Antarctic Field Course - Study Abroad

David's Journal

QA

Name: David
Major: Lyman Briggs Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Spatial Information processing
Year of Study: Graduated with a B.S. in December 2003
Why Did I Want To Study in Antarctica: New experience, compare/contrast with Arctic
Biggest doubt before the trip: I would be in debt the rest of my life
Best moment/experience: The first penguin I saw on Aitcho Island
Worst moment/experience: Boredom in Ushuaia
Favorite Animal: Southern Elephant Seal
Favorite scenery/place: Going through the Lemaire channel with the sun setting
Would I Do This Again? Of course!!
What do I think differently about since being back? The systems of the Earth are extraordinarily complex, and modifications to the systems due to human induced global change are having a significant effect, especially the Antarctic.

Please use the links below to view a specific date further down the page.

Pre-Trip Thoughts
December - 2003

Mon. 15
Wed. 17
Thurs. 18/Fri. 19
Sat. 20
Mon. 22
Tues. 23
Sat. 27
Photos credited to David. Click an image to enlarge, hover over an image for a description.

Pre-Trip Thoughts

An early explorer of the Polar Regions once said "if you have ventured into the ice once, you will always long to come back." My Polar experience began in the summer of 2003 as a research assistant with the Michigan State University Arctic Ecology Laboratory. I spent the three months in the northernmost city in the United States, Barrow, Alaska. The city is small (pop. 4500), and its residents are mostly of Inupiat descent. While in the land of the Midnight Sun, I helped to develop an online-interactive mapping application that showcased the scientific research that has been ongoing in the Barrow area since the 1940s. Given the homogeneity of the landscape, and its long sun filled days I was shocked to see the diversity of the people, plants and animals. When I first heard about the study abroad experience to Antarctica, I knew it was an opportunity that I could not resist. Like the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisea), who migrates over 22,000 miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic, I left the Arctic region at the end of their summer and made my way down to the Antarctic.

12-15

We arrived in Ushuaia after almost traveling for 24 hours. The city prides itself as being the southern most city in the world. It is located on the island of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. Ushuaia has since grown and has come to be reliant on Antarctic tourism in the summer, and skiing in the winter. Many fishing vessels also use Ushuaia as a port. The city is nestled between the picturesque mountains and the Beagle Channel. The island is shared by Argentina and Chile. The population of the city is approximately 50,000 and was established by the Argentinean government in 1884. The Yamana people originally inhabited Tierra del Fuego. The debate is ongoing as to how they migrated to the region. When the first European settlers arrived in the region in 1869, with the Anglican missionaries, the lives of the Yamana people changed drastically. The missionary introduced religion, firearms and disease to the native people, and has since led to the near demise of their culture. The native people relied on seals, birds, and other small animals in their diet. When the age of intensive sealing and whaling came about, the actions of the sealers and whalers not only effected the populations of the animals, but also limited the food supply of the Yamana.

12-17

The voyage to Antarctica would begin upon the M/V Lyubov Orlova. The ship was built in 1976 in Yugoslavia and is registered in Malta. It holds a crew of 62 and 124 passengers. On our expedition, there are 86 passengers. The ship is 69.7m long, and has a breadth of 16.2m. Its cruising speed is 14 knots. Lyubov Orlova was a Russian actress who began her career in silent films. Although the ship is not a true "icebreaker," it is ice strengthened. I hope the strength of the vessel does not come into question during the course of the trip as it did for many of the early Antarctic explorers. Quark Expeditions charters the ship from the Lyubov Orlova Shipping Company (Losco). The ships' crew, including the captain, the maintenance crew, the waitresses and the housekeepers were all Russian. The Quark expedition staff was from all over the world (Sweden, USA, Canada, and England). Each of them had their own area of expertise ranging from history to ecology to geology. Most of the expedition staff during in the Antarctic during the Austral summer, then travel to the Arctic to work during their summer.

