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We hit very thick ice last night. That is exactly what the scientists were waiting for. So the ship just tucked up into the ice, let down a metal ramp, and down we went. *The scientists were able to walk off the boat by way of this metal ramp. They had to grasp the handrails and walk backwards down

4.14 Leaving the ice camp or up in the air again (Part 2). We flew to Prudhoe Bay at about 500 ft so that we would have a good view of the ice. The ice looked like a flat white egg shell. An egg shell that had been torn apart into pieces and then the pieces slammed together and reattached. Mile

You worry about your budget, but do you ever think about the isotopic budget in the Bering Sea? I know that budget has crossed the mind of most of the scientists on board and especially two post-doctoral fellows, ladies to be exact. From the guidance of Dan Sigman, Princeton University, two women

I am sure that you know that there are many different scientists on board, all researching pieces of the Bering Sea ecosystem puzzle. Recently, some of the scientists started talking with each other because some of the results have not been what they expected. They asked, why is this happening and

Weaving baleen baskets is a rare skill. Very few people know how to do it. Lee Harris, Inupiat Eskimo has a skill that is very rare. Lee weaves baleen baskets. He didn’t start out to be a basket weaver. A skilled carver, he was invited to carve the ivory top and bottom circle for baleen basket

We saw our first walrus herd the other day (4/19/07)!! The ship passed about 30 of them hauled out on the ice- what a sight to see. It was piped over the ship’s system that walrus were outside, so we all rushed out to catch a photo or two. They are funny looking creatures, with their long tusks and

Summary for April 16-April 21 It’s hard to believe another week has passed. There have been so many exciting projects, and unexpected problems. I am in awe of the creativity and the toughness of the scientists on board! Monday April 16 We started the rotation last week Thursday. It’s time to

I have seen one of the coolest things ever at least in my opinion of the trip. A pod of 7-8 orcas ended up on the starboard side of the ship just before dinner yesterday. It was really great. Plus I wasn’t the only one excited to see some killer whales, some of the Healy crew showed up to see these

The Healy holds a lot of science pioneers onboard. One group of pioneers is Rob Rember and Ana Aguilar-Islas. Rob is a Research Technician and Ana is a Post-Doctoral Fellow with Jingfeng Wu from the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Rob and Ana are sampling

For the past few days, we have been seeing bearded seals. Bearded seals are extremely important to the Alaskan Native population that live along the Bering Sea. They use their skins for watertight boats, and their meat for food. They are solitary, love to hang out by themselves and are bottom