University of New England

Antarctic Blog: 10/31 - 11/13
Stacey Keith and Kerra Gearinger

The entries are listed with the most recent at the top.

Next page of blog entries

Sunday, November 13, 2005 - from Kerra

How nice it is to sleep in!! Stacey and I were allowed to sleep in this morning, and we certainly took advantage of the extra sleep, staying in bed until 10. Being that we are well rested, we venture downstairs to see what the day has in store for us. Hopefully today we won't be losing any equipment. We are greeted by Dr. Goes and Dr. Gomes who also got some extra sleep time, and together we figure out the plan of the day. Stacey and I prepare for much filtering and that is exactly what we receive. The long-term samples, carbon samples and sediment traps all need to be filtered and stored.

Before we are able to begin, we are told to go out on the back deck and check out all the penguins. The view is amazing! There are penguins every where! In every direction, on land, and in the water. Little Adeles rest on the ice as large Emperors swim in the water catching prey. Everyone is outside posing for pictures and taking video. The sight is quite unique. A large group of wild penguins being filmed and admired by a large group of fascinated people.

Finally, we decide that we must pull ourselves away from the back deck and do some real work. Stacey and I find that we have become "expert filterers." However, at times, it feels as though the water will never end. After dinner, we complete our final filtration and take some time to sit and look at our collection of photos. The both of us are definitely excited to share all of our stories and pictures when get back home! After a long day of filtering, we decide to go up to the entertainment room and put in a movie. We'll wind down and prepare for even more filtrations tomorrow.

Saturday, November 12, 2005 - from Stacey

We spent part of the morning collecting and filtering water from the CTD.  We also deployed our sediment traps. The traps get attached to a cross. The cross is hooked to a rope and then lowered into the water. A bouy and transmitter are attached and sit on top of the water so that the ship can find it to collect it. It is then supposed to be left for about 24 hours. However, a little snow storm came, and ice moved in a covered up the bouy. The ship had to drive around breaking ice hoping that the bouy would pop up from under the ice. Kerra, Joaquim, and I stood out on the deck searching for the bouy. It was difficult though because there was limited visibility and it was extremely cold.  One of the ships crew finally found it after an afternoon of searching.  It wasn't supposed to come out until tomorrow but we were glad that it was retrieved and not lost.

Friday, November 11, 2005 - from Stacey
Our group started a new experiment today. It is a nutrient experiment.  We collected sea water and spiked it with ammonia (stable isotope). The amount of ammonia that was added varied from one to a hundred micrograms per liter. The samples were then incubated for eight hours. After the incubation we filtered the samples so we can look at the uptake of the nutrients.

We also prepared the sediment traps for deployment for tomorrow.  The sediment traps were filled with a supersaturated NaCl (salt) solution. This solution prevents the contents of the sediment trap from exchanging with the water outside the traps.
xThursday, Nov. 10, 2005 - from Kerra
During the night, the vessel travels northwest to a new location, in search of the ideal spot for greater amounts of phytoplankton biomass. Stacey and I awake and find that the ship is surrounded by curious penguins. In every direction, little black and white figures waddle in and out of the icy water.

We begin the day with the collection of our water samples. This time, everyone is pleased to find that the filters are much more colorful and the phytoplankton in this area are more plentiful. Dr. Goes decides that we should hop in the zodiac (a small motor powered boat),  and collect water samples away from the ship. This will help to eliminate the error of finding trace metals in our data results.

The zodiac is lowered into the water and Stacey and I climb the ladder and sit beside the even larger looking Palmer. When everyone is settled, we cruise over to the ice shelf and anchor to the ice. As we begin to collect water, the penguins begin to notice our presence. Before you know it, there are two Adele penguins standing very close to the small boat. Stacey and I grab our cameras to shoot this once in a lifetime photo. The penguins are not bothered by our invasion of their space, but rather curious as to see what is going on. Their presence has certainly made my day!

We finish up our collection and head back to the ship. It is strange to be off the Palmer and view it from a distance. This happens to be the first time in almost three weeks!  Once we're back aboard the ship, Dr. Gomes is anxious to see our photos and video of our close encounter. I smile as we flip through the pictures of ourselves on a small boat with penguins and ice in the background. I never would have imagined such a scene! The day continues with more filtrations and preparation for our sample collections tomorrow. We have a close call when the captain phones from the bridge that a whale has been spotted, but by the time we all reach the deck, it is no where to be seen.

Again, Stacey and I are delighted to find out we have incubator watch at night. As a matter of fact, the time has come to put on my cold weather gear and go outside to protect the samples from the freezing cold. We will end our day after our watch and look forward to what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps more penguins or whales!

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005 - from Kerra
What a relief!! We wake up early and peek out the port hole to find that we are surrounded by a wall of ice and snow! We have finally made it to our destination in the Ross Sea! Around us we can see the Antarctic continent. It is amazing!

