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Team Pycno dives at a number of different predetermined locations offshore of Ross Island, and to reach our dive sites from McMurdo Station, we use a plucky and reliable tracked vehicle known as a "PistenBully" to ferry us across the ice. Rubber tracks give superb traction where tires might slip

The day has dawned clear and the winds are low ... perfect day for a quick jaunt across the McMurdo Ice Shelf en route to the shear zone. Why not? The SPOT crew arrived at camp sometime yesterday and have by now successfully unloaded the gear at the shear zone. The team will be taking four

In their 2012 publication, team leaders Dr. Amy Moran and Dr. Art Woods outline a number of different ideas about what allows species within certain invertebrate groups to get unusually big in the polar regions. These different suggested mechanisms

Well we are delayed by a day – we won't go into the field until Monday. The SPOT team just left McMurdo today (after brunch of course – you cannot miss brunch) and it will take them awhile to get out to the shear zone, unhook everything, and get our supplies unloaded. On Friday, we helped the SPOT

Colossal size in sea spiders is relative, of course. In the polar regions, the largest sea spiders ever reported had leg spans of 30in/75cm. The largest spiders that the team has seen during this season and last year's expedition are 10in/25cm. However, when compared to other pycnogonids throughout

Pratt Pier We arrived at Pratt Pier in Punta Arenas, Chile last evening around 2230 (1030pm). I will admit, I shed a tear or two when we were finally tied to the dock and the engines were shut off. For the past 38 days, the faint rumble of the engine greeted me when I awoke and lulled me to sleep

Travel Update This morning at approximately 0800, we entered the Strait of Magellan. Our first trip through the strait (back in early September) occurred overnight. I was tucked away in my bunk and unable to see the sights due to the lack of light. Today, we entered the strait in bright sunshine

While it's a challenging practice and a breathtaking experience, the actual purpose of our scientific scuba dives is to study and collect sea spiders. These ancient animals are found throughout the global ocean from the deepest trenches to the shallowest bays. There are over a thousand species