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Geared Up and Ready to Fly

By Howie Koss · October 22, 2008 · comments 1 comment
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND-- Things have been a bit on edge here in Christchurch over the last few days or so. The problem has been the bad weather down at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. And all talk revolves around flight schedules... {Read More »}


Standing on Ye Shoulders of Giants

By Howie Koss · October 20, 2008 · comments 5 comments
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND-- "If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants" -Sir Isaac Newton. There is a long and rich history of Terra Incognita. The place names identifying scientific research bases, mountain tops, nunataks, valleys, glaciers, ice shelves... {Read More »}


Antarctic Marine Ecosystem

The Antarctic food web is the simplest on the planet, and krill are at its hub. {Read More »}


Antarctic Geology

At first glance, Antarctica seems to turn a cold shoulder to geologists. How do you study minerals and landforms on a continent that’s almost entirely covered by ice? But dauntless geologists are using a full range of tricks to peer under the ice. . .and what they’re finding is a big surprise. {Read More »}


McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station as seen from Observation Hill. Everyone is a visitor in Antarctica—no one lives there permanently—but there’s always a shifting crew of scientists… {Read More »}


Dry Valleys

The Dry Valleys are an Antarctic anomaly. While most of the continent is covered in a thick layer of ice, the dry, frigid Valleys are almost entirely ice-free, an arid expanse of mostly dirt, small rocks, and big boulders. {Read More »}


Astronomy in Antarctica

Ask an astronomer to describe the perfect place to put a telescope, and here’s what she’ll tell you: Make it cold, make it dark, make it high-altitude, and make it remote. In short, make it Antarctica. {Read More »}


Antarctic Exploration

Long before anyone ever set eyes on Antarctica, many were sure it was there. Belief in a Terra Australis Incognita—“Unknown Southern Land”—first took hold among the ancient Greeks. {Read More »}


Penguins

Although the penguin is the icon of the Antarctic, many penguins prefer lower latitudes. Several species venture as far south as the Antarctic Peninsula, but only the emperors and the Adélies live along the continental coastline. {Read More »}


Icebergs

“It’s just the tip of the iceberg.” That’s what we say when there’s more to something—plenty more—than meets the eye. In fact, the phrase is scientifically accurate... {Read More »}

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