Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/24/2008 - 14:46
Forums
Lake Ecosystems in Antarctica

have you ever gone to the ant arctic before or is this your first time?

if you did what animals did you see?

-frankie fernandez 

Thu, 09/25/2008 - 01:46

Robin Ellwood

Hello Frankie!
I am very lucky to be able to say that this trip will actually be my fourth trip to Antarctica! It will be my third season as a diver! I can't wait to get back in the Antarctic waters and to help my research team with their research!
In terms of animals...
The region of Antarctica where I spend most of my time is called the Dry Valleys. Although it is near the ocean, it is not quite close enough to have many "animals" visiting the area. We get an occasional Skua - which is somewhat similar to a very large seagull. Also in the Dry Valleys, there will occasionally be a seal or penguin. I, fortunately have not seen these in the valleys. I say fortunately because they usually don't find their way back out of the valley and  end up starving to death. So, I am happy to say that the seals and penguin that I have seen have been in Mcmurdo Sound - where they are happy and healthy (at least potentially! I can't really claim they are happy or healthy since I can't actually speak with them - but they seem that way)! When we scuba dive in Mcmurdo Sound, we see all kinds of fish, sea anemones, sea spiders, scallops, etc!
When we are scuba diving in the Dry Valley lakes, we typically see microscopic "critters" like algae, protists, bacteria, etc. These critters, although living, are not actually "animals." They fall into other kingdoms such as Monera, and Protista.
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Robin