Polar Researchers

Gentoo penguins watch the research vessel Laurence M. Gould near Petermann Island. The Gould is one of two research vessels operated by the National Science Foundation.

The research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer in Barilari Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. The NBP is on a two-month science expedition to the Larsen B Embayment once occupied by a major ice shelf. In 2002, the ice shelf collapsed in a million pieces, leaving only a shard of the Larsen B Ice Shelf and a rapidly changed ecosystem in its wake. The ice shelf had been in place for at least 10,000 years. Read more about this science expedition in The Antarctic Sun article.

A person walking through a ground blizzard at the South Pole.

NASA researcher Margarita Marinova drills a core from the ice pack at the head of University Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The ice core will be analyzed for composition of the ice and the air bubbles, which may provide information on the age of the snow pack in the valley. Since snow packs don't flow like glaciers, it is possible that the snow pack is quite old. Old ice is a great window into the climatic history of the area. Marinova is a member of Jen Heldmann and Chris McKay's NASA…

A killer whale swims toward Wayne Perryman, who is standing on a piece of ice in McMurdo Sound. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center are studying the whales to determine if there are three separate species of Antarctic killer whales.The Antarctic Conservation Act (Public Law 95-541) formalizes U.S. adherence to all Antarctic Treaty conservation rules. Participants must obtain a permit to go into specially protected…

NSF's mission is to advance the progress of science, a mission accomplished by funding proposals for research and education made by scientists, engineers, and educators from across the country.

A spring storm at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station brought record-breaking wind gusts of 58 mph on September 27. This photo was taken on September 21.

Donna Patterson-Fraser handles a giant petrel chick near the Antarctic Peninsula. She and other members of Bill Fraser's field team closely monitor the huge scavenger-predators as part of a larger ecological study. To learn more, visit the Palmer LTER website.

NSF's mission is to advance the progress of science, a mission accomplished by funding proposals for research and education made by scientists, engineers, and educators from across the country.

Doug Coons, research diver, reaches out to a jellyfish while diving in McMurdo Sound. The salt water remains at -1.5 degrees C, which minimizes the length of time divers can remain under the sea ice to about 40 minutes.