrats to the Antarctica NZ traverse crew, for completing a 13-day journey to our drilling site at Crary Ice Rise. They towed sleds with fuel, equipment and supplies, to keep our deep-field camp cranking. Now it's time to set up camp!

We’re proud to be featured on these gorgeous Antarctic learning boards in Christchurch. Made by Gateway to Antarctica: Ōtautahi Christchurch to celebrate the city’s Antarctic gateway status and history of Antarctic exploration, research and international collaboration - sounds like a bit of us!

Introducing Science Team member, paleoglaciologist and isotope chemist Ryan Venturelli! SWAIS2C brings together more than 120 scientists from around 50 research organisations. Our Polar Careers outreach series features our team members, and the work they do on and off the ice👉http://bit.ly/3I7M320

Strewth! It turns out Oz isn’t the biggest continent Down Under. Here's the latest in our series of illustrations showing the sheer scale of Antarctica relative to more familiar chunks of land. 🎨Marlo Garnsworthy. More here 👉https://www.swais2c.aq/education/educational-resources/antarctica-is-big

🚨Sound the sediment siren! Since the last season at KIS3, our engineers have been busy making modifications to our drilling system, and put it to the test in rural NZ. Co-Chief Molly Patterson recorded this update while on site www.swais2c.aq/media/test-o...

Vast, massive, enormous – there’s no shortage of words to describe the size of Antarctica, but it can be hard to get your head around. Here’s how it compares vs US. Check out our Antarctica is Big series https://www.swais2c.aq/education/educational-resources/antarctica-is-big 🎨@icebird.bsky.social

Congratulations to SWAIS2C team member Natalie-Jane Reid for being awarded an Antarctica New Zealand Doctoral Scholarship to support her research on Ross Sea deep ocean currents. She will measure records in SWAIS2C sediment cores to reconstruct deep ocean current strength bit.ly/4572S4W

Groundbreaking insights about rivers beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and their role in Ross Ice Shelf melt, have been uncovered. SWAIS2C Co-Chief Scientist Huw Horgan led the team observing this water entering the ocean cavity at KIS2, on the grounding zone of the WAIS 👉https://bit.ly/44FFniV

It's SWAIS-mail time! Not a subscriber? Catch up on all the news from the project, and sign up so you don't miss out next time 👉http://bit.ly/44RL0M8 📷Anthony Powell / Antarctica New Zealand. Thanks to the KIS3 2024/25 team for the ultimate in sign-writing.

A 100,000-year-old record of waves breaking high up on a cliff above a Cornish beach has more connection with Antarctica’s ice sheets than you might think. SWAIS2C science team member Ed Gasson explains @uk.theconversation.com bit.ly/44p6z5p

Scientists, drillers, mechanics and... Scene of Crime Officers! Our on-ice team brought together people from a range of backgrounds, including the multi-talented Sean Heaphy - hot water driller for the field season, Senior Constable with the NZ Police back home. www.police.govt.nz/news/ten-one...

For our past two field seasons, the Antarctica New Zealand traverse team hauled our gear 1328km across the Ross Ice Shelf. But the safe path to KIS3 was first mapped in 2017. Daniel Price helped find the route, and shares his experience in this new RNZ podcast 🎧https://bit.ly/3DoFUMO

Home sweet home from the air! Check out this amazing drone footage of our deep-field Antarctic research camp KIS3 this past field season. Our on-ice team spent up to 6 weeks living here on the grounding zone of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. 🎥Anthony Powell / Antarctica NZ youtube.com/shorts/CtPga...

Shout-out to the awesome women of our 2024/25 on-ice team this International Day of Women and Girls in Science! From co-chief scientist to medic to hot water driller, these inspiring women played vital roles at our deep-field research camp. Thanks for your contributions to our critical science!

What's it like camping on the snow in Antarctica? Check out hot water driller Hedley Berge's tour of his Scott Polar tent and find out! Hedley lived in his tent at our deep-field research camp on the Ross Ice Shelf for 7 weeks this season. bit.ly/3Ebl57m

It’s been a huge season for our on-ice team KIS3 - our Co-Chief @vandeflierdt.bsky.social sums it up in this end of season wrap. We’re now focussed on our next season at Crary Ice Rise, where we will attempt to obtain a long sediment core youtube.com/shorts/NM5pe...

