What is Antarctica like? - Aaron, H.G. Olsen Elementary, Port Aransas, Texas

I guess one of the simplest answers to that question is that Antarctica is COLD.  Although it's "spring" time here right now, the temperatures have not gone much above freezing (32º F or 0º C).  We've even had two really good snow storms, which I'm told is a bit rare for this time of year.  The weather can change very quickly though, and those snowy days can soon become sunny and beautiful (we just had a day like that today).  The unpredictable weather makes it a bit tricky for traveling by sea though, and you're plans often have to be flexible. 

Another good word to describe Antarctica is BEAUTIFUL.  If you would like to see photos, go to some of my more recent journal entries and you can get a better idea of what it looks like down here.  You can also see some photos of the local wildlife!  You must keep in mind though, that Bird Island is actually not part of the Antarctic continent.  It is under the control of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands government.  However, these islands share many of the same wildlife as the Antarctic continent. 

What is the longest recorded Southern elephant seal dive? - Tim, Chief Officer, James Clark Ross

Southern elephant seals are capable of diving for up to 2 hours and reaching depths of over 1500 meters.  However, they typically make dives that are 30 - 40 minutes in length and range in depth anywhere from 300 to 800 meters.  Still quite impressive!

Are you talking like a Brit yet? - Terry, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, TX

I have definitely picked up some new vocabulary words by traveling and working with the individuals from BAS.  For example:  garbage is now rubbish, juice is now squash, and dinner is now tea.  I had a bit of trouble understanding everyone for the first few days, but I'm doing much better now that I've had more practice.  There are still times though, when I have to ask people to repeat themselves (sometimes twice)!

What is the food like?  Have you had any meat pies? - Terry, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, TX

The chef on the JCR was amazing, but he didn't make any meat pies during our time on board.  However, we have had meat pies twice since I've been at the base (one fish pie and one steak and ale pie).  This is quite a treat considering that we have to cook for one another!  This might be a good chance for me to learn how to make these tasty treats myself!  Terry - you might have to send me some recipes!

What are you doing with the seals? - Aaron, Olsen Elementary, Port Aransas, TX

We will be attaching video cameras and data recorders to male fur seals.  The video camera will allow us to record what the animal sees as it travels underwater.  We are particularly interested in finding out what the seals are eating and what the areas are like where they are looking for food. 

We record a lot of other things in addition to the video footage.  The data recorder will record the temperature, salinity, light level, and amount of oxygen in the water.  This will give us a better idea of what the environment is like where the seals are diving.  The data recorder will also collect data that will allow us to determine exactly what path the seal traveled in three-dimensions. 

We have not attached any cameras to the seals as of yet.  We're hoping to do this within the next few days.  Right now, we are attaching satellite tags to males.  These tags relay information to satellites about where the animals are swimming while they're at sea.  Since seals are so difficult to track when they leave the island, this is a very good way to keep track of them.  Researchers can use this type of information to better understand the behavior of the animals. 

Don't you miss Port A? - Andy, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

I miss Port A and all of my friends tremendously!!  I hope you all have lots of fun on your camping trip this weekend.  If you start to think it's cold, just remember where your wonderful friend Kiersten is right now.  

Is it winter or summer? - Tamara, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

It's not actually winter or summer at the moment.  It's spring time on Bird Island!!  It might not be apparent by looking at the landscape (no budding trees or flowers - just snow and brown tussock grass), but if you look at the behavior of the animals, you can quickly tell that "spring is in the air."  Like many other places throughout the world, spring time in Antarctica is associated with mating and reproduction.  Several of the birds on the island (penguins, albatrosses, and petrels) are currently breeding and/or laying eggs.   This is also an important time of year in the reproductive cycle of seals.  There are a few female elephant seals that have recently given birth to new pups and are in the process of nursing them right now.  The Antarctic fur seals will also start arriving in large numbers to give birth and mate very soon.  Some males have already started holding territories in preparation for the arrival of the females.  So despite the cold weather and snow, spring is still in the air!!

Is it dark all day? - Tamara, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

The latitude of Bird Island is of 54º S, so the changes in day length throughout the year are not quite as severe as they would be if you traveled south to the Antarctic continent.  As of right now, the days are about 14 hours long.  They will continue to get longer though as we get closer to summer time.  Luckily we have nice blackout shades on all the windows to help us sleep!