We have gotten out of bed early to collect water samples from our first station CTD. Stacey and I prepare early and wait for the water to be brought to the surface. We decide to store our collection in the cold room for a bit, while we enjoy breakfast. After breakfast it is time to filter, filter, filter. Stacey and I filter the samples while Dr. Goes and Dr. Gomes put samples in whirl bags to place in our incubators. With teamwork, the task is completed quickly.

We then have some time to step outside and enjoy the scenery. As we walk on the back deck, we are shocked by what we find in front of us! Glancing toward the continent, we can not help but notice the massive Mt. Erebus in the distance. It is an active volcano, and when we look through the binoculars, we can see the smoke coming from its top. The volcano certainly stands out against the flat, white, continent.

The day progresses and the labs are a-buzz with people scurrying to start their experiments. As experiments are underway, it is brought to the attention of the chief scientist that we are not receiving promising results. It is decided that we will leave our current location and head northwest. It puzzles me that we are on a research cruise to Antarctica and once we arrive, we decide to head north! 

I am not surprised, however, to find out that our incubators on the back deck have begun to freeze. Being that we are in Antarctica (the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth), I do not find it hard to believe that the water in the incubators starts to freeze, leading to the blockage of the draining pipes from ice chunks. This predicament brings with it new experiences. Stacey and I are pleased to find out that we are assigned to shifts during the night in which we must watch the incubators and be sure to keep them clear of ice. We luck out and receive the 2000 (8:00 p.m.) shift and the 0600 (6:00 a.m.) shift. After standing on the cold deck and scraping ice from the tanks, we are excited to get back into our warm room. The sun begins to set, never completely sinking below the horizon and after a busy first day, we march to bed.

Sunday November 6 - Tuesday November 8, 2005 - form Stacey
Only three more days (or at least that's what we have been hearing the past three days) until we reach our first station. It's taking so long to get there because the ice is so thick so we are going slower. The ship breaks ice by sliding on top of the ice and the weight of the ship breaks the ice. When the ice is thick and we get stuck we have to back and try it again until we can get through.

We will be at the first station for six days. We will stop our underway sampling and just focus on sampling from the station. We have been preparing all of our equipment and supplies for the first station.  Our group will be starting a long-term experiment where we are looking to see if iron effects the growth of phytoplankton. The experiment will take 20 days to complete. The long-term experiment is an ongoing project and will continue at all the stations.   After the six days are up we will move on to the next station and do the same things there. We are all hoping that our station will come soon. Maybe we will get to see animals closer up than we have been.

Saturday Nov. 5, 2005 - from Kerra
We wake up this morning to find ourselves still breaking through the thick ice. Stacey and I venture downstairs to grab a quick breakfast.  Almost every morning, for the last few days, it happens that we cross the latitude mark after breakfast, and we have now become accustomed to waking up and coming downstairs to filter our water sample.

However, because the ship is still making its way through thick ice, we are not able to lower the CTD. This leaves the rest of the day open to getting data entry finished and cleaning up around the lab. Today happens to be a unique day. A few days back we crossed the 66 latitude mark, and as Stacey metioned previously, it is routine that the new people on the cruise put on a skit. Stacey and I gather with the other eight new people aboard, and we have a great time acting in front of the rest of our audience. Everyone laughs and enjoys the entertainment.

The festivities have tired Stacey out, and she decides to take a quick nap while Helga and I climb the stairs to the bridge. Unfortunately, Stacey misses the excitement when we spot two little Adelie penguins waddling near the ship. Their little feet look as though they are moving too fast for the rest of their body. We watch them until they become little black dots in the snow covered ice.

Our day continues to prove interesting when a mass of people go running to the windows near the lab. Stacey and I soon come to learn that there is a massive iceberg floating near the starboard side of the ship. We quickly run outside to get our pictures taken in front of the huge piece of ice. The day ends with an ice cream social in which we make our own ice cream using liquid nitrogen. At this point of the cruise, we have gotten to know the other researchers well and everyone chats and laughs about the days activities. We are exhausted from the busy day and anxious to crawl into our beds!

Thursday & Friday November 3rd and 4th - from Stacey
For the past two days we have been doing our regular filtering. We also had to clean out the sediment traps for one of our experiments.  The sediment traps are tubes that are put down into the water column.  These traps collect particulate matter from the water.  What we are looking for is whether we see more fecal pellets, which is a sign of zooplankton grazing, or if there is more phytoplankton, which shows natural death and decay. We will be putting them in once we reach the Ross Sea.

We have been preparing for the Antarctic Circle crossing. People who have not crossed the Antarctic circle before have to perform a skit in front of the group and King Neptune.  King Neptune is the ruler of the seas. There are 10 new people. We have been preparing for the skit for two days now writing scripts and collecting props. Its going to be good. Our skit is a secret right now so shhh. We can't let the Order of the Penguins now what we are up to. (Order of the penguins are the people who have already crossed.) We'll update you on how it went.

