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. The RCGS Resolute is the newest, nicest, and biggest ship in the One Ocean fleet, added just this year. You can check out the full 360 degree tour HERE. Pictured above are my very luxurious quarters. Often staff will stay in what is referred to as crew quarters with a shared bathroom. On the Resolute, however, the staff and researchers stay in passenger cabins on the third deck. I even had the room to myself due to uneven numbers. These quarters had comfy beds, your own bathroom and shower, and ample room for all my equipment. The computer screen displayed the Ocean Notes, home of "A drawl from Paul," our daily schedule, and charts of our location. The third deck has port holes instead of windows, but we also have a steadier shake through the Drake passage being on a lower deck. From what I've heard, what really sets the Resolute apart from One Ocean's other ships are the windows. On decks four through seven, there are big windows with 180 degree views looking out from comfy restaurants, bars, bistros, and lounges. Of course, everyone will run out on deck when the orcas chase the penguins, but when we're cruising past massive tabular ice bergs, you can enjoy the view from a comfy chair with a hot chocolate in hand. Pictured above is the observation lounge at the bow on deck seven and my favorite place to chill out and read my book or get some work done. The other place I spent most of my time was the bar lounge pictured above. The bar lounge was located at the stern on deck five and was the happening site for all meetings and presentations, including my bar talk, "Connecting Space to Earth" on Christmas Eve. We had two options for dining, the fancier sit down dining room on deck four or the bistro on deck six. The dining room featured four course meals including a starter, salad buffet, dessert buffet, and many delicious options for the main course. The bistro was a more casual buffet style with lighter fare, but featured patio seating with heat lamps. Meals were one of the times where us researchers acted as staff. We are asked to sit with different passengers at each meal to interact, and to talk about our work and Antarctica. This is also key to drum up support for our non profit organizations including Oceanites and also California Ocean Alliance (team whale-also pictured above with their drone).
After the staff meeting, half the staff would head up to decks seven and eight to begin crane operations to get the zodiac boats and kayaks into the water. The rest of us would help down at the gangway on deck three as passengers began trickling down from breakfast to the mud rooms to get their gear on. For landings, the naturalists and us researchers (all non-driving staff) would load up in the first zodiac to shore. We'd begin preparations for the passengers by breaking and marking a trail before Mo and I would separate to do our work for the day. The rest of the staff on-shore helped unload passengers and guide them while on land. The Antarctic Treaty only allows 100 people on shore at once at each site. With over 150 passengers, we'd split the half day landing into waves. The first group would get dropped off on shore for an hour and a half while the zodiacs picked up the remaining passengers for an hour long cruise in the area. At the end of the hour, the groups would switch. Non-driving staff remained on shore for the whole time while the zodiac drivers stayed in the zodiacs for the whole time. The research teams were a little more flexible. Mo and I, as team penguin, would either remain on shore to do a count or get a ride to nearby sites. If the excursion plan was just zodiac cruising without a landing, we would join a zodiac driving staff member as an interpretive guide for the guests. KC and Clara, as team whale, would usually take a zodiac to conduct their research. If there were no whales around, they'd help out on shore. Many of our research activities relied on the flexibility of the cruise operations and it always seemed helpful for them to have extra hands if we weren't working. We had the perks of being a staff member without any responsibility. We would help if available, but weren't required. Plus, we Oceanites have permits to get closer to penguins and visit parts of sites where passengers and staff aren't allowed. For this reason, we distinguish ourselves with different colored jackets pictured below. Earlier in the post, you will have noticed the staff and passengers wear either orange or red. Every day felt more like two days. After going through one cycle as stated above in the morning, we would have lunch on the ship and sail to a new site. That afternoon, around 2 or 3p, we would do it all again somewhere else. That evening, there would be dinner, a briefing, and a bar talk. There were occasional special events in the evenings and otherwise free time to socialize, visit the spa, or in our case get work done perhaps. Sea days were a bit different and were instead filled with onboard activities including longer presentations and photography help sessions from Paul. Even then, each day felt jam packed with activity. Unlike the passengers, this wasn't quite a vacation. Unlike Mark and Schuyler and scientists on a base, we got to enjoy some extra perks, but have a much tighter, less flexible window to get our work done.
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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 |