Have you seen any penguins? - Morgan, Emma Shannon, and Casey Fusso, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

I've actually seen lots of penguins!!!  A few different kinds in fact.  Here are some photographs . . . On the left is a colony of gentoo penguins and on the right is a king penguin.  A few macaroni penguins are starting to show up on the island right now as well, but I haven't been able to get any photographs yet.  I will post a photograph as soon as I get a good one though!

    

What do the seals look like? - Morgan, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

That depends on what type of seal you're talking about.  It also depends on what sex and what age the seal is.  Bird Island is home to a variety of different seals and fur seals. 

Here are some photos of the different types we see on Bird Island . . .  On the upper left is a female Southern elephant seal.  On the upper right is a young male Australian fur seal.  And on the bottom is a Leopard seal (probably male).  As you can see they all look quite different. 

   
                         
                                      
 

Where are you in Antarctica? - Kristen Mouton, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

I am living at a research station on Bird Island.  Since the station isn't actually located on the Antarctic continent, I can't technically say that I'm in Antarctica.  It would be more appropriate to say that I'm living on a sub-Antarctic island.  Bird Island is located in the Southern Atlantic Ocean and lies just off the northwest tip of South Georgia (another island).  It is a great place for conducting research because it has an extremely rich diversity of wildlife.  It is believed to be home to about 50,000 breeding pairs of penguins, 14,000 pairs of albatrosses, 700,000 petrels, and 65,000 breeding fur seals!!!!  I've also spotted ducks, shags, elephant seals, and leopard seals.  It is one of the richest spots for wildlife anywhere in the world!

Have you seen any weathering or erosion?  Can you post a picture of that? - Alex Hogan and Rachael Henderson, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX
 

Most people don't realize it, but the Antarctic continent is one of the driest places on the planet.  Bird Island on the other hand, is probably one of the wettest!  Okay, maybe it's not that wet, but we do get a lot of rain and snow.  The melting snow and rainfall produce large amounts of runoff which could potentially cause erosion.  The vegetation around Bird Island is helpful in preventing major erosion problems.  Most of the island is covered in tussock grass.  It is a tall, strong grass that grows in large clumps and helps reduce erosion.  It is a little hard to see, but if you look closely in the picture at the right you can see a "waterfall" that has formed from the melting snow.  On the left edge of the picture you can also see some of the brown tussock grass that I mentioned above.

What is the wind speed on a windy day? - Emily Roberson, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

Wind speeds can vary a lot on the island, but they can easily reach 60 knots (that's 69 mph) on a windy day.  If you hike up to the top of the island on a windy day, it can often be difficult to keep your balance and remain upright. 

How old do penguins get? - Dan Campbell, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

The life of a penguin can be quite hard, particularly if you're a young penguin.  Many new born penguins don't make it to adulthood and die before they have fledged.  If a penguin does fledge successfully though, they can often live to be 20 years old. 

Is there more salt in the water in Antarctica or Texas? - Hunter Roos, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

The water around Bird Island has a low salinity due to the large amounts of runoff from rain and melting snow.  Texas, on the other hand, has very little freshwater runoff into the local bays and estuaries which makes the water much saltier.  Bird Island is also much colder than Texas, which means there is not as much evaporation.  When water evaporates, the salts are left behind and the remaining water becomes saltier.  Since the temperatures are much warmer in Texas, water is going to evaporate much faster and more salt will be left behind.  The combination of increased evaporation and decreased runoff is going to make the waters in Texas much saltier than Bird Island.

Have you seen any seals or walruses? - H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

I'm sorry - there aren't any walruses in Antarctica.  No polar bears either.  These animals only live in the northern hemisphere in Arctic waters.  It is the opposite for penguins - they only live in the southern hemisphere and can't be found in the Arctic.

We've got plenty of seals and furs seals though!  In the photos above you can see some of the different types that live on Bird Island. 

Have you seen some erosion happen to the ice? - Emma Shannon, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

There isn't any permanent snow or ice cover on Bird Island.  There also isn't any permanent sea ice in the waters around Antarctica.  However, individuals from BAS are conducting research on sea ice, pack ice, and ice shelves at other research stations throughout Antarctica.  If you're interested in finding out more about some of their current research activities, go to:  http://www.antarctica.ac.uk

Are there any narwhals?  Have you seen one? - H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

I'm afraid that like the walruses and polar bears, there are no narwhals in Antarctica either.  They also only live in Arctic waters.  

