THE TERRA NOVA.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume III, Issue 76, 13 March 1913, Page 2

THE TERRA NOVA.

DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. SCIENTIFIC WORK ON THE VOYAGE. ' Christchurch. March 12. At daybreak to-morrow morning the Terra Nova will fake h«'r departure from Lyttelton homeward bound via Magellan Strait and Rio de Janiero to Cardiff, which will be her first port of call in the Homeland in accordance with the promise made when the little ship started out on her three years’ voyage in 1910. Lieut. H. L. L. Pennell, R.N.. says the Terra Not a will proceed on the coinposit great circle track between Lyttelton and Magellan Strait, taking her on the parallel of 59 degrees south. This will carry her close past Bounty Islands. 47<lcg. ■l4min. South lat., I79deg. 7min. East long., and also close past ihe supposed position of the Nimrod group. CHARTING THE OCEAN BED. ft is hoped, if the weather conditions are favourable, to take a series of soundings after clearing Bounty Islands with the object of determining the edge of the “Continental shelf.’ - If possible soundings will be taken near the given position of the Nimrod group, and it is also intended to run about 1.5 miles northward of the reported position of Dougherty Island in the southern ocean, sounding again, as opportunity offers and the weather permits.

Special interest attaches to this part .of the Terra Nova’s work, as the existence of the Nimrod Group and Dougherty Island since they were first* reported has been regarded as doubtful. The position of the Nimrod Group is given as 57 deg. South lat., 157 deg. 30min. West long., while Doughterty Island is supposed to be in about 59deg. South lat. and about 119-120 deg. West long. On the homeward passage of the Nimrod (Shackleton’s expedition) in 1909 search was made for both of these islands without success. TRACING ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE LIFE. As opportunity offers it is proposed to do some trawling and to take some “water-bottle” station*,. Mr. Nelson, one of the biologists, explains that a specially-fitted bottle with a thermometer attached for accurately recording water temperature is used to take samples of water for the purpose of ascertaining whether it contains plankton (minute organisms), which form the food of fishes and other sea life. Plankton which also depend on the movements vegetable life), which depends for its existence m turn on m the water. An analysis ot these samples of water will be. made for the purpose of fracing the moiements of animal and vegetable life m seas which also depend on the boxements of*water conditions under winch plankton and diatoms exist with the temperatures and solidity of the water in varying latitudes and depths afford valuable data for the study of higher forms of sea life,, including fishes and whales, and would be of great economic value.