SALSA Field Report 11.30.2018 Traverse Update On Nov. 26th, the SALSA Traverse (a caravan of tractors towing drilling and camp equipment) left McMurdo Station and began their 650 mile journey to Lake Mercer. They are scheduled to arrive at Lake Mercer on Dec. 11th where they will begin setting up camp and prepping the ski-plane … Continue reading SALSA Traverse Departs McMurdo and Geophysics Team Enter the Deep Field

Principal Investigator Brent Christner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. His specialties are in microbial ecology and environmental microbiology. Brent lives in Gainesville with his wife Renee, daughter Kyla, three cats, and a dog. Florida’s warm weather has not stopped him from going to … Continue reading Meet Principal Investigator Brent Christner

Who is Amy Leventer?  Principal Investigator Amy Leventer is a Professor in the Department of Geology at Colgate University. She is the recent winner of the 2018 Goldthwait Polar Medal for her outstanding contributions to the field of polar science.  Amy has been going to Antarctica since 1983, when she was a new graduate student. … Continue reading Meet Principal Investigator Amy Leventer

SALSA Field Report 11.19.2018 SCINI Update On November 18, the SCINI team of Chief Engineer Bob Zook and ROV Operator Mark Bowling successfully tested Deep SCINI (Submersible Capable of Under Ice Navigation and Imaging) with the clump weight in 2,000 feet of ocean water below the sea ice near McMurdo Station. The ROV was connected … Continue reading Moving Forward: Successful SCINI Sea-Ice Test and Drillers Complete Equipment Loading for Traverse

SALSA Field Report 11.12.18 SCINI Update With assistance from Driller Graham Roberts, the SCINI (Submersible Capable of Under Ice Navigation and Imaging) team of Chief Engineer Bob Zook, and ROV Operator Mark Bowling successfully tested the clump weight below the sea ice near McMurdo Station. But what is a clump weight and how is it … Continue reading First Taste of the Field: SCINI Team Sea Ice Test & Geophysics “Deep Field Shakedown”

Lake Mercer Science Updates Mercer Subglacial Lake is a hydraulically active lake that lies more 1000m beneath the Whillans Ice Plain, a fast moving section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. GPS stations have been installed at the Mercer Subglacial Lake site for over a decade and, with the return of the sun to power … Continue reading Lake Mercer Update: An Unprecedented Window into Subglacial Lake Draining