Entries by Sage Lichtenwalner

New Paper on marine debris found near Palmer Station

In a new paper,  Katherine Gallagher, Gina Selig, and Megan Cimino document their recent observations of marine debris around Palmer Station in Antarctica. Last season, they found 135 pieces of marine debris along the shore, and near the seabird nests and colonies they surveyed. Their paper discusses the physical factors likely driving debris to the […]

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Looking Forward: The Race to Save Antarctic Penguins

The penguin populations in Antarctica are rapidly changing due to the effects of climate change. Over the past 30 years, scientists have studied the penguins around Palmer Station along the West Antarctic Peninsula, and have observed a significant decline in the local Adelie penguin populations. John Weller at Only One has also observed these changes […]

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Joy Ferenbaugh appointed Assistant Professor

Congratulations to Joy Ferenbaugh, who was recently appointed as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Adams State University in Colorado. Joy was previously a PAL post-doctoral scholar, working in Scott Doney’s Computational Biogeochemistry Lab at the University of Virginia. We wish her all the best in her new position!

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Upside Down Ocean: Unraveling the Crisis of Antarctic Sea Ice

Climate change is having a dramatic effect on Antarctic sea ice. For years, ice around the continent seemed oddly consistent, while sea ice in the Arctic has declined dramatically. But that is no longer the case. Over the last few years, the seasonal sea ice coverage in Antarctica has declined precipitously. In 2023, we had […]

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New Paper: 60 years of glacial retreat behind Palmer Station

In a new short paper, Megan Cimino, Marissa Goerke, and Shavonna Bent document how the Marr Glacier behind Palmer Station has retreated over the past 60 years. They found that the glacier has retreated about 7.7 meters per year, which they reflect can have profound impacts on the local ecosystem. Cimino, M. A., Goerke, M. A., […]

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Fast Company on the Five-Sigma Event

Earlier this summer (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), as Antarctica reached it’s peak winter season, scientists observed what came to be known as a “five-sigma event” in Antarctic Sea Ice. This referred to the unprecedented record low maximum sea ice extent observed this year, which far surpassed previous records. Oscar Schofield, the […]

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Associated Press: Antarctic Krill Fishing

This month, PAL LTER scientists Deborah Steinberg, Logan Pallin, Ari Friedlaender, and Joe Cope were featured in a story by the Associated Press. Factory fishing in Antarctica for krill targets the cornerstone of a fragile ecosystemBy Joshua Goodman and David Keyton, October 13, 2023 Here is a snippet… Jars of krill line the windowsills in […]

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Palmer penguins featured on WHYY’s The Pulse

In April, the podcast series The Pulse from WHYY in Philadelphia featured an episode about Taking the Temperature of Climate Science. One segment featured our own Megan Cimino and her work studying the Adélie penguin population around Palmer Station. Also featured were Mark Moline and Matthew Breece from the University of Delaware, who are using […]

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