Petermann Island, Lemaire Channel and Palmer Station
Off to our starboard side lies Peterman Island as we sip our first early morning cup of coffee. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the French explorer, had wintered here in 1908. His ship, the 110 foot long Pourqoi Pas, had been anchored and frozen into the sea ice of the very harbor where we landed our Zodiacs .After a brief time ashore visiting the camp and study site of the Oceanites penguin research group, we set sail for Palmer Station, making our way again through the impressive Lemaire Channel.
Palmer Station, the American Research base in Arthur harbor on Anvers Island, has been the site of long-term studies in near-shore biological oceanography and population dynamics of Adelie penguins since the early 1970’s. Much of the important work on Antarctic krill and the links to the higher trophic levels has had input from the studies done at this station.
In addition to visiting the station, we were allowed to visit Torgesen Island where over 30 years of population research has been done on the resident Adelie penguins. Two of the biologists working there took time to explain their projects and answer our questions. Another exciting day has passed in our Antarctic adventure, with a glimpse of some of man’s small efforts to decipher how this complex world of sea ice and cold all comes together.
Off to our starboard side lies Peterman Island as we sip our first early morning cup of coffee. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the French explorer, had wintered here in 1908. His ship, the 110 foot long Pourqoi Pas, had been anchored and frozen into the sea ice of the very harbor where we landed our Zodiacs .After a brief time ashore visiting the camp and study site of the Oceanites penguin research group, we set sail for Palmer Station, making our way again through the impressive Lemaire Channel.
Palmer Station, the American Research base in Arthur harbor on Anvers Island, has been the site of long-term studies in near-shore biological oceanography and population dynamics of Adelie penguins since the early 1970’s. Much of the important work on Antarctic krill and the links to the higher trophic levels has had input from the studies done at this station.
In addition to visiting the station, we were allowed to visit Torgesen Island where over 30 years of population research has been done on the resident Adelie penguins. Two of the biologists working there took time to explain their projects and answer our questions. Another exciting day has passed in our Antarctic adventure, with a glimpse of some of man’s small efforts to decipher how this complex world of sea ice and cold all comes together.
