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Our Precious! Blue, our EBS (EpiBenthic Sled) ran perfectly last night! We love this piece of gear, it works so well. Let me explain: an EBS samples the organisms that live at the sediment/water interface, which usually includes lots of mud. An ideal EBS run is one where we get lots of animals and not too much sediment. The nets come up clean, and the codends (animal collectors) are full of interesting creatures. Last night, we had an awesome EBS run, and quite surprisingly we even got a good sized sea pig. We returned the sea pig to the water after a quick photo shoot, as we are interested in small crustaceans, not echinoderms. By the way, sea pigs are perhaps the least spiny-skinned echinoderms I’ve met. After the sled comes on board, we keep the codends upright to keep the animals and sediment inside. We remove the codends from the nets, and put the codends into buckets of water that is collected from close to the seafloor nearby (thanks to Wade Jeffries’ water samples). The buckets are then brought into the wet lab and we sieve the material to separate the animals from the mud. Once the samples are sieved, we keep them in a cold room (Little Antarctica) in the dark until the sample is brought to the lab for sorting. We keep everything cold and dark as much as possible, so that the organisms are in an environment similar to the one where they were collected. Dr. Sarah Gerken University of Alaska Anchorage
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Aside from collecting and preserving specimens, two crucial aspects of the IcyInverts team's work involves taking the best possible photos of living animals that we can prior to preservation and meticulous recording of all the associated data (who, what, when, and where) for each specimen. After the cruise, all of these images and data will be will made freely available through the Alabama Museum of Natural History via several online portals (see below), ensuring they are accessible to researchers worldwide. Capturing High-Quality Images of Specimens Taking high-quality photos of animals on the order of 1 mm to a few cm in size can be a challenge. Our photography setup is comprised of off-the-shelf equipment including a Canon 5D Mark IV body, a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens, speedlights, and a LMscope macro stand that essentially turns the camera into a stereomicroscope. Given the shallow depth of field inherent in macro photography, it would be great if we could employ focus stacking. This involves taking multiple images at varying focal points and merging them to produce a single, sharp image throughout. Unfortunately, that's just not possible on a moving ship with specimens in dishes of sea water. Instead, we use intense, diffused lighting and a quick shutter speed to try to minimize shadows and highlight true colors, ensuring the images are both scientifically useful and visually appealing. For really tiny animals, we rely on the excellent compound microscopes on board the NBP. Although we're not professional photographers, we've been very happy with the quality of images we are able to get while working quickly to process specimens in the lab while they are still happy. Taking the best photos we can in the field is important because once specimens are preserved, they typically lose their color and/or shrivel up. Crustaceans, for example, often are brightly colored in life but typically appear off-white after preservation in alcohol. Recording Detailed Specimen Data Accurate data recording is paramount. For each specimen, we document:
This comprehensive data collection ensures that each specimen's context and characteristics are thoroughly documented. Digitization and Data Sharing Our commitment to open science drives us to make specimen data and images accessible through various platforms. These platforms enable researchers worldwide to access our data, fostering collaboration and furthering scientific discovery.