How thick is the ice? - Shivam Bhakta, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX
 

Unlike the Antarctic continent, there isn't any permanent snow or ice cover on Bird Island.  There also isn't any permanent sea ice associated with the water around the island.  There are however, lots of icebergs floating near Bird Island.  Some of these will occasionally even travel into Jordan Cove where the base is located.  We also get lots of smaller pieces of ice that have broken off from icebergs washing into the cove.  We sometimes collect these and break off even smaller pieces to use for ice in our drinks!  To the right you can see me proudly holding my first drink with Antarctic ice cubes.  Below you can see a photo of one of the icebergs near Bird Island.  This could have been the source of some of those Antarctic ice cubes!!

How cold is it? - Paige Bridges, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

The temperatures on Bird Island always seem to hover right around freezing (0º C or 32º F).  It's has warmed up slightly in the past few days and some of the snow has even started to melt.  What was previously snowy white is now all brown and muddy!!!
 

Do baby fur seals have teeth? - Tamara, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, University of Texas, Port Aransas, TX

Seal pups are born with their teeth.  However, they lack the jaw strength to bite too hard for the first few weeks of their life.  This is probably the only time when you don't have to worry about being bitten!

How old are baby fur seals before they eat fish? 

For the first four months of their life, fur seal pups are nursed by their mothers.  Adult female fur seals will spend several days at sea foraging before coming ashore to provide milk for their pup.  Once the pups are weaned, they will begin making foraging trips of their own.  Antarctic fur seals primarily feed on krill, although fishes do compose a small portion of their diet.  Adult males tend to make longer, deeper dives and have a higher number of fish in their diet than the females.  Juvenile fur seals typically make shorter, shallower dives that are more similar to the females.

Does it rain in Antarctica? - Forrest Garlough, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

If you're asking about Bird Island - the answer is YES!  It rains a lot here!  Since the temperatures are always hovering right around freezing, we get a lot of snowfall as well.  A good waterproof jacket is essential for living on Bird Island!

Now if you were asking about the Antarctic continent the answer would be NO.  It's actually too cold to rain in Antarctica.  What would be rain falls as snow instead.  However, it actually doesn't snow that much either.  The Antarctic continent is one of the driest places on the planet, but since it's so cold, when snow does fall it's able to remain for long periods of time. 

How tall are the different species of penguins? - Chris Tubbs, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

There is still some debate about how many penguin species exist.  Values tend to range anywhere from 16 to 19.  Here are the heights for several different species commonly found in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic.

Emperor = 4 - 5 feet
King = 3 feet
Gentoo  = 30 - 45 inches
Chinstrap = 30 inches
Adelie = 20 - 30 inches
Macaroni = 17 - 20 inches 
 

Do you think you could wrestle one? - Chris Tubbs, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

I actually already have!  Okay, wrestling might not be the appropriate term, but I helped Helen (the penguin field assistant at Bird Island) weigh macaroni penguins last week.  They might be one of the smallest penguin species, but what they lack in size they make up for with a feisty attitude.  In the picture below you can see Bill and Helen in the process of weighing one of the penguins.  You have to hold their flippers into their sides to keep them from wriggling away.  Once you have a good hold, you place them (ever so gently) into a bag and use a spring scale to weigh them. 

How rough are the seas? - Chris Tubbs, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

Rough!  The seas around South Georgia and Bird Island are some of the roughest in the world.   The swell around the island are typically between 2 -3 meters, but can easily reach 5 meters on certain days. 

The base is located in Jordan Cove which is quite sheltered and always remains relatively flat no matter what the conditions.  However, other coves around the island are not as sheltered and can often have quite a swell within them.  Here you can see a photo from Johnson Cove.  This is one of the main Gentoo colonies on the island - if you look really closely you can see some white specks on the beach which are all little penguins!

Have you jumped in the water yet? - Chris Tubbs, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX

NO - and I don't intend to!!!  Several of the over-winters have though.  It's part of their "midwinter tradition." 

Would you rather be in Port Aransas or on Bird Island? - Aaron, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

That is probably the toughest question I've had so far, and I am afraid it's not an easy answer.  I am really enjoying my time here on Bird Island and am having the trip of a life time.  With that said . . .  I really miss all my friends and family back in the states, and I definitely go through times when I get pretty homesick.  One of the hardest parts about Bird Island (for me at least), is how isolated you can feel at times.  When I start to feel this way though, all I have to do is look outside the window and see all the penguins and fur seals and I'm quickly reminded of what an amazing place I'm in and how lucky I am to be here.  As of right now, I guess I'd have to pick Bird Island, BUT I'm definitely looking forward to coming home to Port A in a few months. 

