Iced in Ten days trapped on the edge of Antarctica

In 2013, Turney was leading an expedition of scientists off the coast of East Antarctica when their chartered Russian vessel suddenly became trapped in the ice. The hull was breached and steering lost, and the closest vessel, a Chinese ship, soon became trapped as well. Iced In is Turney's report of those 10 days in the ice when he, his family, the ship's crew, and the 70 members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition waited for rescue. He also details the planning of the expedition, a voyage rooted in earth science to study the historic effects of climate change in remote Cape Denison. Traveling in the footsteps of the great explorers Ernest Shackleton and Douglas Mawson, Turney draws on records from their journeys, making comparisons between the difficult yet heroic age they lived in (that made them famous) versus his own struggle to raise funds to study what is the most overwhelming global struggle of our time. Ironically, getting stuck in the ice makes Turney famous, a pleasant surprise he also chronicles in this enjoyable armchair adventure.--Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2017 Booklist

     We are stuck on a ship, 1400 miles from anywhere, surrounded by sea ice and bergs. It's only eight o'clock and I'm having the air choked out of me by a raging blizzard. Today's weather chart shows a tightly jammed low out to the west heading our way, meaning what's happening now is just the start. The atmospheric pressure has dropped 15 millibars over the last few hours and the winds have cranked up. The Shokalskiy is now being buffeted by 50-plus-knot winds and it looks set to stay this way for most of the day.      It's a good job we're not in open water. We'd have towering waves to contend with as well.      What the hell am I doing here?      This blizzard is more violent than anything I've ever been caught in before. The winds are gusting at the equivalent of 70 miles an hour. The deck is treacherously icy and I hold on tight, grabbing anything to keep my balance. The wind is fierce, blowing vicious darts of ice in my face. I gasp in shock and get down on all fours, keeping low. Fragments of ice hurtle off the rigging. I make sure my snow goggles are firmly in place and drop my head. Only one word can sum this up: violent.      A distant roar of wind warns me another blast is about to hit. . . . Excerpted from Iced In: Ten Days Trapped on the Edge of Antarctica by Chris Turney All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.