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Pages and Posts Tagged ‘Sea Ice’


Foxes on the Edge

DEADHORSE, ALASKA-- Arctic fox seem to make their living by following bears around and scavenging. We have seen foxes trailing behind bears as they travel, and their tracks often wind around bear prints... {Read More »}



Back in the Air

KAKTOVIK, ALASKA-- The captures have been going well. We caught the largest bear I have seen, an adult male who weighed 1,147 lbs. His neck was several times the size of my waist, and I could not fit both hands around his snout... {Read More »}



From the Andes to the Arctic

LARAMIE, WYOMING-- It may seem odd to jump from polar bears in the Arctic to grazing animals high in the Andes mountains, but animals face similar challenges in both places... {Read More »}



And in a Blink of an Eye Summer is Gone

SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA-- Now as we approach mid-February, people are leaving by the bundles. A little less than 2 weeks ago we had about 250 people on station. Now we are down to about 125. There are 2 more major passenger flights out of here in which we will lose about 80 more people leaving us with about 48 people for the winter... {Read More »}



Becker Point

BECKER POINT, ANTARCTICA-- Our second field camp was on the continent itself – dirt! I have to say that I prefer camping on the sea ice, but this late in the season, the likelihood of warm days and slushy surfaces would make that a distinctly wet possibility... {Read More »}



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 »}



Pressure Ridges

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- Today I visited the (New Zealand) Scott Base. The New Zealand base is next to some spectacular pressure ridges, which are caused by tides where the sea ice meets the land... {Read More »}



What a Difference a Year Makes

CAPE ROYDS, ROSS ISLAND, ANTARCTICA-- Last year and this year the first penguins were seen the last week of October, so not much changed there, but there were fewer birds and nests being built during the first weeks this season. When we started looking for eggs the picture became even more surprising... {Read More »}



The Power of the Wind and Tides

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- The pressure ridges we explored here form where a large mass of sea ice buckles under pressure as it makes contact with land (in this case, Ross Island where McMurdo Station and Scott Base are located). It was like walking through a park of ice sculptures!... {Read More »}



Welcome to Beacon Valley

BEACON VALLEY, ANTARCTICA-- On November 3rd the field team arrived into Beacon Valley where we will spend the next six weeks working, sleeping, and enjoying life in sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures... {Read More »}