Aquarium senior educator Jo Blasi is on expedition to Antarctica to help study the impact of climate change in these areas and changes in the marine ecosystem. She will be live blogging frequently about the expedition, research technologies and marine life encountered during the trip.
We’ve been at sea for several weeks, and as the sampling starts to wind down one last thing we needed to do was retrieve the Slocum’s gliders that had been released on a mission from Palmer Station several weeks ago. As others on the ship are finishing up research, collecting data and storing samples for the trip home, we needed to talk with Rutgers University in order to position the LMG in the right spot to retrieve both of them.

The technicians at Rutgers contacted the gliders via satellite and programed them with GPS coordinates relative to the location of the LMG. It’s a tricky process. The team needed to make sure that two of the gliders coming from two different directions met and then surface at the right time.

Rutgers professor Oscar Schofield spots the glider (Credit: Dena Seidel)

Once we got those coordiantes, we launched the zodiac from the LMG. Dr. Oscar Schofield spotted the first glider and managed to catch it on our first try. After he pulled it into our Zodiac, I helped to steady the glider while he removed the wings and then stowed the glider in the bottom of the boat, making sure to be careful with the scientific instruments attached to the sides.

CTD instrument on the side of the glider (Credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

After stowing the first glider away safely, it was a race to find the other one. The crew at Rutgers did an amazing job, getting the gliders to surface only 900 feet apart from each other within a 5-minute timeframe. Simply amazing!

Soon enough, both gliders were aboard the small Zodiac, and we headed back to the LMG. Once onboard the LMG, the gliders were turned off by satellite by the Rutgers crew and then safely tied to the ship to prevent them from being bounced around.

Gliders tied down to the LMG, waiting to be packed away (Credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

Glider photo op! (Credit: Dena Seidel)

Once we reach Palmer Station, the gliders get safely packed in their travelling cases and then shipped back to Rutgers. At that point it’s up to the researchers to analyze the data to figure out what the gliders managed to find during their six-week adventure along the Western Antarctic Peninsula!

Glider ready to be stowed away (Credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

Happy retrieval crew heads for home (Credit: Zach Swaim)

Aquarium senior educator Jo Blasi is on expedition to Antarctica to help study the impact of climate change in these areas and changes in the marine ecosystem. She will be live blogging frequently about the expedition, research technologies and marine life encountered during the trip.

Throughout the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research cruise, we’ve seen several different groups of seabirds. Nothing compares, however, to Avian Island, home to approximately 200,000 Adélie penguins.

Adélie penguin (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Located at 67°46′S 68°54′W along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, Avian Island is home to several colonies of seabirds, including skuas, giant petrels and gulls with Adélie penguin colonies taking up most of the space. As part of the Palmer LTER project, researchers conduct regular surveys of Avian Island, monitoring colony size and breeding success for changes in the populations. While most Adélie colonies are decreasing in size further North along the peninsula, Avian Island is growing with approximately 75,000 breeding pairs taking up residence on this small rocky island.

Scene on Avian Island from the water (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Due to its importance for the Adélie population, as well as other seabirds, Avian Island is a protected area and access is allowed for special research by permit only. The R/V Laurence M. Gould dropped off two researchers for several days to allow them to do their surveys. Now it was time to pick up the researchers at their field camp. On a snowy day, a small group hopped into the Zodiac to go and retrieve the crew.

Icebergs are all around Avian Island (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Several elephant seals watched our progress as the Zodiac made its way towards the island, with the smell of penguin guano reaching our noses, as we got closer. And then…penguins. Adélie penguins were as far as the eye could see. Adults where walking and swimming everywhere, with chicks staying close to nests or in smaller groups called crèches. The chicks are bigger than the ones that we saw on Torgersen Island just a couple of weeks ago. They will soon be trading their downy feathers for their waterproof ones as they prepare to go to sea for the first time. (You can learn more about penguin molts on the Aquarium's very own Penguin Blog here.)

Chicks of Avian Island (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Once we landed and made our way over slippery rocks, we headed toward the field camp to pack up tents and gear and then haul it back to the beach. Upon our return to the Zodiac, we found a small passenger ready to go. Fortunately, it decided to hop into the water but only after we took several pictures!

Visitor to our zodiac (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Though many other colonies further north are declining due to climate change and decreasing sea ice, the Adélie penguin population on Avian Island, which is further south along the peninsula, is actually growing. Adélie populations will face a challenging future. Temperatures have risen significantly due to climate change along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), much faster than the global average. Adélie colonies have started to see the introduction of sub-Antarctic penguin species, such as the gentoo and chinstrap penguins, which can withstand warmer temperatures. Habitat space will become limited, making it more difficult for Adélies to find appropriate nesting space to raise their young.

