Ice Operations
The purpose of ice operations is to collect samples of ice cores
and brown ice that would not be possible from the deck of the ship.
Ice
cores can tell scientists a lot about the history of the chemical and
biological processes at work in the ice. We were interested in the variations
in algal concentrations and levels of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in
the different layers of ice. Brown ice gets its name from the brownish-green
color produced by algal growth in the ice. Algae trapped in the ice when
it freezes in winter starts to grow again in spring with the return of
the Antarctic sunshine. From studying the brown ice we can learn what types
of alga live in this environment and how much DOC they produce. When the
ice melts, the DOC is released into the water and is an important source
of nutrients for the bacterioplankton that we study.
For ice operations, equipment and personnel were transported to a stable
area of ice via zodiac.
A hole is started using a hand drill before putting in the ice coring
device.
Emperor penguins flock to the area to see what we're doing. They seem
attracted to the orange suits.
The ice coring device is placed in the hole that was just made.
Brute strength is used to force the corer deep enough for a sample.
A little weight helps.
A few people trekked to an area of upturned ice where brown ice would
be easily accessible.
Slices of ice cores and samples of brown ice were placed in a cooler
for transport back to the ship.
Samples of brown ice close by the ship were picked up during ice operations
using this lift.
People pictured on this page listed in alphabetical order: Craig Carlson,
BBSR; Matt Church, VIMS; Bill Cochlan, USC; Mark Dennett, WHOI; John Goddard,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs.; Mindy Kale, ASA; Richard Long, UCSD; Gerri Miceli,
WHOI; Erich Scholz and Colm Sweeney, Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs.
[ More
photos from the Ross Sea | Microbial
Ecology Page ]