Oh my goodness, what a few days! I have just been fortunate enough to be invited on a three day science expedition out to the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony and Colbeck Archipelago region, approximately 90 km west of Mawson.
The crew:
Jason, our fearless leader and trusty senior field training officer
Daniel Horder, mechanic, Hägglunds whisperer
Cath, Kathryn and Gwil, the science team here for the “A Cleaner Antarctica” Project.
And me, also Jason, photographer for the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin census
The mission:
1. Thoroughly photograph the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony, to enable every single penguin to be counted.
2. Collect soil and vegetation samples at a variety of sites for the 'A Cleaner Antarctica Project'.
Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony
The Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony is a rare example of a land-based breeding colony, as emperor penguins usually prefer to be based out on the sea ice. As such it is an Antarctic Specially Protected Area. This colony has been photographed and counted every year since 1988, during the middle of winter when it is just the males incubating eggs to give an idea of the size of the breeding population, and later in the season to count the chicks and get an idea of the breeding success. This trip was all about the chicks. The 'A Cleaner Antarctica' team also had a permit to take photographs at the site using a drone, and this will be used to see how census results compare between the two methods. It was a rare opportunity to visit this area, and to be a part of this project, and yes, I was super excited!
A Cleaner Antarctica
The objective of the 'A Cleaner Antarctica' team on this trip was to collect soil, water and vegetation samples at a range of locations, including control sites as well as sites that have seen human activity. This will enable the team to better understand chemical properties of soils and biodiversity across the region, and to determine whether human activity has had any impact on ecological communities. The biology being studied includes microbes and bacteria, vegetation (such as moss, lichen and terrestrial algae), and micro-invertebrates. It’s amazing how much life you can find down here when you look closely! Jason, Dan and I had heaps of fun running around declaring our finds of moss, lichen and algae to the science team, who to our delight would then go and take samples and make notes. The clean sites that we visited for sampling included the Taylor Glacier colony, locations around the Colbeck Archipelago, Ufs Island, and locations around Falla Bluff. The sample locations that had seen human impact included the area around Colbeck Hut, and the old Shangri La depot in the Stanton Group.
Conclusions:
The trip was a raging success. Penguins were photographed. Soil and vegetation were sampled. Many sites were visited. Enjoyable evenings were had at Colbeck Hut, with great conversation, endless plates of pan-fried gyoza, and a lively game of Farkle was played.
Jason Davey, Meteorological Senior Observer
