Officially "in" Antarctica

What an incredible sight – our first view of the Antarctic continent! We reached Cape Adare - a peninsula of Antarctica marking the entrance into the Ross Sea – early yesterday morning. The views were spectacular – snow-capped mountain ranges soaring into the sky and gigantic tabular icebergs lining the coast, each having been stranded by the shallow waters that immediately surround the continent.

Cape Adare has a large population of Adelie penguins, and this was immediately realized by the increased sighting of these birds, which are now frequently seen either resting on ice flows or porpoising (swimming) through the water. A few even appeared to ride the bow of our ice breaker, as dolphins frequently do. Amid the spectacular scenery, our scientific team began our first experiment. It was very special being outside collecting samples and running plankton tows amidst this beautiful backdrop. Having collected many samples in Great South Bay and Peconic Bay on Long Island, it felt unreal to be doing the same in such a far-off place at the bottom of the world. This is a tremendous opportunity, for which I am very grateful.