National Science and Technology Week - Polar Connections
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ANTARCTIC RESEARCH: IT'S COOL!

The Martin Pomerantz Observatory Antarctic Science Slide Show

Helicopter
Antarctic Transportation Slide Show

South Pole Station
Life on the Ice
Slide Show


It comes as no surprise that Antarctica is a haven for glaciologists and snow experts. The frozen continent also draws astronomers and astrophysicists who like the clear skies and nights that last six months. Geologists and climatologists are intrigued by the well-preserved remnants of the past. And oceanographers gather information about the water that flows beneath the floating ice shelves and sea-ice.

What does come as a surprise to some is the amount of biological research that takes place at the NSF-funded research stations. Human researchers adapt to temperatures of 32 o F to -100 o F by importing warm coats, portable housing and food. Bacteria, plants and animals, however, adapt biologically.

What is also surprising is the number of researchers who leave their warm homes to go there, not just willingly, but eagerly. They say the science explored on the Ice, as the researchers refer to it, is like no other. While in Antarctica, scientists live for their research -- and the research is far from routine.

Antarctica is a place where scientists dive below the ice sheet to follow penguins and seals. They set up tents on ice floes that can break apart with little notice. They deal with problems of recording data when their pens freeze at -4 o F. They adjust telescopes when the O-rings shatter in the cold. And they gain the muscles needed to drill tens of feet into the ice for samples.

Antarctica is not a place for the faint of heart.

It is impossible to mention all of the projects going on in the three NSF-funded year-round research centers. "Antarctic Research: It's Cool!" -- the Frontiers cover story from which this is excerpted -- provides a glimpse of a few of the hundreds of studies taking place at the coldest place on Earth.

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TerraQuest Virtual Antarctica
GLACIER: Explore Antarctica!
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