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The End of Our Cruise

By Maria Vernet · May 1, 2009 · comments No comments yet
PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE-- Late last night we arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile. This marks the end of our Iceberg 3 cruise. We have finished analyzing the samples, re-calibrating instruments and we are now ready to start packing... {Read More »}


Reproduction in Antarctic Diatoms

By Maria Vernet · April 13, 2009 · comments No comments yet
ABOARD THE RVIB N. B. PALMER, ON THE SOUTHERN OCEAN– As most unicellular phytoplankton algae, diatoms usually reproduce by division. One cell becomes two after mitosis; the two new algae are called “daughter cells”. Once in a long while diatoms go through sexual reproduction. What brings this phenomenon? {Read More »}


Our First Iceberg

By Maria Vernet · April 1, 2009 · comments 1 comment
ABOARD THE RVIB N. B. PALMER, ON THE SOUTHERN OCEAN-- C18A is a large iceberg, rectangular, shaped almost like a surf board, 18 km long and 6 km wide. It takes us about 4 hours at 11 knots to navigate around it... {Read More »}


Adios Punta Arenas

By Maria Vernet · March 30, 2009 · comments No comments yet
ABOARD THE RVIB N. B. PALMER, ON THE SOUTHERN OCEAN-- Adios Punta Arenas, Chile. Hello Research Vessel and Ice Breaker, Nathaniel B. Palmer. We, the crew, support staff and scientists of the NBP Iceberg Cruise III, left port in Punta Arenas on March 6th to begin our 40-day cruise... {Read More »}


Stars of the Ross Sea

By Mary Miller · December 27, 2008 · comments 3 comments
MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- In our webcast with John Weller recently, he showed some photos of a group of bat stars and close-up of the top of one of them. Bat stars are common sights on the bottom of Antarctic seas, clustering under holes and cracks in the ice where seals... {Read More »}


Antifreeze Fish

Cassandra Brooks first began studying Antarctic toothfish in 2004 as part of her master’s thesis at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Antarctic toothfish are large, deep-sea predatory fish found only in the ice-laden waters surrounding Antarctica. {Read More »}