Expeditions and Schoolwork on Antarctica
If you are not familiar with the specimen then you may think that the plastic vials and bags contain pure rubbish.
Much time is needed from the scientists especially with these samples originating from the Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica. A college senior said that mud can tell you a lot.
The National Science Foundation funded a trip lasting a month for a handful of people from one college and university and this college senior belonged to the chosen few who explored Antarctica.
Actually, these schools regularly take part in research cruises of all sorts.
The group departed from Punta Arenas Chile, in early February aboard a research vessel. Located on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula was their first stop, the Larsen Ice Shelf, which was unexplored.
Such a location has yet to be explored before they arrived. The ocean’s depth was measured using sonar while the boat moved at a slow pace.
Students and researchers were able to get several water and sediment samples from the deck as well as video footage. The samples they brought back will take decades to analyze.
With global warming in mind, mud will be part of the conducted studies considering everything from how much water it holds to the elements comprising it. For the students, this trip was an ultimate blessing.
Seeing things for what they really are, according to a student, is made possible by this. This Cialis Professional student, who is a native of Scotland, plans to study global warming in graduate school.
Another student confirms that she wouldn’t mind being on a ship for the rest of her life, who will continue her studies next year at one university’s school of Oceanography.
Taking note of how intense the Southern Hemisphere weather conditions are, the group coped well. It’s like Upstate New York really.
Never mind the cold days if the sun rose and set at 430 am and 930 pm respectively. When you look out the window, the brightness can make it rather painful.
Civilization was lacking, but science was happening 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From midnight to noon or vice versa were the shifts given to the students.
There were bunk beds for the students to sleep on and a group lounge for them to watch movies in.
But the students had some regulations to abide by. On the trip, the seniors should know about anything big.
If visiting an emperor penguin was not odd enough, a senior student even had to check out a new surface volcano. Such an encounter was enjoyable for this particular Dryden native.
Everyone favors such encounters. What she enjoyed the most was the trip to Vega Island. To be in a place where only 10 other people have been to is rather remarkable, she says.
Student on board missed five weeks of classes. When they were on the trip schoolwork was not the main priority for not only did they carry hectic schedules but also had to deal with environmental hazards associated with their vessel.
Being on a constantly moving ship does not help either. They were not able to contact the people back home as much.
The students and faculty grew close to one another because of the common living spaces and the lack of distractions.
For one student any escape effort was futile. Because of the uninhabited location not to mention the intense environment you really grow close.
When they returned to the United States, they carried the samples in coolers with each of the mud and rock specimens having documents for the customs officials.
For a student it was also necessary to bring 323 digital pictures and five rolls of film. For a student who was part of last year’s exploration, it was simply better to experience the surroundings.
It has been said that pictures are not enough. There is a need to appreciate what your surroundings are offering.
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Category: Recreation and Leisure
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