Hi guys! I decided to keep this log of my journey and experiences in Antarctica. I'm a microbial ecology student with Dr. David Kirchman and I am getting the chance of a lifetime, to study microbes in the coastal waters of the Southern Continent, oooooh!
Just a bit of history: I have been interested in microbial ecology of cold systems since I first read the book Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's about a group of adventurous scientists that begin the colonization and transformation, aka: terraforming, of the planet Mars to a place habitable for humans. They use microbes adapted to the Martian climate to create oxygen and do all manner of other processes. Microbes are a powerful tool for humans, they run the planet, literally, through bio- and geo-chemistry.
One day I had the brilliant idea to turn my hobby, astrobiology- everything to do with life on other planets, into a career. While interviewing with Dr. Kirchman for graduate school, I told him of my interest in doing Arctic or Antarctic microbiology. He said if I joined the lab, I could probably go to Antarctica. And after about a year in the lab, here we are :) Matt, a research scientist and co-worker, and I, packed much of our equipment and shipped it out last week. We're /actually/ going!!
First, we take a plane from the US to Punta Arenas, Chile. Then a 4-day boat trip across the dreaded Drake Passage from Chile to the US research station, Palmer, on the west Antarctic Peninsula. I am so excited that I can hardly keep my parka on :D
Yes, that's me. The little turd in the rain jacket. It was raining...
I would also like to give a shout-out to my other blog about microbial life, ExtreMicrobia :)
