Polarstern / CAML expedition: first day in the ice
First day in the ice
© Gauthier Chapelle / Alfred Wegener Institut
Third batch of scientific presentations. A real safari in search of the bottom fauna : from Maarten's minute nematodes (a kind of worms) to Dorte's giant sponges, Iain & Elaina's mini-octopuses, Meike's isopods (same group as the wood-lice) or Americo's starfish. All will concentrate their investigations on the Larsen zone, and will try through various methods to better understand the impact of the ice-cover disappearance on the "benthic" animal communities (living on the bottom).
Outside, it was a smiling day ! After one week of sailing on a permanently rolling sea, we had our first calm day. We have now entered the sea ice zone ! Early in the morning, there were only drafts of agglomerated ice pieces under a grey sky. Soon enough, the sun appeared while the ice cover gradually grew. Everybody joined the usual obervers on the decks. Having this quality of light for our first day in the ice was a real blessing.
Entering sea ice has again modified the surrounding fauna: the amazingly white Snow Petrels, contrasting nicely with flocks of Antarctic Petrels, covered with stripes of chocolate brown and white, in front of the icebergs. And within a few minutes, the first penguins (chinstrap in this case) and the first seal (a crab-eater). These perfect conditions also allowed our "whale ladies" to complete their first helicopter flight, in order to test their camera. Without finding any cetaceans until now. But the expedition only begins...
