Ice freezes on every surface of the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer
An Unstoppable Force If Antarctica were ever to have its own professional sports team, it would absolutely be called the Wind, and its tagline would be "An Unstoppable Force." The Antarctic winds…
Sunset over the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica
Just a reminder- you can still register for my PolarConnect event, which will take place this coming Monday, March 9, at 11:15 AM EDT. Dr. Frank Nitsche and I will talk about the research taking…
Empty Kasten core barrel
The Kasten Core The Kasten core is a 3-meter long square-barreled coring device that is lowered into the water with ten 45-pound weights stacked on its head - these weights will push the barrel down…
Sunrise over the Amundsen Sea
Sunrise over the frozen water of the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica Hey Everybody!!!! My PolarConnect event has been scheduled for Monday, March 9 at 11:15 AM EDT. It will be a chance for me to share…
Ice core with temperature probe
The Story of a Core A main goal of the Thwaites Offshore Research team is to investigate drivers of ice sheet, ocean and climate change recorded in sediments deposited in the Amundsen Sea near…
Icicles in the scupper, attempt #1
It is cold enough that the sea spray that hits the ship is starting to freeze - on wires and lines, on the deck, on the railings. A few pieces of equipment that are stored on the deck are covered…
The science team on the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker
The dry erase board said, "Science Team photo @12:30 on the first nice day" and it took about a week for the picture to come together, after a long stretch of bitter cold and high winds. I think this…
Projects of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaborative
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work I went a little light on the text this weekend, so to make up for it, I have A LOT to say today. Clear your schedule for at least ten minutes before attempting to get…
Pancake ice in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica
With a combination of bitter cold air temperatures and no wind, the surface of the ocean starts to freeze. Sometimes, small circular pieces of ice collide with their neighbors over and over again,…
Sunset in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica
The Night Shift If it had been entirely up to me, I think I would've chosen to work from noon to midnight because it sounded like the easier schedule. But now I realize that being awake from…
Data collected from an elephant seal tagged on Feb. 6, 2020
All data tells a story. Sometimes, that story is, “You set up your experiment wrong,” or “An essential piece of equipment is broken.” Sometimes, a pattern leaps easily off the page and it all makes…
Passengers onboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer gather in the conference room during a safety drill
Safety First Just like at school, here on the ship we practice what we'd do in an emergency. We have drills that simulate what would happen in case of a fire, a person overboard, or if we ever we…