The time approached where we were allowed to board the boat, and all of our hopes and fears about the journey to come were suddenly released. Those of us who brought medication for seasickness took them (or applied them behind our ears). We carried our luggage from the hotel, past the duty free shops, and headed to our rusting beauty, the M/V Orlova. The ship was recently upgraded, and we were pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. After waiting for a bit for a crew member whose flight was delayed we left port, traveling down the Beagle Channel, and later that night we left the protected waters for the Drake Passage.

From the launch of the boat in Ushuaia, birds constantly surrounded us. These included Wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans), Black-browed albatrosses (Diomedea melanophris), Kelp, or southern black-backed gulls (Larus dominicanus), and Cape petrels (Daption capence). There are several reasons why the birds followed us at sea. The wake of the boat and the turbulence that it creates stirs up the water column and brings small fish and krill to the surface, which the birds can then eat. In the past, many boats discarded their waste while in open water, that being another reason that the birds would follow the ship. Finally, some commercial fishing vessels use the long lining method. This method puts lines into the water with baited hooks to catch fish. Birds can then snatch the fish off of the line. In recent times, this method has been scrutinized because in addition to catching fish, the hooks catch birds, which then drown.

12-18 / 12-19

Once we left the Beagle Channel, the boat entered the Drake Passage. The passage was named after Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world. During his expedition he sailed through the Straits of Magellan and proved that Tierra del Fuego was indeed an island. After this, the passage between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula was named in his honor. The opening of the passage occurred several million years ago and the cold air from the Antarctic ice sheets now circulates uninterrupted around the continent. This phenomenon is called the polar vortex. This phenomenon isolates the Antarctic air mass from the rest of the global circulation system. This prevents the cold air from leaving, and has helped to make Antarctica the coldest and windiest continent. The Drake Passage is the narrowest opening between any of the continents surrounding Antarctica. The first recorded voyage through the passage was that of the Eendracht (named for the hometown of the ship's captain, Willem Schouten in 1616. The southern meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along with lack of land to slow the polar vortex causes very rough waters. When the passage is calm, which is a rarity, it is called the "Drake Lake." More often, in its turbulent state it is referred to as the "Drake Shake." The majestic beauties that lie on the other side of the passage more then make up for the travel across the passage.

Heading south from Tierra del Fuego we encountered the Antarctic Convergence. This zone delineates the boundary between the oceans surrounding Antarctica (Atlantic, Pacific and Indian) and the Southern, or Antarctic Ocean. The cold Antarctic waters go below the other warmer waters, and a noticeable drop in sea temperatures can be detected the zone. This is also an area of high biological productivity. The convergence is located at approximately 55 degrees south latitude, but varies around the continent.

12-20

The first stop of the expedition was at Aitcho Island, which is part of the South Shetland Island group. The island group runs 280 miles N to S and are 100 miles west of the Antarctic Peninsula. William Smith first discovered the Shetland Islands in 1819 when he was blown off course while going around Cape Horn. The islands were originally called "H.O. Islands" after the Admiralty Hydrographic Office who mapped the island group in 1936. The name was later changed to "Aitcho Island," a phonetic spelling.

Aitcho Island is where our first encounter with penguins took place. Penguins are only found in the Southern hemisphere, and a majority of them live and breed in the Southern Ocean and on Antarctica. During the Austral summer the island is home to both Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. They come ashore during the summer months to breed, but return to sea regularly to feed.

Excursions from the M/V Orlova were conducted using inflatable Zodiac boats, which hold up to 10 passengers and 1 driver. Zodiacs are made for rough water conditions, and are well constructed. The boat is constructed of seven different inflatable tubes, and is designed to float even if one or more is deflated. The ship carried eight Zodiacs, and between excursions, the boats were either stored on the top deck, or in the hold of the ship. The first Zodiac to leave the ship was stocked with barrels containing food, tents, and other supplies in case the seas turned rough and a return to the ship was impossible. Luckily we never saw the contents of the barrels!

Aitcho Island was also where we saw our first seal. Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) haul up on the land to rest. Captain James Weddell discovered this species of seal in 1823 on his "voyage to the South Pole." A typical Weddell seal is 10ft long and weights 900 pounds. They can dive to 1,900 feet where they hunt for fish. The seal also eats krill and squid. During the winter months the Weddell seal uses its teeth to grind through the ice in order to create a breathing hole. Older animals' teeth are usually very worn, and this has been speculated as a cause of death. The animals haul up on land to rest, and the one that we saw was oblivious to his human onlookers.

