Into the Ice
Even the seasoned Antarctic researchers were excited to see the first iceberg float by in the distance on January 31. And it seemed like another big event was happening around 10:00am…
All About the Research Vessel/Icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer
The R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer sits in the ice near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 2007. Photo courtesy of Frank Nitsche.
I've been a…
Yesterday, we collected our second set of CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth profile) data and dropped another float in the water that will immediately begin the cycle of diving and resurfacing…
This was in the yesterday's New York Times daily news summary. I hope some of you saw the larger article that appeared in the real world version of the paper.
A summary of an article about the…
The Cast of Characters
A photo wall showing the 59 members of the ship's crew, the Antarctic Support Contract team, the scientists, and PolarTREC teacher currently underway aboard the R/V Nathaniel…
We arrived at our first data collection point today - known as a station. For those of you following my journey on the Garmin website, I dropped a pin on the location and labeled it Station 1. The…
Things are Improving!
Here is a map that shows wind speed and direction and wave height, along with the current location of the Palmer. Within the yellow area on this map, waves are 6-7 meters tall…
Walloping 'Round Cape Horn
Today we began the part of the trip I'm dreading: our transit through Drake Passage. I've been hearing about the conditions of this place for years - when I worked on the…
Dr. Isa Rosso and the Floats
Dr. Isa Rosso is a scientist working with SOCCOM - Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling, which is using more than 130 individual floats to collect…
Getting My Sea Legs
I'm just wrapping up my first 24 hours as a full-time resident of the ship and have learned quite a bit already. The Chief Mate gave an inspiring and informative safety talk that…
Today we moved onto the ship and started intense preparations for our departure in the morning. I went into Punta Arenas to do some last-minute shopping and to have dinner, and returned to the pier…