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The first stage of creating a sample hole for science data collecting is to clear away the ice. Then a drill or auger is used to drill holes in a sort of honeycomb pattern. It's very important not to drill through the bottom of the ice into the sea as the hole would flood with water, making the rest of the drill work very difficult.

This photo shows the results of drilling the initial holes to make an ice hole for science sampling.

After the holes have been drilled to get rid of most of the ice, the next stage needs to be done by hand. An ice chisel is used, which is a long metal pole with a sharp end. One of the team carefully chips away the remaining ice until there is a flat bottom to the hole.

Because of all the work done with the ice chisel, the bottom of the ice hole needs to be cleared out with a shovel. It is quite a strange sensation to be digging deep down in the ice.

Ice Base Manager, Simon Garrod, realises that it's time to get out of the ice hole. Having cleared out the loose ice, the last stage is to chip around the edges of the last few inches of the ice to release the thin layer separating the hole from the ocean below.

After the team has chiselled through to the ocean, lumps of ice float to the surface. However, there is still more work to do to make sure that all the ice is removed from the sides of the ice hole, especially at the bottom. The ice chisels are attached to the scientists wrists to not lose them when they are accidentally dropped. There's no easy way of getting them back if they disappear through the hole.

The final stage in preparing the ice hole for science work to begin is to clear away all the ice so that the instruments can be deployed into the oceans. Keeping this sampling hole clear of ice will be a daily task. Any ice in the water can interfere with the scientists' data.