Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/09/2010 - 11:17
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Dissolved Organic Matter in Antarctica

Was the experience of going to Antarctica an overall pleasant one?

Will you be going back to Antarctica next year?

Did you see many Cryoconite holes?

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 12:43

Sarah Diers

Great questions, David!
Was the experience of going to Antarctica an overall pleasant one?Overall, my Antarctic expedition was one of the most pleasant ones I have yet to experience. I will go so far as to say the trip fulfilled a life-long dream and has me longing to get back to Antarctica in some capacity as soon as I possibly can.
Will you be going back to Antarctica next year?I have absolutely no clue, but I am not ruling out working in Antarctica next year. There are many job opportunities on the Ice and I know that I could find a job. If I do, I am sure that I would continue to blog, maybe not on this site, but I would be sure to let my PolarTREC audience know of my adventures.
Did you see many Cryoconite holes?I certainly did. On the walk I took along with the rest of the DOM team from Lake Fryxell to Lake Hoare we crossed over the Canada Glacier. Once Birgit pointed out a cryoconite to me I started to see them all over the glacier. That is not to say that the glacier was completely pockmarked with cryoconites, but there were areas on the glacier where I saw a number of cryoconites clustered together. It seems to me that the terrain of the glacier contributed to the number and concentration of cryoconites. Where the glacier surface was smooth there were few cryoconites, but where the surface was wavy or roughly textured the number of cryoconites increased. This makes sense as cryoconites begin as piles of sediment that is blown onto the glacier. In smooth areas, there is no place for this sediment to settle, but in wavy areas on the glacier there are more places for the sediment to pile up, thus beginning a cryoconite.
Keep cool! Sarah