UAB in Antarctica
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Questions and Answers

TitleClick here to change to ascending sortDate Posted
Question from Michelle Finley2/24/2004 10:13:44 AM

Do set up many different experiments or do you have mostly one big experiment you are working on?

Answered by Chuck Amsler on 2/24/2004 10:13:44 AM

Hi Michelle! -- We have one big experiment called the "substrate experiment" that we've been working hard on setting up. I think that Anne is going to be writing about that later this week. We also have lots of smaller experiments that we do in the lab to test for chemical defenses that make an organism taste bad. We'll be talking more about those in future posts too. Stay tuned!!

Question from Dee2/23/2004 7:47:45 PM

My students and I are especially enjoying all of the wonderful photos! We hope to see many more. Could you tell us what kind of digital camera you are using?

Answered by Chuck Amsler on 2/23/2004 7:47:46 PM

Thanks! We'll do our best to keep them coming. Several folks in the group are contributing pictures. Maggie and Hla are using Minolta digital cameras, Kevin has a Kodak, and Anne shoots with a Fuji.

Question from Jeff Keeton2/20/2004 11:34:07 AM

I used to live near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Ships from all over the world go through the bay on their way to ports along the eastern seaboard. Because the bay is relatively shallow, ships often dump some of their bilge water to decrease how deep they are in the water.

A lot of this bilge water contains animals like crabs and mollusks from foreign waters. These exotic species compete with the bay’s native species for food and resources and as a result, the numbers of native species have declined.

I was wondering, because more ships and people are going to Antarctica, have you seen any similar things happen with non-native species being introduced in Antarctic waters?

Answered by Chuck Amsler on 2/20/2004 11:34:08 AM

Jeff -- Good question! Ballast water from ships is certainly an important vector for the transport of non-native species into aquatic communities. In fact Jim McClintock and I have a project in collaboration with Dr. Bob Peters in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at UAB that is examining novel ways to treat ballast water to help prevent this. Fortunately, I know of no documented or suspected incidents of exotic species being introduced to Antarctica via ballast water. I think that commercial freighters, which have large differences in their cargo loads between ports and therefore need to take on lots of ballast water, are probably a bigger problem than cruise ships and research vessels (although these do use ballast water). There are almost no freighters coming into Antarctica. Thanks for the interest! -- Chuck

Question from Adam J. Woods2/12/2004 1:09:56 PM

Has there ever been psychological or neuropsychological research performed to ascertain the effects of extreme cold and isolation presented by the Antarctic? Such as increased depression, suicide, anxiety, induced phobia behavior, aggresion, etc. I am not aware of this research on the Antarctic to be specific, but have you noticed any variations in your behavior while in the environment, even in camp, after prolonged exposure. This would be interesting to know from the perspective of how extreme environments, such as x-treme cold, zero-g/space, etc. influence human behavior. If this is a common problem how do you attempt to counteract the negative effects? Thank you for your time.

Adam J. Woods

Answered by Jim McClintock on 2/12/2004 1:09:56 PM

Adam, Great question. Yes, I am aware that the National Science Foundation has taken advantage of the isolatory quality of life in Antarctica to study the effects on humans (NASA has also used it as a model to study space travel). Studies have not just been framed in terms of psychology, but also aspects of human physiology. I believe that the vast majority of these studies have been done at the very isolated south pole station (for obvious reasons), but that a number have also been conducted at McMurdo Station on the edge of the Ross Sea. Personally, I find that when experiencing periods of several months of isolation in Antarctica, it is very important for me to maintain a regular daily schedule of work, exercise and sleep. This can be difficult for scientists such as myself because the science is so exciting in Antarctica it is tempting to work very long hours. I force myself to get to the small gymnasium to exercise, and to get to bed at a decent hour. When working at McMurdo Station in the austral summer one has to learn to adapt to constant daylight. Thank goodness for the special curtains in our rooms that can darken the room completely. This is not a problem where we are working now, at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula. Overall, I have not experienced problems with isolation. However, comparatively, I am in Antarctica for short periods of time. Ask one of the "winter-over" personnel returning from 9 months at the south pole station this question, and you may get a very different answer! Cheers, Jim

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The researchers completed their expedition in May 2004. Feel free to search this site for their archived journals and responses to questions.

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