Terror has now been at sea for over a year following the circumpolar current in the Southern Ocean!
Having travelled 9338km, Terror has completed just over 25% of the total circumpolar journey and is showing signs of the harsh conditions at sea. Camera images have degraded throughout the year as the lens became increasingly contaminated. There hasn't been an image update at all for the last 2 months likely due to a combination of the light sensor being blocked by marine growth and the Antarctic midwinter resulting in short days and low light levels.
Nevertheless, the ARGOS satellite transmitter is going strong, giving us several position locations throughout the day so we can experience the curious twists and turns of the journey as the boat succumbs to the currents, winds and storms on the journey.
Due to a major satellite constellation upgrade recently, the tracker has had to move to a different transmission algorithm Icoteq built in to the software design for just this eventuality. This new algorithm is less efficient on the battery due to the loss of satellite position predictions, meaning the tracking device has to transmit more often, even when there may not be a satellite available to receive the message. Battery levels remain strong however and will keep the reporting going for a long time yet.
Follow this amazing journey at Project Erebus Southern Ocean Adventure
