Depots in place in East Antarctica

The cargo included a new power station for the Norwegian research station Troll, equipment for the new K-Sat satellite station and a Belgian expedition, as well as giant sledges, weasels, containers and supplies for the traverse.

The summer season staff at the Troll research station has been busy placing depots along the route that the expedition will follow - from Troll to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station -  during the 2007-2008 season. In the subsequent season the expedition will take a different route back from the South Pole to Troll. The project is a cooperative effort between the Norwegian Polar Institute and Dartmouth College.              

The ice divide that crosses the interior of East Antarctica contains the Earth's oldest layered ice, as well as long-isolated subglacial lakes and important Earth crustal structures. Antarctic mass balance is the most significant gap in determining the current role of the cryosphere on the present and future contribution of land ice to sea level change. Despite past international efforts, most of the East Antarctic ice sheet is still unexplored, and its subglacial geologic setting is completely unknown.

Fieldwork will include the collection of ice cores and firn cores. East Antarctic ice cores provide the longest available records of climate and atmospheric parameters.