Blogs and Writing

The second sea pig captured near Thwaites ice shelf sitting calmly in Megacore tube, grabbing sediments with its tubes to eat organic matter buried there. (Photo credit: Tasha Snow)

Snow on Ice: Sea pigs and mud #10



“We found a sea pig last night in one of the Megacore tubes,” Jennie Mowatt, a marine technician onboard, nonchalantly said as she passed around a video on her cell phone for all of the scientists in the meeting.

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Scientists gather around computers to learn the latest discoveries about the Thwaites Glacier ice shelf.

Snow on Ice: Synergizing Science #9



The crane lowered the little orange submarine until it finally touched down snuggly onto its ramp on the back deck of the Palmer.

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View of Rothera Station from a drone above the Nathaniel B. Palmer. Photo credit: Aleksandra Mazur

Snow on Ice: When in Antarctica: the backup to the backup #8



“I think the secret to the work we do in many ways is as much as possible beforehand, asking the question, ‘what if, what if, what if.…’” Andy Smith, a principal investigator on the ITGC GHOST project, commented about working in Antarcti

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Scott Braddock digs down into a relict beach to retrieve a preserved shell that will be radiocarbon dated once back to the University of Maine. Meghan Spoth (red) and Kelly Hogan (orange) look on and record the sample's location and description. Photo credit: Victoria Fitzgerald

Snow on Ice: Geology with a Spoon #7



While the seal team sat on one of the smaller Shaeffer Islands tagging their second and third seals (described in a previous blog post

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Weddell seal swims with the tag attached to relay conductivity, temperature, depth and location data. Photo credit: Tasha Snow

Snow on Ice: Seals help scientists explore Thwaites Glacier #6



Calling it seal tagging doesn’t really put the right image in your mind. I had pictured a seal with a small plastic tag attached to its body like you’d see on a cow or pig ear. Seeing it in person was a surprise.

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After the Hugin's first test in Antarctica, Jennie Mowatt, Filip Stedt, and Jonas Andersson (from left to right) have just wrangled the Hugin into its harness and now tow it over to the Palmer to be retrieved by the crane. Photo credit: Tasha Snow

Snow on Ice: Ice above, warm water below #5



As we travel among the Thwaites menagerie of giant icebergs, it’s hard to believe that a thousand feet below the ship sits warm water.

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The first iceberg the ship approached up close. Photo credit: Tasha Snow

Snow on Ice: Into the Ice #4



“Iceberg! Starboard beam.” I was sitting at my computer typing and I think it took a second to sink in for me and everyone else in the room.

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After a successful release from the Palmer, the AUV sits for 10 minutes at the surface to fill with water before heading off on its four hour test mission in the Straits of Magellan

Snow on Ice: The little orange submarine #3


Snow on Ice: Thwaites Glacier Science at Sea

The ship bobbed lazily in the Straits of Magellan, ringed by the snow-capped mountains of the far southern Andes, the sun becoming quite warm, the water still as glass.

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A Peale's dolphin catching some air near the bow of the ship.

Snow on Ice: Setting Sail #2


Snow on Ice: Thwaites Glacier Science at Sea

We arrived into Punta Arenas on January 26th and met our US Antarctic Program (USAP) representative, Maribel.

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Researchers board the Nathaniel B. Palmer for their voyage to the Amundsen Sea

Snow on Ice: Headed south #1


Snow on Ice: Thwaites Glacier Science at Sea
Join Tasha Snow as she reports life on the N.B. Palmer on a research voyage to Amundsen Sea.

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Sending a kasten core to the seafloor

THOR blog - Cruise offshore of Thwaites Glacier



Seven researchers from the Thwaites Offshore Research team embark on a 53-day cruise in the Amundsen Sea to study the ocean off of the Thwaites Glacier.



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Bright day

TIME blog 2018-2019



Thwaites Interdisciplinary Margin Evolution (TIME) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Environment Research Council (NERC) to study the Eastern Shear Margin of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.

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ApRES

Instrument Highlight: Phase-sensitive radar (ApRES), Filchner Ice Shelf


Instrument Highlight

Research teams use phase-sensitive radars for determining ice shelf basal melt rates.  Data is used to enhance climate models.



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