But plenty of patience, and using a couple of wide-tracked snow vehicles could help overcome some big research frustrations later this year, University of Otago academic Associate Prof Andrew Gorman says.
Prof Gorman, of the Otago geology department, recently gave a public lecture on "Why I keep going to Antarctica and come home with no data".
His talk, to about 50 people, was subtitled "the joys and sorrows of using seismology to image the sedimentary geology of the subglacial Ross Sea".
Prof Gorman heads a five-strong data collection team within a larger programme led by Otago School of Surveying dean Prof Christina Hulbe and Dr Christian Ohneiser, of geology, and titled "Vulnerability of the Ross Ice Shelf in a warming world".
Weather delays and mechanical and fuel-related issues with aircraft have meant the data team has twice been unable to reach a remote testing site, about 1200km southeast of Scott Base, close to where the massive ice shelf grounds on to the continent."Things don’t always go to plan," he said yesterday.
Despite the frustrations, "you have to be patient about these things, you have to keep a sense of humour".
The Antarctic was a "fantastic place to answer questions about our future climate".
His work involved seismic imaging of the seafloor beneath the Ross Ice Shelf in two places.
In late 2015, a successful survey was undertaken at a closer site, about 300km from Scott Base, using the university’s campus-built portable "thumper" device, which drops a 250kg weight to generate sound waves.
Prof Gorman and data team members plan to return to Scott Base in October, and would then probably travel aboard two tracked vehicles for about 10 days to cover the 1200km journey, at 10kmh.