Archive for January 2019

January 27, 2019 (Note: this is #24 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould) Today was a good day. I collected samples of copepods (Calanus propinquus) that I’ve been incubating in the lab for five days. I’m trying to understand how different species of copepods, feed,…

January 25, 2019 (Note: this is #23 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). The featured image by Patricia Thibodeau shows a bunch of pteropods…look to see the beautifully extended wings on a few in the lower corner. While I’ve been developing increasing copepod-centric tunnel vision,…

January 23, 2019 (Note: this is #22 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). The photo above of Debbie Steinberg deploying a plankton net was taken by Patricia Thibodeau. We’re working away like busy little bees here on the ship, trusting that our day-to-day efforts will…

January 22, 2019 (Note: this is #21 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould) At lunch today, my colleague Kim Thamatrakoln asked me if I have been able to collect all the samples I hoped to get. I’m not sure if I audibly sighed, but I certainly sighed…

January 20 2019 (Note: this is #19 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Three days ago I posted about the “grind” of processing samples day after day. Today we moved back into the ice, and experiences the “grinding” of the ship as it moved through the sea…

January 19 2019 (Note: this is #18 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Today we had the opportunity to visit Rothera Research Station, the largest British Antarctic facility. The visit is a tradition on the Palmer LTER cruise that provides an opportunity for the British and…

January 18 2019 (Note: this is #17 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Today we met up with the other US Antarctic icebreaker, the Nathaniel B. Palmer (“NBP”), visible off in the foggy distance. The scientists on board have been working to characterize aspects of…

January 17 2019 (Note: this is #16 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Can you see the little copepod near my fingertips on the spoon? That’s Calanus propinquus. I guess I shouldn’t play favorites with my “subjects,” but, between us, It’s kind of my favorite. If…

January 16 2019 (Note: this is #15 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Yesterday was relatively uneventful for me. We had some technical difficulties, so there wasn’t much sampling and sorting going on. Instead, I had time for my shipboard “hobbies”: tending to my experiment,…