Cruise Report - Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) 20th December 2016 - 19th March 2017

The international Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), organised by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), took place in the austral summer of 2016 / 17. Departing from Cape Town in December 2016, the R/V Akademik Tryoshnikov sailed around the Southern Ocean, navigating the following route: Cape Town (20 December 2016) - Hobart (18 January 2017) via: Marion Island Iles de Crozet et Kerguelen Heard Island Hobart (22 January 2017) - Punta Arenas (22 February 2017) via: Mertz glacier Balleny Islands Mount Siple Scott Island Peter I Island Diego Ramírez Punta Arenas (26 February 2017) - Cape Town (19 March 2017) via: South Georgia South Sandwich Islands Bouvetøya Scientists from 22 distinct projects studied a wide range of disciplines, collecting data and samples from the Southern Ocean and a number of terrestrial sites on islands around Antarctica, as well as the continent itself. In this cruise report, the full details of the purpose of the cruise, on-board data and sample collection, and project methods and preliminary results are described.