Check out Natalie Harr’s blog!  She’s a first grade teacher from Ohio who is here as part of the Polar Entomology field team, studying Belgica antarctica, the hardy wingless midge that survives in the often-frozen soil of our nearby islands.  Natalie’s running their educational outreach program, keeping this excellent blog geared toward children and learning.

And read December’s Monthly Science Report to see what we’re up to on station these days.

…of course, that’s for me and Lily – most of our coworkers have been here for 2 or 3 months already, supporting the austral summer 2011-2012 operations.  Late start for us!  We make about 20 support staff, from the boating coordinator to the station manager, the doctor to the waste specialist.

LMG11-11 southbound from Punta Arenas to Palmer Station on Anvers Island

Our Drake Passage crossing wasn’t as bad as forecast – as things picked up Dec 7 the captain was kind and essentially hove-to a bit, to ride more comfortable and to let some of the worst weather pass us by.  You can see the missing points on the 5th when some of the transceivers were turned off as our friend Mike the Electronics Technician on the vessel was fixing the ship’s primary data antenna/dish.  And then on the 7th as we turned into the waves, then ran with the seas, then zigzagged as needed to ride a bit smoother.  Some folk were still sick, but it was much better than it would have been…

It was a busy port call – it’s always a time of greatly-heightened activity around station when our ship the LMG arrives, population turns over, new folk need training and orientation, departing folk need to wrap up loose ends and transfer knowledge to those arriving… and this cruise is the official Site Review visit for the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research site/project, the biggest part of the science done at Palmer Station — so the ship had a full complement LTER scientists, Site Review members, NSF representatives and move, all busy completing the intensive review in a matter of days.

Saturday morning the ship took the site review team and LTER scientists out an hour and a half to the closest LTER sampling station, to demonstrate the work they perform each January along the West Antarctic Peninsula gathering physical and chemical oceanographic data, biogeochemical, phyto and zooplankton assessment and collection, and predator (seabird, etc) studies.  They tied back up to the pier again Saturday evening, and as they were preparing the ship crane to place the gangway a hydraulic fuel line blew, spraying a small amount of fluid onto the deck.  This led to a bit of excitement, our quick response to ensure the tiny amount of spray that was carried by the 20-30k winds didn’t contaminant Antarctica.

I drive as Carolyn and Josh prep the boom

Booming off between the pier and the LMG

Positioning the bow for Carolyn and Josh against the pier-side boom connection

Just one side/piece of the containment action - as always at Palmer, a team effort!

© Photos copyright and credit 2011 Zee Evans

The small release was completely contained and cleaned up, thanks to the quick response coordinated by our Station Manager, the LMG Captain, and the deft coordination of Kris (our Waste Specialist and head of the Spill Response Team).

The LMG left at 9pm last night, heading to Low Island for some penguin field studies on their way north.  We’re taking today off (in place of the day off we missed on Sunday).