What is done with all the garbage that is generated in a six month period? - Steve Bryant

We recycle as much of our waste as possible.  All plastic, tin, aluminum, paper, and cardboard are placed in bins and taken by ship back to recycling centers in Britain.  Everything that can't be recycled is also taken out by ship, but it goes back to the Falkland Islands where it ends up at the Stanley landfill.  All the food waste is placed in a gash bucket throughout the day and then emptied off the jetty every evening.  We call this event the "gash dash" because you not only have to make your way to the jetty through all the fur seals, but you also have to deal with the flocks of skuas that are hovering overhead waiting for you to throw out their evening meal. 

Do you do the formatting and posting for your website? - Steve Bryant

Yes - I do all the posting and formatting of the website myself using Microsoft FrontPage.  I try to proofread as much as possible, but I apologize for the few grammatical errors and misspelled words that may have slipped through!

How do you check your electronic equipment for temperature and waterproofing? - Steve Bryant

Most of the electronics associated with the data logger are placed inside an o-ring sealed plastic housing (made of delrin).  To make sure the o-rings and the plastic housing are working correctly, we place the housing inside a pressure chamber and check for any leaks after applying several atmospheres of pressure.  The equipment that is not placed inside the housing (this includes several of the sensors and the camera) are sealed inside either epoxy or urethane.  As far as temperature is concerned, we don't actually do any temperature-proofing of the electronics.  However, we do monitor the temperature of the unit at 3 - 4 different places on the circuit boards, and this information is used later on to correct the data for the affects of temperature. 

Have you seen any other wildlife besides penguins and seals?  Have you seen any strange things like rats, or maybe ferrets?  - Rachael, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

In addition to all the penguins and seals that live and/or breed on Bird Island, you can also find many other types of birds (see "Albatrosses, Penguins, and Seals ... Oh My" if you would like to see photos of some of these).  Just a few examples of other birds include:  wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, grey-headed albatross, sooty albatross, giant petrels, snow petrels, white-chinned petrels, Antarctic prions, shags, terns, kelp gulls, skuas, and pipits.  You can quickly start to see why it is called Bird Island.

There are no trees on Bird Island or South Georgia, so all of the birds must either build their nests on or in the ground.  This means there eggs are very susceptible to being eaten by small mammals, such as rats.  When rats were introduced into South Georgia by whaling ships, many of the bird populations suffered tremendously.  However, Bird Island has been much more fortunate, and no live rats have been introduced to the island (one dead rat was found on the shore last year but it is believed to have been dead before it arrived).  This is one of the reasons why so many different species of birds are successful here, and BAS is very vigilant in its quest to keep rats off Bird Island.  All cargo (especially food cargo) is inspected thoroughly for any signs of rats (things like teeth marks and droppings) and there are rat boxes placed all over the island.  These boxes have food inside and are not used to catch the rats, but simply to try and keep track of whether or not they are present on the island. 

Have you seen any other wildlife besides penguins and seals?  Have you seen any strange things like rats, or maybe ferrets?  - Rachael, H.G. Olsen Elementary School, Port Aransas, TX

In addition to all the penguins and seals that live and/or breed on Bird Island, you can also find many other types of birds (see "Albatrosses, Penguins, and Seals ... Oh My" if you would like to see photos of some of these).  Just a few examples of other birds include:  wandering albatross, black-browed albatross, grey-headed albatross, sooty albatross, giant petrels, snow petrels, white-chinned petrels, Antarctic prions, shags, terns, kelp gulls, skuas, and pipits.  You can quickly start to see why it is called Bird Island.

There are no trees on Bird Island or South Georgia, so all of the birds must either build their nests on or in the ground.  This means there eggs are very susceptible to being eaten by small mammals, such as rats.  When rats were introduced into South Georgia by whaling ships, many of the bird populations suffered tremendously.  However, Bird Island has been much more fortunate, and no live rats have been introduced to the island (one dead rat was found on the shore last year but it is believed to have been dead before it arrived).  This is one of the reasons why so many different species of birds are successful here, and BAS is very vigilant in its quest to keep rats off Bird Island.  All cargo (especially food cargo) is inspected thoroughly for any signs of rats (things like teeth marks and droppings) and there are rat boxes placed all over the island.  These boxes have food inside and are not used to catch the rats, but simply to try and keep track of whether or not they are present on the island.