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SIMBA Antarctic Sea Ice

Kaylie asks... 

I was just wondering when you will get off the ship and if the fire through ya'll off schedule?are you ready to get back or could you do what your doing now for a living?

 

Thu, 10/18/2007 - 14:02

Sarah Anderson

Great questions, Kaylie!! We'll get off the ship in Punta Arenas on the 31st (Halloween, one of my favorite holidays!), and I'll be home a few days later. We lost 20 days to the fire, a third of our 60 day cruise. Thanks to the very hard work of the science team we believe that the majority of what was planned will be accomplished. We didn't get to deploy the number of buoys planned (the buoys send data to a satellite and were projected to be in service 6-12 months), but they'll be deployed on later cruises. We've had some problems getting them to work properly anyway, so the delay in their deployment is probably a good thing.The Belgian group is ending their 4th round of data collection today. I'm amazed at the number of hours they spend collecting and processing data. They never seem bothered by the harsh weather conditions. Unless weather conditions become really bad they should be able to finish their datacollection.
Am I ready to get back...yes, I'll be ready to get back when the time comes, but I have really enjoyed this experience. I could definitely do this for a living! I've always loved water and everything about it. Being on the Palmer and seeing all the science involved with the water and ice has been a great experience for me. My only problem with working in oceanography is seasickness! Polar work is great for me since once you are in the ice the ship doesn't "rock and roll" like it does in the open ocean. The good thing about my teaching job is that I'll be able to bring back my new knowledge and experiences to my students and other teachers; hopefully I'll be able to encourage more students to study science, and especially polar science, in college.
Great questions, please send more Kaylie!
Mrs. Anderson

Fri, 10/19/2007 - 11:16

Kirk Beckendorf

 Has anyone fallen into the water?
Devon asks... What is Drake's passage and why is it so bumpy and how bumpy is it?
Pete wants to know if you have any Hispanic scientists?
 Weston wants to know how many hours of sleep do you get per day?
Lindsey...What's your favorite part of this experience? When you flush does everything go into the ocean? How about all of your trash?
Do you have roommates on the ship? Have you already posted a pic of your room? If not can you?