ODYSSEY OF AION
Visualise the complete loop south of 60°S: narrative waypoints structured by sea sector (Bellingshausen, Amundsen, Ross, Weddell), guided sector-by-sector reading.
Loop south of 60°S, starting off the South Shetlands, clockwise. This page is the visualisation tool. The narrative of what this navigation truly demands is on the circumnavigation page.
Start an automatic playback: the map advances waypoint by waypoint clockwise. Each point opens a short "logbook entry" to understand the sector and its navigation logic.
For each zone crossed, three deliverables: what the weather brings, what science observes, what the expedition makes available to partners. Indicative tempo, no fixed calendar. The terrain remains the only judge.
| Zone | Weather profile | Science profile | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z01 South Shetland, entry |
Recent Drake passage, cross-seas, short window before pack ice. | First orcas (likely type B), photo-ID protocol calibration. | Entry imagery + threshold log, continuous wind/pressure series. |
| Z02 Bellingshausen Sea |
Established westerly, first tabular icebergs, formed seas. | Type D orca survey if encountered, surface SST + salinity. | Iceberg visual bank, SST series, first monthly report. |
| Z03 Amundsen, Southern Pacific |
Long stretch, depressions every 48 to 72 hours. | Passive acoustics activated, baleen whale observations. | Acoustic logs, continuous energy series, watch journal. |
| Z04 Ross Sea, transition |
Drifting ice, notoriously tough sector, daily satellite imagery reading. | Intensive photo-ID (resident populations), ice notes. | Enriched photo-ID catalogue, ice + fauna visual bank. |
| Z05 Southern Indian, Davis |
Great distances, short aggressive seas, the most isolated sector. | Inter-annual variation, long SST/salinity series. | Long-form journal, structured oceanographic data. |
| Z06 Southern Atlantic, Weddell |
Katabatics, heavy ice, often tough depressions. | Type A orcas if encountered, feeding baleen whales. | Pre-closure imagery, extreme wind data, cold-energy series. |
| Z07 Drake closure |
Final shift, more unstable seas, accelerations. | Global synthesis, series validation, final cross-checking. | Circumnavigation summary report, arrival imagery, final exports. |
Indicative tempo. Duration per zone depends on weather windows, ice and fatigue. Production continuity does not depend on speed of progression: even at a holding anchorage, the data flows remain active.