Antarctic Views

It really feels like we are in the Antarctic now! We have been steaming through some ice and we have seen a few glaciers. When we were up on the bridge last night we saw a few humpback whales on the port side (left side of the ship), and we could just make out a seal on our starboard side (right side). We could also make out the snowy peaks of Anvers Island, which is where Palmer Station is located. Later, when we had SeaSled in the water, we could see a group of penguins off in the distance.

On the science side of things, we had some rough weather the last few days but luckily the seas have calmed and SeaSled is currently cruising above the ocean floor. Since we are doing 24-hour operations, we all have assigned shifts (or watches in nautical terms), so that everyone has time to eat and sleep. However, the excitement within the group is almost tangible and we are all looking through the images during off-hours. The images from SeaSled are very crisp and clear, providing us with beautiful photographs of polar ecosystems!  

-Steph, Katie, Dan

Anvers Island

Sea ice

Penguins!