Adélie and Gentoo penguins seen together on Torgersen Island (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Another challenge from the rising temperatures is the decrease in sea ice and changing weather patterns, both causing alterations in the food web in the area. Adélies will have to compete for these changing resources with other animals, putting pressure on already challenged colonies. It is difficult to predict the full extent of these changes, but Palmer LTER researchers are working hard, putting the puzzle together to see what the future holds for the Adélie penguin.

Adélie penguins building their nest. (Jo Blasi / Palmer LTER)

Aquarium senior educator Jo Blasi is on expedition to Antarctica to help study the impact of climate change in these areas and changes in the marine ecosystem. She will be live blogging frequently about the expedition, research technologies and marine life encountered during the trip.

As promised in my last post, here's a video of the elephant seals we saw during an excursion on a nearby island. The seals spent most of the time sleeping and grunting and jostling for prime napping real estate. Check out their sound effects!


Our time off the boat was brief but it was a wonderful opportunity to get close to these animals. Stay tuned for more wildlife updates from Antarctica!

Two male elephants duke it out over a spot on the beach. Soon it was back to napping. Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER

Aquarium senior educator Jo Blasi is on expedition to Antarctica to help study the impact of climate change in these areas and changes in the marine ecosystem. She will be live blogging frequently about the expedition, research technologies and marine life encountered during the trip.

The entire R/V Lawrence M. Gould crew of scientists, researchers and technicians work around the clock to make sure that science is always happening. However, there are some rare occasions where we can get off the ship and explore the nearby islands. We recently had the chance to explore an island with an abandoned Chilean research station.

Two male elephant seals challenging each other  on the island we visited (Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

Buildings at the abandoned Chilean research station (Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER).

In the early part of the year 2000, the station was occupied by a team of Chilean researchers.  After using the Zodiac to get from the LMG to the island, we hiked up the rocks to the station. We had to be careful as there were quite a few Skuas around, dive-bombing our heads when we weren’t looking.  This is typically a defense mechanism to protect their nests.

Skuas (Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

We walked around a few of the buildings and even took a peak inside.  Many of us that explored the island were interested in the glacier behind the station and the population of elephant seals on the nearby beach!

Glacier behind the station. The pink coloration is due to the algae growing on top of the ice. (Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

Good nap spot in the most unlikely place (Photo credit: Jo Blasi/Palmer LTER)

The seals were mostly sleeping during our visit, sometimes crawling over each other for a better spot or sleeping on the building platforms. As we watched them, it was hard not to giggle at the seals making the grossest sounds, almost like someone burping or passing gas!

Elephant seal climbing for a better nap spot-on top of other seals (Photo credit: Jo Blasi Palmer LTER)

There were both male and female seals around, and occasionally the males would challenge each other for space on the beach. They would rear up, open their mouths really wide and then bump their chests together, sometimes trying to bite the other one’s neck. (See the picture at the top of this post.) The bouts never really lasted long and it was right back to napping not long after the challenge began.

Soon the visit was over, and we headed back to the landing spot to wait for the Zodiacs. We were all able to get a few last pictures, as there were lots of seals in the water near the island. After our ride picked us up, it was back to the LMG to conduct more science experiments! The trip was a nice break, but now it’s back to work!

Sleeping seal. Can ice make a comfortable pillow?

Caught in the action (Photo credit: Rachel Eveleth)

Check back tomorrow for a video of our elephant seal excursion doing their thing. You'll get to hear some of those aforementioned belches!

Okay, all you penguin fanatics. Our friends at the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research station in Antarctica have found a way for us to spy on their neighbors—Adélie penguins! They've set up a webcam that brings LIVE looks at the rookery on Torgersen Island. You may recall from Jo's penguin post that the island is home to a colony of Adélie penguins numbering approximately 2,500.

Screen captures of the actual webcam!

You can visit and monitor Adélie rookery with a first hand view here (look for the Torgersen Island tab below the picture of Palmer Station). You may see an Adélie parent caring for chicks while its partner takes to the Ross Sea to feed on krill. You may see a penguin preening. And look out for those fluffy chicks! While Torgersen Island is primarily home to Adélies, other penguins may sometimes be seen on screen, including gentoo and chinstrap penguins (check out Jo's pictures of the different species here). We recently hosted a Google+ Hangout with the researchers on Palmer, too. Shawn had some really interesting things to share about the penguins. Check it out!

This camera is seasonal and operates primarily from October to February, which is the Adélie breeding season. Since the camera is solar-powered it sometimes experiences brief outages due to inclement weather.

Aquarium senior educator Jo Blasi is on expedition to Antarctica to help study the impact of climate change in these areas and changes in the marine ecosystem. She will be live blogging frequently about the expedition, research technologies and marine life encountered during the trip.



All of Jo's entries are cross posted on the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research Station site here. Track her progress on the R/V Gould, and learn more about the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research Station.