Ice Stories: Dispatches From Polar Scientists » Penguin Ranch http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:40:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Going Under the Ice! http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/going-under-the-ice/ http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/going-under-the-ice/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:13:47 +0000 Mark Krasberg http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/?p=1425 SOUTH POLE STATION, ANTARCTICA– The day I arrived at McMurdo I ran into Ron Hipschman and John Weller. They told me they were going to go to the “Penguin Ranch” the next day, and I got permission to go with them. I was very lucky!

The trip was a roughly one hour ride over the sea ice in a dual-tracked vehicle called a MATTRAX.


Mount Erebus from the sea ice.

John Weller, our guide Peggy Malloy, Ron Hipschman and the MATTRAX.

During the trip we could see a few icebergs which were trapped in the sea ice.

What they do at the Penguin Ranch is study emperor penguins. They take a small number of emperor penguins from the coast and put them in a fenced in area on the sea ice. A couple of holes are cut in the ice for the penguins, and the penguins are then able to go swimming any time they want to (they catch their own food). The penguins apparently go diving around once an hour. There are no holes in the ice nearby, so the penguins always come back to the Penguin Ranch when they are done swimming.


Penguin Ranch.

The very beautiful emperor penguins.

A penguin at the start of a dive…

… and jumping back on top of the ice.

The best part of the Penguin Ranch was the observation tube. You can climb down in a narrow tube about 15 feet under the ice and look out some windows. The colors under the ice are amazing, as you can see! It was incredible to be under the ice and also to watch the penguins swimming.


Emperors swimming.

Thanks John and Ron and Peggy for a great day!

]]> http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/going-under-the-ice/feed/ 1 Observation Tube at the Penguin Ranch http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/observation-tube-at-the-penguin-ranch/ http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/observation-tube-at-the-penguin-ranch/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:05:18 +0000 Exploratorium Crew http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/?p=1328 PENGUIN RANCH, MCMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA– (By Ron Hipschman) At the Penguin Ranch, the scientists not only observe the penguins above the ice, but also below the ice. They do this with the “observation tube”. Anchored above a hole in the sea ice is a tube about 20 feet long and about 3 feet across. Rungs are welded to one side of the tube to let you climb down to the observation room which is a 360 degree glass-enclosed portion of the tube with a box to sit on. Once you are down in the observation room, someone closes the lid above to cut out the light from above, enhancing the observing experience. If you’re not claustrophobic, it’s actually a very relaxing place to sit and observe the ocean around you with the ice above. You should not be acrophobic (fear heights) either because you can look down into the inky depths below knowing it’s a 1500 foot dive to the ocean floor.


Here is the top of the observation tube with the light-blocking lid.

Looking down into the tube, you can see the iron rungs.

Sitting and observing in the observation tube (self-portrait given that there is not room for two people.) Note that the last 4 feet or so is on a rope ladder.

A somewhat fuzzy photo of a penguin swimming. It’s pretty dark down there and exposures have to be long.
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