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Mattias CapeMattias Cape is a PhD student from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD working with Maria Vernet on the LARISSA project. This will be his third cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula, and his first to the Weddell Sea. He is interested in how changes in the physical and chemical properties of Antarctic marine ecosystems, including sea ice, affect the food web. On this cruise he will be exploring growth dynamics of phytoplankton in the Larsen B embayment and looking for clues as to how the phytoplankton community might have changed since the breakup of the ice shelf. He is looking forward to going back to this amazing part of the world and sharing his travel and research through pictures and stories from the ?eld.

Project Page: Shedding Light on an Ecosystem in the Dark

All Posts By Mattias Cape


When an Icebreaker Meets Its Match

ABOARD THE RVIB N. B. PALMER, ON THE WEDDELL SEA-- As luck or fate would have it, the sea ice around Antarctica seems to be unusually persistent this year, reaching far beyond its usual summer extent, which makes moving forward a slow going process... {Read More »}



A Small Cork in a Big Ocean

ABOARD THE RVIB N. B. PALMER, ON THE SOUTHERN OCEAN-- After leaving Punta Arenas, Chile, on January 4th, 2010, and enjoying the calm waters of the Straits of Magellan and the coast of Argentina on our way to the Weddell Sea we have now reached the dreaded Drake Passage.... {Read More »}



Pack Your Many Bags, We’re Off!

PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE-- After leaving the day after Christmas from San Diego, CA, we've finally made it to Punta Arenas, Chile, where our ship the RVIB (Research Vessel Ice Breaker) Nathaniel B. Palmer is waiting for us... {Read More »}