Entries by Sage Lichtenwalner

Farewell R/V Gould

This year, the R/V Laurence M. Gould completed its 27-year run as the Antarctic Research and Supply Vessel (ARSV) for the National Science Foundation. In that time, the ship spent nearly 6,300 days at sea, with over 1,000 supporting Palmer Station science, including 25 of the 31 Palmer LTER research cruises to date. The R/V […]

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New ADCP Backscatter Visualization Tool

Have you ever wondered what lies below the waters along the West Antarctic Peninsula? Now, you can use a new interactive map tool developed by former PAL graduate student Amanda Lohmann (now a PostDoc at the University of Virginia), to explore ADCP backscatter intensity data from the 2005-2016 cruises. The tool allows you to explore […]

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Melting Point: Where is the Antarctic Sea Ice?

For World Penguin Day last month, PAL Co-PI Dr. Sharon Stammerjohn was featured in a video produced by the Wilson Center on the recent changes in Antarctic sea ice. The above video was featured in the World Penguin Day 2024 email from the Wilson Center, along with some penguin facts and a second video with […]

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New paper: Watching the Sunrise on our Ocean Planet

PAL PI Oscar Schofield was recently asked to provide a “senior scientist view of the world” as part of the Food for Thought series in the ICES Journal of Marine Science. In this retrospective, Oscar recounts how he ended up as an oceanographer, he shares tales of his early field experiences and the friends he […]

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New paper on changing phytoplankton phenology along the Antarctic Peninsula

In a recent paper, Jessica Turner, a PAL collaborator and Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Connecticut, found that phytoplankton blooms are starting later rather than earlier over time, likely driven by increased wind mixing. Her coauthors include Heidi Dierssen, Oscar Schofield, Heather H. Kim, Sharon Stammerjohn, David R. Munro and Maria Kavanaugh. Abstract: Climate […]

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Earth Day with Scott Doney

For Earth Day this year, PAL Co-PI Scott Doney was featured on the University of University of Virginia’s podcast Hoos in STEM. In the episode “Celebrating Earth Day with Environmental Scientist Scott Doney,” Scott sat down with the host Dr. Ken Ono to discuss the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s oceans and […]

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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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