Further exploration of the island led us to a group of Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) that were congregating near the shore to molt. This seal is the largest seal and the males can grow to be 20 feet long and weigh 4 tons while females average 12 feet and weigh 1 ton. When males reach maturity, they form the distinctive enlarged nose. They inflate the proboscis (inflatable sac) that is contained within the nose during the breeding season to lure females in order to breed. Males also fight both for play and for the right to breed. Scars from previous encounters are often visible on the seal. The Southern elephant seal is also the deepest diving seal, and can dive to 3,300 feet for over 30 minutes. During the time spent beneath the surface, the seal hunts for krill, squid and fish.

One mature male usually has a harem of females that he services during the breeding season. The male will viciously defend the females and their offspring. Males who were not successful during the breeding season will sometimes hang around a successful male and his harem trying to fornicate with the females in hopes that he will have offspring. They go about this very stealthy, trying not to attract the attention of the bull.

Half Moon

Half Moon Island is the home to an abandoned Argentine research station. Throughout the trip we saw several research bases that were no longer in use. Most of them were abandoned because of financial reasons. The Argentine economic collapse of the late 1990's left the country in a state where scientific research, especially costly Antarctic research, was possible. The island is also home to many chinstrap penguins. There were also a few elephant seals swimming in the waters surrounding the island.

Yankee Harbor

The final stop for today was Yankee Harbor. Sealers first discovered Yankee Harbor in the early 1820s. During the summer months, it is home to a Gentoo penguin rookery. The snow-covered slopes surrounding the raised beaches were covered with penguins that were in constant motion. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. Skuas were constantly seen hovering above the penguin colonies eager to take advantage of an abandoned egg. The Gentoo penguins were quite amusing to observe. While not fishing or incubating the egg, the penguins stay close to the nest. The nests are made of small rocks that are fashioned into mounds. Given the limited amount of stones that are suitable for the nest, the birds often steal rocks from adjacent nests. While the nests are in close proximity to each other, they are far enough away so the penguin that is incubating cannot peck at a neighboring nest. In addition to the numerous Gentoo penguins nesting in Yankee Harbor, a single Macaroni penguin was mixed into the rookery. Its pronounced beak and orange/ yellow head feathers distinguish this species of penguin. This was the only penguin of this species that we observed throughout the entire trip.

Bailey head

The plan for the day was to land at Hannah Point on Livingston Island. It is named after the sealing vessel Hannah of Liverpool that wrecked there in 1820. Upon approaching the landing site, the Captain and expedition leader decided that the sea conditions were unfit to land here. We were told that landing at this site is often attempted, but it is rarely accomplished. Bailey Head was chosen as an alternate site to attempt a landing. This landing was very challenging for the Zodiac drivers because of the constantly crashing waves and the surf at the beach. All of the passengers were successfully unloaded on the beach, and we were left to explore the largest Chinstrap penguin rookery. The rookery had approximately 200,000 pairs of penguins, each of which were incubating two eggs. At the end of the season there would be an estimated 500,000 penguins at Bailey Head. The beach was akin to the rush hour traffic in a city where everyone was required to wear a tuxedo. Penguins were coming and going from feeding in the ocean. In order to access the colony, which was set several hundred meters from the beach, the traffic to and from the main nesting area was funneled along a narrow pathway with a small lake on one side and a steep slope on the other. The density of penguins and their constant trips to and from the sea had stained the thoroughfare a light pink because of the guano that the penguins left in their tracks. The guano was pink because of the main staple in the penguin's diet: krill. Navigating through the colony was quite a challenge because it was hard to move about without disturbing the penguins. At the top of one of the slopes where I went to observe a group of nests, some of the eggs had hatched. When the adult penguins arose to reposition themselves, it gave us a quick glance and the recently born chicks.