Our digitization efforts are bolstered by the DigIn project, a collaborative initiative aimed at documenting marine biodiversity through the digitization of invertebrate collections. By standardizing protocols and providing resources, DigIn enhances our capacity to share high-quality data for Antarctic marine invertebrates with the global scientific community. Dr. Kevin Kocot University of Alabama Our first day of sampling with the epibenthic sled (EBS) is officially in the books! Around 11:30 pm, the EBS was deployed with 750 m of wire, and after towing the sled for around 15 minutes with the ship’s speed at 0.5 kt, it was brought on deck around 12:45 am. The first haul brought in 101 cumaceans from seven different species! In addition, we collected hundred of amphipods, many isopods, tanaids, gastropods, to name a few. We feel so lucky to have collected such a rich sample for our first deployment. Since cumaceans are sensitive to light and temperature, our workflow focused on keeping them in the best possible condition for downstream analysis. We kept samples cold on a chilling stage fill we sorted the sample, minimized their light exposure, and worked quickly to document them. Each specimen was photographed before being preserved for DNA extraction, which we’ll prepare for sequencing once we're back at the University of Alaska Anchorage. It’s always exciting to see the first real data come in, and this was an amazing start! Victoria Vandersommen University of Alaska Anchorage Imagine you get a message about some amazing views outside (penguins/seals/beautiful glacier). It might seem like all you need to do is throw on a jacket, grab your camera or phone, and head out. But it’s not that simple... Let’s get dressed together! 1st layer: You need a warm, snug base layer. Think of thermal clothes like fleece pants and a sweater that zips up all the way to your neck. Make sure this layer fits tightly against your body. And don’t forget your socks – preferably two pairs! 2nd layer: Wear insulated, waterproof, and windproof pants with suspenders. These pants have elastic at the bottom of the legs to keep them in place. You can add an extra sweater on top as an additional layer. 3rd layer: Time for accessories! Put on a warm hat, a neck warmer, and goggles or sunglasses with proper UV protection. For your hands, wear two pairs of gloves: a thin pair that fits closely and a thick, insulated, waterproof pair. This is especially useful if you’re taking pictures with your phone. The thick gloves might limit your movement, so when you take them off, you still have the thin ones to keep your hands warm. Don’t forget your boots too. 4th layer: Finish up with the big red jacket – a warm, comfortable jacket you can proudly call your own because of the name tag. Remember to zip it all the way up to your neck and to put on the hood. And that’s it! You’re ready for an adventure to enjoy everything Antarctica has to offer. Kamila Głuchowska University of Łódź My name is Hannah Organ, and I am a PhD student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I am in the isotope core lab as Dr. Coffin’s student. I am excited to say that this is my third cruise to the Ross Sea on the NBP studying methane. This trip will include sediment coring and sampling along the sample sites predetermined by geophysical data collected last year. In my spare time, I love to go hiking, visit the beach, and hang out with my cats. I also love to spend time with my friends and family back home. Today, the marine techs have been preparing the back deck for science operations, which gave us an opportunity to see the Nordenskjold Ice Tongue! We are supposed to be stationed here for about 10 hours before we begin the next science operation. Soon, we will be coring and hopefully finding methane! Until then, here is a photo of me in front of the ice tongue! Hannah Organ Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi My name is Florian Neumann, I’m a research scientist at MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, Germany. This is my second journey to the Southern Ocean, the first being close to the southern Shetland Islands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2021. Originally from southern Germany, I spent 14 years in northern Mexico, where I earned my Master's and PhD in marine geophysics. On the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, I’ll be conducting heat flow measurements in the sediments of the Ross Sea. Marine heat flow is the transfer of heat from the Earth's interior to the ocean floor, driven by the decay of radioactive elements and residual heat from Earth's formation. This heat escapes through the seafloor, influencing ocean circulation, underwater ecosystems, and even plate tectonics. By measuring marine heat flow, scientists gain insights into Earth's thermal structure, volcanic activity, and the processes shaping the ocean basins. This research reveals deep connections between the Earth's interior and the ocean, playing a key role in climate and geological studies. Stay tuned for our first measurement and a closer look at the equipment we’re using on board! Dr. Florian Neumann MARUM, University of Bremen My name is Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Howe and I am a postdoc at the University of South Alabama (USA) and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). I work with Dr Brandi Kiel Reese and her lab to explore microbial cycling of methane hydrates in the Ross Sea, which is why I’m on this expedition. The Kiel Reese lab group also includes Lydia Hayes-Guastella (PhD researcher) and Kristen Lamprecht (PhD researcher). Methane gas hydrates are pockets of methane gas that become trapped in a crystal structure of water; the resulting solid is similar to ice. These hydrates are formed under high pressure, low temperature conditions and can be found in the ocean sediments of the Ross Sea. