January 10 2019 (Note: this is #11 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Yesterday was another set of firsts for me, filled with moments where I was struck with, “Wow, I’m really in Antarctica.” We’ve moved steadily southward, zig-zagging toward and away from the coast…

January 9, 2019 (Note: this is #10 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). One thing I like about being in the field is that problems happen and you have to deal with them. I guess that’s true of life in general, but in the field,…

January 8 2019 (Note: this is #9 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). I’m on my 9th post about this copepod project and I’m finally showing my first picture of a copepod! It sounds a little strange, but the logistics of working here are pretty extreme.…

January 7 2019 (Note: this is #8 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). Photos in this post courtesy of Patricia Thibodeaux. On our second day of sampling, I got my first chance to help deploy the 2-m plankton net. The net is big and heavy,…

January 6 2019 (Note: this is #7 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). It was a beautiful day. The seas were calm and the sun was shining, …AND ten days after leaving the states, we finally got to take our first zooplankton sample! We towed…

January 5 2019 (Note: this is #6 in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica aboard the Laurence M. Gould). As we left Palmer Station around 10 am, it felt surprisingly bittersweet. I was energized and excited to start sampling, but as I watched the bowlines detach from shore one by one,…

January 4 2019 Note: this is the fifth in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica about the Laurence M. Gould. Click here for a brief description of the project.     Another note: Before I talk about today’s events, check out the picture above…this is where we did the “Polar Plunge” yesterday. Today started…

January 3 2019 (Note: this is the fourth in a series of posts describing my NSF-sponsored fieldwork in Antarctica about the Laurence M. Gould. For a brief description of the project, please visit https://web.whoi.edu/tarrant-lab/how-copepods-thrive-on-southern-cuisine/) Today we pulled into Palmer Station, where we will spend the next two days. I was excited to explore, but first we…

January 2 2019 Today we finished crossing the Drake Passage, I got my first glimpse of the Antarctic Peninsula. As we approached Smith Island, I learned firsthand how hard it is for an unskilled photographer to capture the majestic scale of the Antarctic landscape. Up on the bridge, the excitement was palpable as we looked…

Last night I joined in the LTER New Years Eve tradition of playing bingo. People who were “in the know” brought in a variety of quirky items to serve as prizes. Since I was new to this, I scrounged up some chocolate to donate to the prize kitty. I won the fourth game! My prize…