Deception Island/Whaler's Bay

Bailey's head is on the outer rim of Deception Island. The island received this name because on casual observation it appears to be similar to the other surrounding islands. On closer inspection, the island is shaped like a ring, and there is a narrow entrance that allows access to the inner bay. The entrance is named Neptune's Bellows. Once past the opening, it opens up to Whalers bay. The entrance to Whaler's Bay was discovered many years after the island itself. The cruise through the narrow opening was quite an experience. Deception Island is the largest of three active volcanoes in the South Shetland Islands. The most recent eruptions were in 1956, 1967, 1969 and 1970. During the heyday of whaling in the 1800s the protected waters of Whaler's Bay was a prime location for the processing of the large animals. The remnants of the whaling station and its large boilers remain there today. Processing plants like this were used before larger self-contained factory ships were made. These larger ships would travel with other smaller ships that would hunt the whales and then bring them to the larger ship to be processed. This was much more economical then land based operations.

The island used to be the home of a Chilean station and a British station. The eruptions of 1967 destroyed the Chilean station and the eruption of 1969 destroyed the British station. In addition to the abandoned whaling station, there were parts of a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) base. In addition to the buildings, a dilapidated airplane that was once used by BAS was left there. The historian on our boat, Charles Swithinbank once used the plane to conduct research on Antarctica. Charles was one of the youngest members of the early expeditions on Antarctica, and grew to become a prominent glaciologist. He has published several autobiographical books about his Antarctic experiences, along with many scientific papers. He told stories of the exciting work that he once did here. The plane was used to transport people and supplies to remote work camps. This includes taking sleds and dogs in the plane that would be used to travel and conduct research. Most of the work that he conducted using this plane was mapping the surface of the continent. The plane was installed with cameras and radar sensors that were flown over the ice to detect the thickness of the ice sheet. Throughout his career, Charles was instrumental in mapping Antarctica and providing scientific information about the movement of glaciers and ice sheets. He told us that this plane had conducted some of the first remote sensing work ever on Antarctica. Besides from the small plane that was left at Deception Island, Charles told us of many different planes that he used, and different types of radar antenna that he used to conduct his work.

Because Deception Island is still an active volcano, the ground is heated by a geothermal source. By digging just a few feet below the surface, steam began to rise, and warm water flowed into the home. A group of the students and some of the other passengers stripped down and entered the bone chilling Southern Ocean. A few seconds of the ice-cold water was enough for most of us, we quickly retreated to the warmth of geothermal hot tub. With the completion of this dip, I only have to swim in the Indian Ocean before I can say that I have swum in all of the World's oceans.

12/22

Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy is the home to the British Antarctic Survey 'Base A.' It is located on Goudier Island near the Antarctica peninsula. The base was constructed in 1944 as part of a secret mission by the British code-named "Operation Tabarin." Most of the lumber that was used in the construction of the base was salvaged from the abandoned whaling station in Deception Island. The purpose of the operation was to provide weather data and information and enemy activity in the area. Starting in 1948, the main objective of the base was to carry out ionospheric research. In 1962 the base was abandoned and because of the harsh weather on the Antarctic Peninsula, the base fell into disrepair. In 1994, following a survey by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and the BAS, it was decided to repair and reopen the station. In 1996 the station was reopened. The main purpose of the station would be to provide information about the history of the British in Antarctica to visitors, and conduct a limited amount of research. The station is funded entirely by the gift shop and post office that they run. These activities also fund penguin research on the Island. The research that is conducted there involves the impact of visitors on the breeding success of penguins. So far the results of the study have shown that the "visitors have no discernable impact on penguin breeding success." The variations in breeding success have been related to environmental conditions and food availability.

Upon departing Port Lockroy the plan was to travel south through the Lemaire Channel and land at Petermann Island. The trip down the channel was beautiful and we were surrounded by snow-capped peaks that towered over us. Upon reaching the end of the channel two icebergs were blocking our exit. This forced us to back up the channel and go back the way we came and head around to our next destination, Petermann Island.