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a warming capacity 25 times that of carbon dioxide, so knowing what microbes consume it and the metabolisms they utilize is critical in a changing climate. We will collect sediments using a mixture of gravity coring and piston coring, which essentially give us a cylinder of sediment to sample from. Our samples will be used for future metagenomic (e.g., all DNA in a sample that tells us what microbes are there) and metatranscriptomic (e.g., all RNA in a sample to tell us what the microbes are doing) analyses of the microbial communities that are associated with methane gas hydrates. We will also collect sediment samples to try to grow some bacteria in the lab, to do cell counts which tells us about how many bacterial cells are in that sample, and silica incubation experiments to investigate the microbial role in the silica cycle (the same experiment I did in the Arctic). I completed my BS in Marine Science and Biology at the University of Tampa, my MS in Coastal Zone Management at Nova Southeastern University, and my PhD in Biological Oceanography at Florida State University. I am extremely motivated by travel and my educational/professional journey has allowed me to travel around the world. Most recently, I went to Svalbard in the Arctic Circle to do field work in July 2024, and now, here I am 7 months later heading to Antarctica! Please visit my website (kathrynlhowe.weebly.com) for more information about my professional journey, as well as access to free copies of my publications and past conference poster presentations. My Instagram (katie_howe_phd) is public and contains photos from all my travels along with some cool science facts and quizzes in my stories. The websites for my current labs are www.geomicrobiology.org and jeffkrauselab.weebly.com. Dr. Katie Howe University of South Alabama Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for: we’re on station! That means science will officially start today! The IcyInverts team is gearing up to deploy our first epibenthic sledge (EBS), but before that happens, other teams on board will be surveying the area with the multibeam and then deploying a heat flow probe (probe driven into sediments by gravity and temperatures within the sediment are measured). A tow cam (to image the sea bottom) and a CTD (measures conductivity, temperature, and depth) are also planned prior to our first EBS, but plans are always evolving based on conditions and opportunities! A tow cam is especially useful prior to deploying the EBS because you get a view of the sea floor to determine if the terrain is suitable for the gear (you don't want large boulders in the way!). These are only a few of the instruments that will be utilized during the cruise, but are incredibly important tools to answer big research questions scientists onboard have. Half of the IcyInverts team has switched over to the night shift (midnight-noon), while the other two scientists will work the day shift (noon-midnight). This allows for 24-hour sampling to ensure that we are making the most of our sampling efforts on the cruise! As a night shift member, I was lucky enough to watch the sunrise this morning with two other scientists on the bridge of the ship. We were in position by 4:30 am, and by 5:00 am, the sky was on fire with orange and pink hues. As hard as I tried to capture the view, a picture wasn’t able to do the moment justice! Victoria Vandersommen University of Alaska Anchorage  We’re in transit. No samples to process just yet, but that doesn’t mean we’re just staring out the window, lost in thought. Honestly? This ship never sleeps. Some of us started working shifts from day one, while others are slowly setting their routines, forcing themselves to function at odd hours. You can see the occasional tired face, dark circles under eyes, or a yawn that almost (but not quite) goes unnoticed. But no one is complaining! All around me, it’s either excited chatter or detailed planning. We’re getting close to our first station... For our team, it’s the last chance to get our workflow just right. We’re double-checking that everything in the lab is where it should be, testing camera gear, and discussing the best way to catalog our samples. Personally, I’m also using this time to work on something new—Cumacea identification. They’re so cool! I can’t find right words to describe how excited I am to see the first EBS sample. Kamila Głuchowska University of Łódź Last night the Nathaniel B. Palmer (or 'NBP') crossed into the Antarctic Polar Circle. As we get further south the sun is rising earlier and earlier and the days are getting longer and longer. We're also keeping an eye on the solar weather and aurora australis forecasts. It has been too cloudy at night for us to see the aurora australis so far, but there has been a lot of solar activity lately so there's a good chance folks on the NBP will get to see this beautiful phenomenon! Check out our previous blog posts from NBP23-03 for some gorgeous photos of the aurora australis in the Eastern Antarctic. The labs are all set up and the science team is eagerly awaiting arrival at our first waypoint in the Ross Sea, which we should reach in less than two days! Kevin Kocot University of Alabama |
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