Allison Lee, a research associate at ISB who blogged about her research cruise on the Ross Sea in Antarctica, recently wrote a piece for Northwest Runner about her experience running a marathon at McMurdo Station. In a banana costume. You can read her account (Antarctica Marathon Article). You can read about her research in Antarctica and view some of the wonderful photos of ice, algae and penguins here.
Allison Lee, who traveled to Antarctica this spring aboard a research cruise on an icebreaker in the Ross Sea, just received an Antarctic Service Medal for her participation. The medal was created by Congress and presented by the National Science Foundation to those who serve on a U.S. expedition to Antarctica. Allison is a member of the Nitin Baliga Lab and has been working closely with senior research scientist Mónica Orellana,…
By Allison Lee, ISB Research Associate Just how much water is there to be had in the Ross Sea? There are approximately 265,000,000,000,000,000 liters*. Did that number go in one eye and out the other? It did for me. Let’s just say that’s a lot of water and scientists want to know about all of it—where it came from, where it’s going, the chemistry, the biology, temperature, salinity, floating particles,…
This pancake ice is unreal! The brown water is all algae (phytoplankton), which is what I study. I look at the mucous (or microgels) that the algae produce. Scientists suspect that microgels make up about 10 percent of the carbon that exists as dissolved organic matter in the oceans. You also can see how the Katabatic winds (about 70 mph) lift the sea spray off the waves. (All photos by…
Today was a wildlife smorgasbord. We saw three Emperor penguins, a molting Adelie penguin (they don’t go swimming when they’re molting), snow petrels, and a pod of seven Orca whales. Fossils of penguins indicate they used to be six feet tall! (All photos are by Rob Dunbar.)
It’s not all about water. Studying the cycle of carbon in the sea is a huge undertaking. There are so many parts to look at all the way from the sea surface to the deepest depths. The Ross Sea ranges from about 500 to 1,200 meters deep. Scientists on board want a closer look at the sea’s bottom. We have cameras that are able to take photos of the sea…
Every day, we are gaining 15 minutes of darkness. This is a drastic, notable change from the 24 hours of daylight we experienced in February. March 21 marks the beginning of eternal darkness for those wintering at the South Pole.
By Allison Lee My eyes behold a feast of pleasant views. Today I learned the difference between “snow blink” and “water sky.” When it is overcast, some parts of the sky look black and stormy. In Seattle, we would say, “Looks like a storm is a brewing.” Here in Antarctica, they call that “water sky.” That is sky that is reflecting the blackness of the sea. Sailors know that open…
By Allison Lee What do you eat on board an ice breaker for two months? Some of you may have the impression we are eating freeze-dried food. I thought we might be eating unpleasant cafeteria food. I was pleasantly surprised to find our chef is a professional back at home and I have been impressed with every dish we’ve been served — especially desserts. My cruise mate Andrew Margolin wrote…
By Allison Lee PENGUINS! At 5 a.m., the lone Emperor was spotted. The penguin team quickly assembled and set off in the Zodiak. They were able to tag their first Emperor penguin of the cruise. The transmitter is attached to the feathers on the wing and sends a signal every 40 seconds. If a satellite picks up the signal, the penguin’s location and diving behavior (depth, speed, duration, etc.) is…
By Allison Lee I just want to illustrate the work life out here. I have worked 20 straight days in a row. No weekends. No evenings off. Few breaks. Each day varies in time schedule but it usually consists of waking up at 7 a.m., taking at least two shots of espresso before working until lunch at 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., working until dinner 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and working until…
From Allison Lee, ISB research associate: Some randoms from me….. 1. Last night a couple of us did the INSANITY workout in the gym. Try doing plyometrics on a rocking ship. Extra calories staying balanced! 2. Today I begin a 24 hour shift. Every 3 hours for 24 hours, I will be collecting sea water and measuring the algae SNOT (aka algae microgels). Mmmm. 3. We brought a couple espresso…
Allison Lee, an ISB research associate who’s on board the RVIB Nathaniel Palmer for a research cruise in the Ross Sea in Antarctica, has sent these images from her first few days on the research cruise. Each scientist on board the ice breaker is allotted just 15MB of data per day, which limits how many photos she can share. But these…
There have been many stories in the news about research projects in Antarctica. Most projects are related to the climate and environment, or to how organisms survive in such extreme conditions. On Feb. 6, for example, the New York Times published a report about the Wissard (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) project, which involves looking for a microbial community in the lake located half a mile under the…
ISB research associate, Allison Lee, has boarded an icebreaker in the Ross Sea in Antarctica, where she will spend the next 53 days conducting algae research. Between her more formal blog posts, we’re sharing some Facebook snippets from her first few days in McMurdo, where she participated in a half and full marathons prior to boarding the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer. Read related posts. Feb. 8, 7:11 a.m. I…
LAB NOTEBOOK By Allison Lee, ISB Research Associate
LAB NOTEBOOK By Allison Lee, ISB Research Associate In a collaborative research effort, chief scientist Dennis Hansell invited four co-chief scientists (Alexander Bochdansky, Jack DiTullio, Rob Dunbar, and ISB’s Mónica Orellana) to be part of a grant looking at the origination, utilization, and movement of carbon in the oceans, specifically the Ross Sea. The National Science Foundation funded the grant and it has been dubbed TRACERS which encompasses the objective…
