I've been back in Arizona for a while now and someone had recently brought up penguins. Here I was, just barely a geologist, trying to be a planetary scientist, posing in a physics & astronomy department, explaining the ins and outs of penguin behavior. I know. It's always surprising to look back at where you've been and wonder how the hell you ended up here. I learned a lot during my short visit to the big white continent. Now that I'm back to staring at satellite images of it, I wanted to reminisce. And for those of you who will never read all the other posts, I give you some of the best parts of my time in Antarctica.
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With three unsuccessful days for measuring, one penguin count in the books, and only two excursion days left, we were feeling pretty antsy. We are at the whim of a tourist cruise, which operates under the priority of giving the people who paid an arm and a leg the best trip ever. We are also at the whim of a continent bent on changing our plans. The scientists getting a free ride are less important and Antarctica couldn't care less about the weather requirements of my measly equipment. We were feeling pretty desperate.
Some days felt more like a vacation than work. After my first count on the morning of Christmas Eve, we took a zodiac cruise through Fournier Bay. Since there were no landings, there were no penguins to count and nothing to measure. It was team whale's turn for some science. Us penguin counters got to enjoy the whale watching and icebergs for twice as long as the guests. Perks. This was one of those times where we stepped in as staff to act as interpretive guides for the guests while the adventure concierges drove the zodiacs. It was incredible and humbling to see humpbacks and massive icebergs up close.
Antarctica is hard to get to and as a result...not many people go. The lucky few will either reside on government run science bases for a period of time or take a cruise for vacation. So, you may have read about the tourist trip or short science residencies in East Antarctica (like Mark and Schuyler in my lab group), but it's a little different to be a researcher on board a tourist cruise. And let me say, we have it pretty good here in the Antarctic Peninsula aboard the RCGS Resolute.
Three of the most common penguin species on the Antarctic Peninsula: left to right-Gentoo, Chinstrap, Adelie It is Christmas Eve and our first day of official landings! We make our first stop at Danco Island (pinned on the map). Danco has a large Gentoo penguin colony that spreads up and over a large hill. This site required Mo and I to tag team the count. Climate change has affected the Peninsula with unusual amounts of precipitation. As a result, this location had way more snow than it normally would at this point in the season. That made the decision to leave the
First sights on Antarctica! "It's an expedition, not a cruise!" A mantra. A deflection. An excuse to feel cool? We first heard the words from our fearless expedition leader, Boris, as we discarded our entire itinerary on day one of excursions. After laying out a spectacular and ambitious plan for five days of landings and zodiac cruises along the Antarctic Peninsula the night before, the agenda was immediately thwarted by ice and weather. A common occurrence in Antarctica. Shocker. Boris is able to expertly work the crowd by conveying adventure to the guests and presenting plans B, C, and D. It feels fake to use words like, "expedition," on a fancy 146 passenger, Lloyds 1AS Ice Class (the highest class), Scandinavian cruise vessel equipped with windows capable of 180 degree views on nearly all decks, a fitness center, jacuzzi, and four course meals. In some ways, it is just a buzz word used for guests to feel better about the thousands of dollars they spent to be there. The word is typically reserved for parties making a journey for the specific purpose of exploration, research, or war. In reality, however, every trip to Antarctica is a journey with a particular purpose and guaranteed adventure. Does that classify it as an expedition? Sure. View of Ushuaia from the stern of my new home for the next 10 days: The RCGS Resolute Thursday, December 20, 2018: The day is finally here and I am about to depart for Antarctica. A quick summary of how I got here: I am a geologist, recently converted planetary scientist in the making that is currently researching Antarctica from space. My project needs ground measurements that will benefit most of the polar science community...so, connections were used to get me down to the end of the world where, in addition to the ground data I will collect, I will be moonlighting as a penguin counter. Yes, you heard that right, and yes, life is pretty awesome. The penguin counters are part of an organization called, Oceanites, a non-profit organization founded in 1987 and conducting Antarctic site inventory since 1994. For the past 25 years, the Oceanites have "hitched" a ride on commercial Antarctic cruises to cover more ground on the peninsula and spread the word to guests. You can donate to this wonderful cause HERE.
My new travel buddy for the next month! Today is the day! I am sitting in the JFK airport in NYC right now waiting to board my flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. I will have two stopovers in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, Argentina before reaching my final destination of Ushuaia, Argentina. I will be spending three nights in Ushuaia before boarding the Resolute, the fancy One Ocean Expedition cruise I will be hitching a ride on for ten days, on December 20, 2018. I will be crossing the famous Drake Passage during the winter solstice where it will be light for all 24 hours of the day.
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About this blogEverything science, from lab work to field work and anything else important to me in the science community.
Science meI am currently a PhD student in the Planetary Exploration Lab at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. I received my Bs in Geology from St. Lawrence University and am interested in surface processes on Mars. My current research involves scaling the efficiency of image interpretation of geologic features in Antarctica. Archives |