Concerned relatives and friends of 74 people still stranded in Antarctica after their research ship got trapped in ice on Christmas Eve are not only getting routine updates from officials and media, they are also seeing messages from the ship's passengers via social media.
Passengers Alok Jha and Laurence Topham, who are journalists with The Guardian, as well as Chris Turney, a professor and leader on the expedition, are providing detailed updates aboard Russia's MV Akademik Shokalskiy. Together, the three have been typing Twitter missives, creating Vine and YouTube videos and even doing media interviews.
Among the updates are maps from Turney. "Still here! All well," he says in his latest map:

In the following video, Jha and Topham show how they're updating followers and readers:



A Chinese icebreaker called Snow Dragon failed to rescue the stranded ship on Friday due to thick ice, according to Jha, who described the conditions and passengers' morale as follows:
After two days of intense blizzards, with biting cold that had forced us to spend all our time below decks, the break in the weather and the approaching rescue had put the crew and passengers of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy in good spirits. With temperatures at a pleasantly bearable -1C, some of the crew went on to the ice surrounding the ship in all directions and killed time by making igloos. The rest remained on board and watched the Chinese icebreaker through binoculars as it appeared to make steady progress, silently zigzagging through the ice, from the upper deck of the ship. As we waited, penguins, apparently confused by the sudden appearance of a solid mass caused by the compacting of ice floes around our vessel, wandered past at regular intervals, looking for the shoreline. But we woke after a brief sleep to the sound of disappointment. An announcement on the ship's noticeboard broke the bad news: after spending about 12 hours cutting through seven nautical miles of ice, the Xue Long had turned around and headed back towards open water.
Tweets from the trio include photos of nearby penguins, locator maps and reassurances that they're all doing well. All together, the passengers have used Twitter, Vine, YouTube, Google+ and Skype to update the world.
The following tweets (in chronological order) detail the failed rescue plan. First, we see happy faces as the Snow Dragon nears, and then the sad realization that the plan failed, with a final update saying, "Still Waiting":
Stuck in ice. All well. Relief expt'd 30 hrs. Science continuing. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas from Antarctica! @alokjha and I are currently stuck in ice awaiting rescue by a Chinese icebreaker! pic.twitter.com/fXvizNQNea
— Laurence Topham (@loztopham) December 25, 2013
Like true polar explorers, @loztopham and I stuck in ice near Antarctica. Awaiting rescue by an icebreaker pic.twitter.com/02nUYEdEkw
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 25, 2013
We're in the ice like the explorers of old! All are well and spirits are high. Happy Christmas from the AA... https://t.co/dIiKBnP6rz
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 25, 2013
. @soozaphone @james_randerson @loztopham Fear not, I've had three desserts already today. Lots more aboard ship stores, I've been told.
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 25, 2013
Shokalskiy met heavy ice Xmas Eve. Want to reassure family & friends all well. Chinese ice breaker expt'd 24hrs.
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 25, 2013
An update from the AAE. We're in a blizzard at the moment but all are well. Blowing through later.
http://t.co/Iw13BegD1J #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
My Christmas Day video from Antarctrica with the dashing @alokjha going on an epic trek to Sir Douglas Mawson's Huts http://t.co/Izf8Tfr4d8
— Laurence Topham (@loztopham) December 25, 2013
We're channeling the spirit of Mawson. Very much in the Home of the Blizzard! Alok Jha #spiritofmawson https://t.co/zazMfK2QuP
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
http://t.co/ix0dWvb94h Blizzard. Gusts 70km/hr. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
The blizzard had passed. We're checking the sea ice around the Shokalskiy. #spiritofmawson Alok Jha https://t.co/EIE65ai9bw
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
The science continues. Drilling ice to observe life below. #spiritofmawson Alok Jha WIRED @text_publishi... https://t.co/p36g0zKr8h
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
Shokalskiy this am in sea ice. All well. Blizzard passed. #spiritofmawson pic.twitter.com/HypOj6eBAi
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 26, 2013
Good news. Sounds like the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon is just 25 miles away. Hope to see it in a couple of hours! #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
Adelie penguins come to check out what's going on! #spiritofmawson pic.twitter.com/4qI6hldS28
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
While we wait in the ice, how about some pix from around Mawson's hit? pic.twitter.com/hmim7iQrsx
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Hut. I meant hut in that last tweet. Bloomin' autocorrect
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Antarctic Adelie penguins having a nice lie-down pic.twitter.com/t41PMtd6yZ
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
The view from the front of the Shokalkskiy. Lots and lots of ice. It's the sand out back. pic.twitter.com/GAkVn5Er3M
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Expedition leader Greg Mortimer inspects the bow of the Akademik Shokalskiy from the ice @GdnAntarctica pic.twitter.com/sviS3CfofE
— Laurence Topham (@loztopham) December 27, 2013
If you look VERY closely at the centre of this pic, you'll see the icebreaker that's coming to rescue us pic.twitter.com/C0KlwMe7pN
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Great news. Icebreaker Snow Dragon on horizon with penguins! Everyone very happy! #spiritofmawson pic.twitter.com/IsMEKOCOwp
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
Arrival of the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon on the horizon: http://t.co/6hT8ViHnyx A lot of happy faces on board. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
The icebreaker cometh! #spiritofmawson Alok Jha https://t.co/0FUAdAJZ2L
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
Unfortunately Snow Dragon can't get through. It's standing by & waiting on another vessel to help. Everyone well. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 27, 2013
Our rescue boat, the Xue Long, has had to turn back because the ice was too thick for it to get through. We're now awaiting Aurora Australis
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Passengers onboard the Akademik Shokalskiy remain in high spirits despite being stuck in ice via @loztopham pic.twitter.com/xDF9gdPD5J
— Antarctica Live (@GdnAntarctica) December 28, 2013
Report in New York @nytimes on AAE. http://t.co/q7CaAWEXR9 Great to know we're reaching family and friends. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
@ProfChrisTurney interviewed using @Inmarsat_plc satellite system from Antarctica. Fantastic signal! #spiritofmawson pic.twitter.com/gu8lpjHCyx
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
The sound of leopard seals in the ocean with Tracey, Naysa and Alicia on the AAE. Haunting! https://t.co/hNj3UD0Mw3 #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
Images from the AAE on the Shokalskiy, 27 Dec. https://t.co/cZ0DvaGp09 Hope you enjoy. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
Introduction to 1 minute movies from Shokalskiy: behind the scenes look of what's happening on board. http://t.co/LSk15dmTSu #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
http://t.co/dlV5DexN2p Still here! All well. -1degC. #spiritofmawson
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
Still waiting. #spiritofmawson Alok Jha https://t.co/ar3QYD9gS8
— Chris Turney (@ProfChrisTurney) December 28, 2013
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Images and tweets: Laurence Topham, Chris Turney and Alok Jha