Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:32
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Human Impacts in Antarctica 2011

Corrina, Desi, Ben,Tyson, Harper, Ms. Mae, and Mr. Katz say hi and hope you are having a blast...it appears that way from the journal and pictures. I showed the class pictures of you snowmobiling. We are studying about habitats and are currently learning about the Artic. We have a few questions for you:

Have you seen any animals and if so what kind?

What is the current temperature?

What kind of plant life exists in Antartica?

The final question is will you get a chance to dive under the ice?

Fri, 12/02/2011 - 06:24

Michelle Brown

Hello Corrina, Desi, Ben, Tyson, Harper, Ms. Mae and Mr. Katz!It is so nice to hear from all of you! I am having a great time as you
can see from the pictures.
I'm so excited you are learning about the Arctic. Although it's on the
opposite side of the world from me, the weather is similar. (Antarctica
is colder though!!).
Here is a cool website that shows the differences between the arctic and
antarctic:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.life.eco.comparepoles/
Now let me answer some of your questions:
Yes, I have seen animals! That is because I am at the coast where there
are many organisms. I have seen Weddell Seals (see my blog about it:
http://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/human-impacts-in-antarctica-2011/jo...
), sea stars, sea spiders, a really big bird called a Skua, and worms
that live in the ocean. Although there a penguins along the coast, I
haven't been out to see one yet, but hope to!
Right now the current temperature is: 23 degrees Fahrenheit. This may
sound cold, but if you are dressed right, it's actually a nice
temperature for Antarctica!
Great question about plants! There are no trees or shrubs here, but
along the coast there are two plants: an Antarctic grass and pearlwort,
which kind of looks like moss. They are both found along the coast and
in islands along the Antarctic Peninsula (which juts out to the north).
There are also lichens on the rocks, which are the first species that
can survive on bare rock. Again, this is all on the northern most part
of Antarctica though.
I would love to dive under the ice, but since I am not certified as a
diver, I am not aloud to go. If I wanted to, I could take lessons on how
to scuba dive, and after doing enough practice lessons, be able to come
down here and dive. This is what Terry, who is in my research group, did!
Thank you for asking such great questions and I hope to hear back from
you all!
Sincerely,
Ms. Brown

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 11:52

Anonymous

We saw the video of the Weddell Seals...really cool. We also took a look at the comparison video of the Arctic and Antarctica and it was very educational. We also saw the video on the penguins. The students couldn't believe how small they are.Questions
1 Were you originally scared of the Seals and how did they react to you being around them. Corrina wants to know how much the seal weigh approximately.
2. Is a Skua almost the same size of a penquin.
3. What other enemies do the penguins have?

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 15:34

Michelle Brown

Hello O.Henry superstars!I'm glad you liked the Weddell seal video and saw the comparison between
the Arctic and Antarctic!
Here are the answers to your questions:
1. Great question! I wasn't too afraid of the seals, but once I got a
little too close and a seal sat up a little which frightened me a little
bit. Luckily when I moved back, the seal lied back down. Great question
Corrina, Weddell seals can weight up to 1200 pounds!! Recently a
scientist was studying Weddell Seals, when one rolled over her feet and
broke them!
2. Skuas are very large birds! They are about the same size as a small
Adeli Penguin. Adeli penguins are the smallest of the penguins. Skuas
are smaller than Emperor penguins though.
3. Besides the Skua, penguins have to watch out for leopard seals,
killer whales, and occasionally a Petrel (kind of bird).
Great questions!!
Sincerely,
Ms. Brown