Science on Ice (Photo Essay, Antarctica)

During my recent trip to Antarctica, I discovered that scientists (and science) can be a hoot. I might have become a scientist if I had known these guys and gals were so much fun and lived lives of such adventure.

But I'm a writer, and that's what took me to the coldest continent. I guess the important thing to remember is follow your dreams...

You can find the answers to the questions by clicking on the individual images. A boondoggler is someone who gets a free ride...

These photos are likely to appear in random order, but all with the theme: scientists surprise me and wow, what fun I had traveling in Antarctica. The shot above shows some of us wandering Punta Arenas the day before our ship departed for Palmer Station. The teensy, tiny spot of yellow and orange (in the background, on the left side of the dock) is our ship, the Lawrence M Gould.

Scientists have theorized that the opening of the Drake Passage changed the weather in Antarctica from temperate rainforest to frozen desert.

The above question is a trick question. Your guess will be as good as mine, but I'm guessing yes.

 In case you are wondering...I could not!

At age seven, Gitte's mother took her to Sea World; she knew then that she wanted to train seals. Today she learns from the seals (a slight twist on the dream), and life is a joy!

I knew I wanted to be a writer at age seven. How about you? What did you want to be when you were seven? Is that what you are doing today or did you take a different direction?

This water is great if you are a penguin or a seal, but humans would only last about 10 minutes without protection.

There are five or six support personnel for every scientist on station. Five artists/writers were selected to participate in the NSF's Artists and Writers program during the 2007-2008 season.

I'm not sure I answered this question on the photo caption...Dave Barbeau is a brilliant geologist who also knows how to embrace life. He's just having fun enjoying the moment.

She is also Ross's beautiful wife, a fabulous photographer, and brilliant.

When you follow your dreams, you may not end up where you expected; but chances are you could never have imagined ending up where dreams will lead you...

Photos in this article were taken by...

Bob DeVal

Clare Flemming

Dave Gombosi

Lou Jacobs

DJ Jennings

Brian Johnson

Kate Keeley

Alberto Kao

Gitte MacDonald

Stacie Murray

Rebecca Shoop

...and used with permission and gratitude.

Answers to the questions:

Which of these 3 is a boondoggler?

The giant albatross can stay at sea for...up to 10 years.

The easiest ways to tell a male from a female elephant seal are the male's prominent proboscis (nose) and the notable difference in size. The male is approximately 3 times larger than the female.

The piece of ice that looks like a cool pool might be referred to as a bergy bit, but is actually on the small side. Bergy bits are big bits of ice, but smaller than an iceberg. The term is pretty subjective.

The main reason things get painted orange in Antarctica is to make them easy to see. Not everyone aligns with this philosophy, but the southernmost continent isn't a place a person usually wants to be alone and hard to find.

Natashia is a 22-year-old science diver, originally from Alaska.

The guys in the photo were taking off layers of clothes because, between the temperature and the heavy labor, they were getting too warm. It's easy to overheat on a nice day. Some survival instructors might recommend testing out the cold, for instance hopping in the icy sea; but this would be to help you understand that you can survive long enough to save yourself-if you keep your head and apply your training.

The dancing penguins are most likely fighting over the rock in the one's beak. They use the rocks to make their nests and are constantly stealing from each other.

In spite of decreasing numbers on the peninsula, the adéile is still the most common kind of penguin in Antarctica.

Albert is a 22-year-old physicist. Palmer Station scientist is his "first" real job.

The blue-eyed shag is the only member of the cormorant family to inhabit the Antarctic. Its eyes are not blue (they are black), but are surrounded by striking blue feathers.

Field science work requires 5 or 6 support personnel for every scientist on station. Jobs include IT, communications, carpentry, waste management, cooking, administration, general maintenance, and logistics.

Skuas like to eat penguin eggs. One day I was out with the birders (bird scientists), and we counted 40 stolen penguin eggs. If skuas find an unattended nest, they will eat the young of their own kind.

The sheathbill is the only Antarctic bird without webbed feet. It will eat a lot of things, including penguin poo (guano). It derives its nickname from this nasty habit, and it's not called a doodoo bird, but close. The nickname begins with "s" and is a synonym for "poo." I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Phil is a former physics teacher, runs the bio lab, and gives a rockin' good impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger over the all-call phone. He frequently stands in as social director too. Phil loves a good party.

Alden is Palmer Station's very talented carpenter and also a New York Times crossword puzzle whiz. During the month I was on station I never saw a puzzle he couldn't solve-typically in 20 to 30 minutes.

The sea pictured lying on the ice is a leopard seal. The light-colored spotted chest and elongated snout are the most distinguishing characteristics. Unless you see a seal pursuing a penguin. That is most likely a leopard seal. The main predator of the leopard seal is the killer whale.

The penguin not attending its nest has lost its eggs, You can see the two eggs just to the right of the penguin, outside the perimeter of the rock nest. The eggs cannot last more than a minute or so without the warm protection of the parent's body. The penguin may be a new parent and accidently have dislodged the eggs. Higher than average levels of snow also caused many penguin nests to flood. A good number of eggs were lost in this way during 2007. Higher temperatures mean more snow.

To see a whale up close was a dream come true. This one happens to be a humpback. These magnificent creatures average 50' feet or more in length and weigh around 45 tons. That's a whole fleet of Chevy trucks! The Antarctic minke has a similar falcate fin (hooked fin on its back), but the minke is much smaller (around 10 tons; 35') and doesn't raise its fluke when diving.

On the Antarctic Peninsula, the sun dips below the horizon for a few hours even on the longest day of the year. Sunset arrives just before midnight and the sun rises again around 3 am. Twilight reigns during the summer months.

Clare is a brilliant paleontologist and an archivist. She takes field notes and other documentation from the scientists' research and organizes it for future reference. She is like a "cold case" cop for science.

The elephant seal with the big nose is a male. Male elephant seals use their nose to attract mates. An interesting aside, both the male and female can breathe out of one nostril at a time. It's a fascinating, but goopy-drippy spectacle.

Because I was along as the "writer in residence" the science team tasked me with labeling all the samples. Labels go on both sides of the bag and inside. It's important to keep a record of where the samples come from. If the team discovers a mammal tooth or piece of bone, they definitely want to be able to find the location again!

As Edison Lighthouse says: "Nobody knows where my Rosemary goes...She's a mystery to me." Rosemary is on her way home to Idaho after 3 months as Palmer Station's much-loved day chef. She is a rock hound, a reader, works in a bookstore, and hikes in the mountains among many other things.

Jerry retired as a curator at the British Museum after 41 years, but most days you can still find him piddling around the museum. Unless he is doing field work in Antarctica or other regions remote.

In the northern hemisphere you can tell if the moon is waxing or waning using the acronym mnemonic "DOC." D is the waxing moon, O is the full moon, and C is the waning moon. But it's opposite in the southern hemisphere. You'll need to use the acronym mnemonic "COD," where C is the waxing and D is the waning moon. O is O wherever you go...