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It's getting to be that time – everything is falling into place. All the gear has officially arrived, the robots have checked out, the geophones (for seismic studies) are good to go, and the batteries for the GPS receivers are fully charged. Today was spent getting everything packed and the last of

Why do we care about solar activity? Of course, solar activity is of interest to astronomers but it can also have major consequences on the Earth. For example, the ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere that becomes ionized by cosmic rays. So greater amounts of cosmic radiation can cause changes

Travel Update - Land Ho Early this morning, we passed the tip of South America, the island known as Cabo de Hornos (or Cape Horn). Our captain, Brandon Bell, took a screen shot of our position early this morning, just after passing by the southern most set of islands. Cabo de Hornos marks the

McMurdo is more than just a scientific research station – it's a major city on the continent of Antarctica. In fact, it's the largest city out here. Like any other city it produces its own fair share of waste which would normally go to a dump or be processed at a wastewater treatment facility. The

Unexpected Mission If you are using the map tab at the top of the journal page, you may notice that we have made a slight turn to the west instead of continuing NE towards the Le Maire Strait (in southern Argentina). Last evening, we received a request from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to

Well it was bound to happen eventually – whether that was going to be in the field or here at McMurdo was the question – we are moving towards Condition 1 today here on Ross Island. Weather here on Ross Island is broadly broken into three main categories defined by temperature, wind chill, and

Back in the Drake We are officially back in the Drake Passage. After a week of little movement due to ice, everyone is getting reacquainted with life aboard a moving ship. After some last CTD casts to collect water samples, the process of dismantling and packing begins. When I woke up this morning

The bluish-grey ice slips by remarkably quickly and before I know it, I find myself in what I can only describe as a deep blue twilight world somewhere between slumber and waking. I hold myself against the underside of the frozen ceiling to get my bearings. I'm breathing rapidly, but not because the

Our first scuba dive of the expedition is my first in Antarctica, my first under ice, and my first in water this cold. For these reasons, and because some of our gear is new to us, Steve Rupp and Rob Robbins will be accompanying us on a type of test drive called a "check out" dive. As McMurdo