Photographs from Antarctica

My research involves looking at the dynamics of particle formation, aggregation and settling, and much of this work has taken place in Antarctica. To date (November 1995), I've made 4 trips to Antarctica, including 3 to the Palmer Penninsula region (which is due south of South America) and one, just last year, to the Ross Sea region, which is south of New Zealand. Both of these regions are interesting and beautiful in their own right. Below are thumbnail images of some photos from both regions. Just click on the image to see the (much!) larger version. Let's start off with the ship we used in the Palmer region. The Polar Duke (pictured below) is leased by the National Science Foundation to both supply the research stations and conduct oceanographic research. There is a large "hold" area in the center of the ship, with laboratories and winches in the stern region. The large crane sticking up is used to load and unload the cargo, and was used to launch the Zokiak from which this photo was taken.

Every trip on the Duke includes a stop at the Palmer Station research laboratory on Anvers Island, shown here. The docking facilities are minimal, but sufficient to unload all the construction materials and supplies needed by the scientists and staff who work here. Behind the station is a large glacier which extends up to the horizon. This is pretty typical of Antarctica; every place that could possibly be covered by snow and ice, is. Well, there are a few exceptions. If you look closely on the glacier, you can see a series of poles extending up to the right. These mark the safe route to the top to avoide the crevasses which dominate the regions further to the right.

One of the hazards of Antarctic research is bad weather. When it gets rough and the air is cold, the seawater, which is sprayed over the ship by each wave, freezes onto the structure, making it top heavy and unstable, but beautiful.

Ah yes, the work part. This is a photo of Arne-R. Diercks, at that time a grad student at USM, and Luigi Pozzi from the University of Hawaii. Theyare in the process of deploying our camera systeem which photographs large aggregates of particles throughout the water column. The cold temperatures were hard on the film and the NiCad batteries, but we were able to obtain some excellent data.

We also serviced an autonomous weather station located on Racer Rock. That's Steve, the ships electronics technician, up on the tower, and Tony Amos fiddling with his video camera. The weather data are transmitted by satellite and enable the scientists to monitor conditions throughout the long Antarctic night when the Duke is unable to reach the region because of the ice cover.

Here are some examples of the scenery in the Palmer Penninsula area. Breathtaking! (especially if you like blue)

Yes, there are penguins, lots and lots of penguins. Here is a closeup of an Adelie penguin, and a shot of a rookerie early in the season. And we get paid to do this...

Sometimes we travel to and from the research sites by aircraft, such as this C-130 shown on the "runway" at King George Island. A 4 hour flight beats a 4 day steam across the Drake Passage, especially if it's rough, and when isn't it? Notice how excited we (Terry Houlihan in the center-left) are.

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