Petermann Island is the southernmost stop on our expedition, and after this stop, we would start heading north again, back to Ushuaia. The island is located at 65 10' S. We were still 1,490 nautical miles from the South Pole. On our Zodiac ride into the island, we spotted a Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). These seals are the only seal in the Antarctic that eats warm-blooded prey. The prey includes penguins and young seals. They also have a prominent dentition that acts like a sieve and allows them to strain krill from the water. When attacking a penguin, the seal grabs the bird, shakes it violently, removes the skin and eats the meat of the penguin. When walking along the beaches of some of our landings, we sometimes came across the skins and feet of penguins that had fallen victim to the Leopard seal.

Once we landed on Petermann Island we were introduced to the last of the penguin species that we would see on this trip, the Adelie penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri). This is the "stereotypical" penguin, with the black head and back, and white chest. This species is a bit smaller then the other species we had seen already. Even so, they were equally entertaining. This year the region had more snow then usual, and not many plants were visible. While exploring Petermann Island, we stumbled across the first vascular plant of the trip. It was quite an exciting find. By the time we departed the island, and started heading north, the ice that had blocked our first attempt to navigate Lemaire Channel had moved on and we were able to pass through. The sun was just setting and the sky had turned a magical pinkish shade.

12/23

The first stop on the final day of expeditions was to Paradise Bay and Almirante Brown, an abandoned Argentinean base. We took a Zodiac cruise around the bay to look at the glaciers and icebergs. We spotted a Minke whale and observed its behavior for a bit. It was very curious and swam under our boat several times. We also got the opportunity to walk on an iceberg. The structures that the icebergs make are truly amazing. The combination of wave action, wind, and sun melt the ice at different rates and create unique shapes and features within the ice. We also saw nesting cormorants and a few seals.

The next stop was Almirante Brown, the abandoned Argentinean base. Throughout the trip we visited several deserted Argentinean bases. The economy of the country is in such poor shape that it does not have the capability to provide funds for the continued operation of the research stations in Antarctica. This landing was also the only one that was actually on the continent of Antarctica. The rest of the trips we had made were all to islands, but we can now all say that we have stepped foot on the continent of Antarctica. Once we reached the base, we climbed to the top of the large hill behind the base. The view at the top was spectacular and provided a clear of the whole bay. We all slid on our butts on the way down.

The last expedition of the trip was to Cuverville Island. The island was one of the largest Gentoo penguin colonies. The first thing that we noticed after exiting the Zodiacs was the halo surrounding the sun. This phenomenon is caused by the refraction and reflection of light from the sun on water droplets or ice crystals that are suspended in the air. More time was spent observing penguin behavior and taking the last penguin pictures. In addition to Gentoos, there were a few Adelie penguins that were also on the island. We boarded the Zodiacs and waved goodbye to Antarctica.

12/27

The undergraduate research of two of the students on the trip was to be conducted while we were in Ushuaia. The foothills of the Andes Mountains start at the northern edge of the town. The class took cabs to the ski lift that would take us to the place where we would collect data. The purpose of the experiment was to quantify the number of trees and their basal area at different elevations. This will then be used to estimate the change in the location of the tree line in respect to climate change. The only tree in these forests was the Southern Beech. The class broke up into three different groups. One of the groups sampled transects at 700m and 600m. That group was just below the current tree line. The second group sampled transects at 500m and 400m. Both of these locations were medium density forests. The last group walked along the road where trees were recently cut and measured the age of trees by counting tree rings. This will later be correlated to the DBH measurements that were also taken.

National Park

Our last major trip of the study abroad experience was to the national park of Tierra del Fuego. Unlike the forest in the mountains where we conducted the study, where the only tree species was the Southern beech, the national park had many different species of trees and other types of plants. We saw several different parts of the forest that were in different successional stages, and starkly contrasted each other. We also walked along the coast and saw several species of ducks, and even some cormorants. Within the forest we saw a few parakeets and some large hawks. One of the more interesting ecosystems we saw was the bog system. Not only was the bog visually pleasing, but its structure and function is interesting as well. The sphagnum moss that composes most of the plant material is acidic and therefore plant matter does not decompose.