Studying Antarctica during the Harshest Winter on Earth
19.03.2008 - Other
John Priscu, a Montana State University scientist with an international reputation for polar research, is spending his 24th season in Antarctica. The only difference is that this time he will be doing field work during the Antarctic winter. Priscu and his team team will be working on several research projects.
For example, one project is aimed at better understanding how microorganisms adapt to the loss of light. The researchers know that photosynthetic microbes stop converting sunlight into energy and start consuming organic carbon in the dark, but they want to learn more. The answers relate to global warming and carbon balance, Priscu said.
But first of all scientists want to get a more complete picture of what's happening in the lakes and liquid water that lies beneath Antarctica's glaciers. To collect and process samples, the team members will fly by helicopter to field stations near the lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Transantarctic Mountains.
The return of the expedition is scheduled for late April 2008.