KIS3 from space! Thanks for spotting our little deep-field camp @aretsch.bsky.social 😎

Drilling at KIS3 has ended due to a technical challenge, following the successful deployment of our sea riser. We're proud of the team’s massive effort to progress this close to obtaining the deep core, & are looking ahead to our season at Crary Ice Rise 📷 Anthony Powell/Antarctica NZ bit.ly/41Wu6v7

🎄Happy Holidays and Merry KIS-mas from the SWAIS2C on-ice team at KIS3 on the Ross Ice Shelf! 🎥 Anthony Powell / Antarctica New Zealand

🚨We’ve broken through the ice shelf! Our crack team of hot water drillers have melted their way through 587.96m of the Ross Ice Shelf to reach the ocean cavity, providing crucial access to the climate secrets hidden in the seafloor below. Well-deserved ‘victory toasties’ all round! 🧪 📷Ana Tovey

❄️Our mascots still need names! ❄️   🐧They’ll be doing seriously cool 😎science 🧪& we’re inviting students to help name them! 📝 Deadline extended to Dec 31 💡Get involved in real science & learn about what’s happening at the end of the Earth. #antarctica #STEAM #scienceeducation #scienceed

We now have a well cavity, and well pump installed. The well pump is vital – circulating water through the system, pumping an endless supply to drill our main borehole right through the 580m ice shelf. It was all hands on deck to ensure a safe and successful install! 📷Ana Tovey

Our Antarctic Intermediate Depth Drill team have been hard at work with our ‘big rig’. They’ve assembled the geological drill that has weathered a long Antarctic winter here at KIS3. To prepare for drilling they’re using the rig to put together the drill pipe. 📷Ana Tovey

The last of our on-ice team have arrived, and have taken part in Antarctic Field Training to learn skills for life at our deep-field camp. The four scientists – Arne Ulfers, Linda Armbrecht, Luca Zurli and Yuri Yamazki – and driller Stephen Stretch, had perfect weather for camping.

Hot water drilling is underway! We've begun boring the well hole through the Ross Ice Shelf, using water from snow, circulated through our six boilers, passed down through a hot water drill nozzle. We'll melt to below sea level, bore a well cavity, and lower a pump. 📷Ana Tovey

Running out of clean socks on the Ross Ice Shelf? Camp mini-washing machine to the rescue! We’re making hot water from snow to drill through the ice shelf, so we can use this ready supply for our camp washing machine. Hot water driller Hedley Berge took the machine for its first spin.

❄️It’s snowing at KIS3 today! We’re lucky to have several heated spaces on site to warm up if needed. 🎥 Ana Tovey/ SWAIS2C

It’s flubber feeding time! Over the past few days at KIS3 something big, yellow and hungry for snow, has been growing in size – our flubbers. They’re a crucial step in our efforts to access sediment below the ice shelf – providing the water we need to start hot water drilling. 🧪

We’re on an ambitious mission for sediment core, but even getting to our site is a mission! Our scientific drilling camp is incredibly remote – KIS3 is 860km from the nearest base. Getting there requires some serious logistics, specialised polar transport, and of course – a weather window.

Oh yes we Kamb! The first of our science team have made to to KIS3, our deep-field drilling camp on the Kamb Ice Stream, nearly 900 km from Scott Base. They spent their first few hours at camp meeting the rest of the team & getting their homes-away-from-home set up in “Tent City”. 📷Ana Tovey/SWAIS2C

❄️Our mascots are in Antarctica for cool science & we need students help to name them! ❄️   While they wait to fly to our deep-field site & help with our cutting-edge science 🧪 , they’re exploring Scott Base & McMurdo Station! Enter your names by Dec 22 👉 forms.gle/SSpW8n7P6tF7...

When you gotta get your steps in, but you like napping…We’re celebrating Antarctica Day by sharing this Weddell seal that our science team met today (keeping at least 10m distance!). It’s the anniversary of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which designated the continent to peace and science.

🗣️We're sharing some Antarctic terms and phrases, so that you too can #TalklikeanAntarctican! Here's one those travelling south hope they won't need: Boomerang bag. If your flight 'boomerangs' and turns back around, you'll be reunited with your checked-in boomerang bag. What would you pack in yours?