Wednesday, November 2, 2005 - from Kerra
The view out my window this morning is much different from the previous day. We wake up and find huge pieces of ice floating by with small mountains of packed snow. The reflection of light makes it hard to look out the port hole without sun glasses. Stacey and I are anxious to get to work in order to make time for lots of picture taking.

We eat breakfast and then get straight to filtering. The whole rise and filter concept has become pretty routine and by this time, Stacey and I have mastered the skill. Dr. Goes and Dr. Gomes work on preparing the samples for incubation. With the last few samples placed in the freezer, Dr. Goes heads upstairs to place the remaining samples in our incubators. However, he returns with news that one of the incubators has frozen and will need to be repaired before we can use it again. A minor set back, but luckily, we will not need to incubate much today.

We are told that it will be another four days or so until we actually reach the Ross Sea. Therefore, much of our work is put on hold until we are settled in open water. The ice makes it hard for equipment to be lowered into the water and also takes time. We are anxious to start our station work and for that reason most people on board are fine with going nonstop and taking a few days to just relax.

Around 1900 we were informed that a penguin had been spotted a distance in front of the ship. With this news, Stacey and I grab our cameras and run up the six flights of stairs to the bridge. Sure enough standing alone on a huge piece of floating ice, stood an emperor penguin. As cameras are flashing Stacey and I are bursting with excitement as we admire our first wild penguin! With our adrenalin now flowing, we decide to stay up on the bridge, with hopes of spotting other wildlife. I pick up the binoculars and soon come across another emperor on the opposite side of the ship. By this time a crowd of other "first-timers" has also gathered on the bow of the ship, and we all stand smiling from ear to ear.

Stacey and Dr. Gomes choose to return to the lab to prepare for one last filtration. I am so excited with the siting of our first penguins and can not possibly leave the bridge and risk not seeing more wildlife. I again pick up the binoculars and scour the ice for movement and color. Far in the distance I see a dark figure on the ice. As we get closer I realize it is a large seal. I call down to Stacey to come back up. The ship moves closer, and Stacey and I both yell out "there is a pup!" Beside the female we spot a little fur ball of a seal. The mother keeps close watch over her pup as the ship passes by. We are thrilled to have seen penguins and seals in a matter of a few minutes. As we return downstairs, we are overwhelmed with people who want to see the pictures and video. It is a very exciting moment for everyone. As the sky darkens, Stacey and I climb into our beds, with hopes of seeing more wildlife tomorrow.

Tuesday November 1, 2005 - from Kerra
With much excitement, I wake up and look out the window expecting to see ice, only to find the same waves we have been watching for the past week. Stacey and I head down to breakfast with some disappointment. Today we will be collecting more water samples to filter and incubate.

After breakfast, the CTD is lowered into the water and within an hour or so everyone is in a hustle to collect their water and take it back to the lab. Stacey and I get to work filtering samples and labeling them correctly. We throw on our jackets and head up to the helo deck to incubate the samples. There is definitely a chill in the air. The water inside the incubators sends a shiver up my spine. Soon after returning to the lab, Dr. Goes yells for us to get our cameras and we look out the window to find the first piece of floating ice. It is a small chunk of ice but as we look further into the horizon more ice appears. Before we know it icebergs rise from the waves. What a thrill! After snapping several pictures we realize that this means we are close. Both of us stand in amazement at the thought that we are actually here, in the Antarctic Circle, floating on the ocean, beside massive icebergs.

Eventually it is time to get back to work and we continue to filter samples. Following dinner, we attend the knitting meeting and are pleased with the progress in our projects. As the day ends, Stacey and I peer out the window watching the ice pieces float by and the snow fall from the sky. We hope to sleep peacefully, dreaming about what tomorrow has in store for us.

Monday October 31st - from Stacey
Happy Halloween Everyone!!! Today was a slow day. We filtered our regular underway samples. After we had finished we decided to watch a movie together. The ship has a big movie room. It has huge comfy recliners to sit in and tons of movies to watch. We decided to watch Fraggle Rock. Who doesn't like Fraggle Rock?  Since it was Halloween everyone was coming into watch a scary movie, but we still watched our movie until it was time for the other movie. There were two Halloween movies. The first was The Village and the second was 28 Days Later. There was popcorn and candy. A few of the people had on costumes. There was a devil, great white shark, and some sort of monster. It was a fun night. We all got to be together and just have fun.

We are expecting to see ice soon. It's so exciting. I can't wait to see penguins, seals, and orcas. It will be so great to see them in the wild, not in a aquarium. Cross your fingers and maybe soon we will be writing about animal sitings.

Next page of blog entries

Previous blog entries