Sunday, November 13, 2016

The 2016-2017 field season is here! Please use THIS LINK to post questions.

This field season, I will have various scientists from the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research program answer questions as while they are working in Antarctica. I will post updates in the "About the Biologists" tab to provide some information about the scientists who will be posting to the blog this season.

TO SUBMIT A QUESTION, please post questions in the comments below. We will post answers on the main page for the blog.

9 comments:

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  3. Hello! We are a sixth grade science class from South Lyon, Michigan. We are beginning a unit on geology and have some questions about your work in Antarctica!

    Where do you stay in Antarctica? Where do you sleep?

    What do you eat? Where do you get food and water?

    What kinds of tests do you conduct?

    What types of animals are around you every day? Does your work help save any animals?

    Have you seen any Polar Bears?

    How did you get to Antarctica and how will you get home? If you traveled by plane, is you plane still there and is it frozen?

    How do you not get frostbite?

    What is your coolest discovery?

    Have you seen any other people there?

    What are the three most important tools you use to study Earth?

    What is the coldest temperature that it gets to be while you are there? What is the warmest temperature?

    Why did you choose to go to Antarctica instead of someplace much warmer?

    We just finished studying Astronomy and learned about asteroids, comets and meteors. Have you ever visited the Wilkes Land Crater?

    What kind of trees are there in Antarctica? Do you even have any?

    Do glaciers have layers?

    What is the difference between being and geologist and a biologist?

    What would happen to the animals if Antarctica was a warm climate, not cold?

    Are there volcanoes in Antarctica?

    If you ever had rain in Antarctica, what would happen to the snowy climate?

    Why did you want to be biologists?

    Why do you monitor streams? Why do you measure stream flow? What is important about the data you collected in the stream work you did?

    How come you use ATV’s to cross frozen lakes?

    How quickly do the glaciers melt and what do they look like when they are melting? Have you ever seen them melting in action?

    Why is Antarctica not all covered with snow with its so low temperatures?

    What do you do in your free time, if you have any?

    How long is the sun visible?

    What is the soil like? Could you farm with it or not?

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  4. I am a senior studying Biology with a microbiology minor at Texas State University who has immense interest in going to Antarctica to study the microbial life. Do you have any suggestions for getting a foot in the door as far as looking for specific jobs that I have a chance to be accepted? I understand the pool for specific "non-tourist" jobs is considerably smaller than the jobs list for McMurdo Station. I am quite interested in life on a molecular level especially extremophiles like the tardigrade.

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  5. Hello, my name is tomer from israel, my dream is to be biologist in antarctica.
    My question is how can i get a job there ?
    What companys get there and what are the qualification to get in ?
    Thanks in advance.

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    1. I apologize for taking so long to respond. The best way, in my opinion, is to study science in school and volunteer to work in science labs, and eventually pursue a graduate degree in a lab with an advisor who studies an Antarctic science discipline that is interesting to you. There are many graduate students who work on cool science projects in Antarctica, and those are the people who eventually become the scientists that work in Antarctica.

      Another option, if science isn't your thing, is to work as support staff (e.g., electricians, mechanics, pilots, cooks, etc.). There are actually more support staff than scientists at McMurdo base, and they are extremely important because the make the survival and research possible in Antarctica.

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  6. Dear Biologists,

    Hello! We are a robotics team from the detroit area in Michigan. We have spent this season contacting people around the world, and as a special outreach we’ve contacted you! We have a couple of questions we would like to ask you. If you don’t mind helping us out, please contact us at nolimitsrobotics@gmail.com

    With Regards, No Limits Robotics #8593

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    1. Thanks for the message! I'm not in the field this season, but one of my colleagues has said he can field questions. I'll forward your email to him. Thanks!

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    2. You can post questions here: https://questions-biologistsinantarctica.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-2017-2018-field-season-is-here.html

      My colleague Josh is in the field this season and will be replying to questions.

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