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The pilot from the helicopter gave us a heads up. Two killer whales headed our way. The announcement resounded through the ship via the pipes (announcement system). For some people on board ship, this was their first glimpse of the orca. Keep on reading if you are interested in learning more about

I saw my first ribbon seal today! These beautiful creature are the most highly vulnerable critter that live up in the Arctic. Why? They never touch land. They spend their entire lives on ice flows, even give birth there. What will happen to them if there is less and less ice? Think about it. Ribbon

April 14: Leaving the ice camp, or up in the air again. Wind 6.9 mph Air Temperature -18.0 C -0.4 F Wind chill -13.7 F Latitude 73—11.603 N Longitude 146—41.920 W Cathy and I leave the ice camp today. I am all packed and placing the last photo emails from camp through my laptop computer and

April 13: Friday the 13th-- a bittersweet day. Wind speed 3.6 mph Air Temperature -14.8 C 5.4 F Wind Chill -11.1 F Longitude 72—11.238 N Latitude 146—36.642 W Today is Friday the 13th, and a bittersweet day. We have all worked very hard to get to this Ice Camp, experience the Arctic environment, and

April 12: "IPY Live", the EM-31, and Snow. Wind speed 10.5 mph Air Temperature -14.8 C 5.4 F Wind chill -11.1 F Latitude 73—11.238 N Longitude 146—36.331 W After breakfast Cathy and I prepared for our"Live from IPY" event. A conference call and slide show to schools from the ice camp. During the

April 11 GAVIA swims or problems solved! Wind speed: 2.5 mph Air Temperature: -21.4 C -6.9 F Wind Chill -13.2 F Latitude: 73—11.460 N Longitude: 146—41.714 W Morning: Stereo photos. This morning our objective was to take photos that could be used to create a stereo picture. Cathy and I took a

So I left off on the last journal with the nets in the water, typically they will be pulled for about 20 minutes. The ship will begin moving at a relatively slow speed, maybe somewhere around 1-1.5 knots. Watching the net being towed is pretty cool. When the water is clear you can actually see the

One group of scientists on board is looking at the zooplankton and meroplankton found in the Arctic seas. Jeff Napp from NOAA-AFSC heads this research on the ship and has three students with him. I have had the opportunity to spend some time with them and help put out and bring in their nets. In my

A few days ago, the sun was quite intense. Shining down on the white ice, the glare was blinding. Most of us up on the bridge put on polarized sunglasses. But what if you didn’t have sunglasses? One of the native Alaskan people, the Inupiat, relied on their wits in order to survive and flourish in

Yesterday the helicopter crew flew over some walrus. Walrus are touchy feely kinda animals. They love to get together in great big piles and just sprawl all over each other. It’s also a way they keep warm. You can read more about the walrus below. WALRUS Scientific name: Odobenus rosmarus