Southern Ocean Passerby

Being far off-shore, where you can't see any land, it can sometimes feel like you're on a small ship, alone in the middle of this vast ocean.

But we are definitely not alone.

As we motor around the Southern Ocean, deploying our scientific instruments, and collecting data and samples from the deep sea, we frequently have visits from different passerby.

We are often visited by penguins, seals, and whales, all of which pass by in their own ways.

Chinstrap penguins often come pretty close to the ship, acting curious and playful,
usually hanging around for a bit to assess the scene.

Fur seals are frequently spotted close to the ship, playing and jumping out of the water,
not usually staying around for too long.

Fin whales are the most commonly whale species we see, with over 200 spotted in one day!
They mostly keep a good distance from the ship, with their blow on the horizon being the only thing visible.

These three animals, although very different, share the same primary component of their diet: Krill!

However, the amount of krill they consume is vastly different.

To put it into perspective, in one day, one five gallon bucket could feed 16 penguins, while 2 five gallon buckets could only feed one seal.  And a single whale can consume more than 2 tons, or 4,000 pounds of krill in one day.

Krill are an extremely important part of the Antarctic marine food web,
since they are a primary component of so many animal's diets.

Although not exactly living, another passerby that we often see are icebergs. Varying in size and shape, these large floating masses of ice are at the mercy of the wind, waves, and currents.

The sun setting behind a large iceberg off the coast of the Western Antarctic Peninsula.