VIDEO: Join An Expedition On An Antarctic Icebreaker
In the video above, you can join Stanford University Marine Scientist Cassandra Brooks and her team on their recent expedition in Antarctica. In less than five minutes, you'll get a glimpse at their remarkably beautiful, two-month trip on an icebreaker in the Ross Sea.
"The ice has surprised me with its dynamism, providing a different scene every day—sometimes every hour," Brooks says in the video.
The team was in search of open water, where they could find thriving phytoplankton blooms.
"We were following the path of the phytoplankton to better understand the dynamics of the Ross Sea ecosystem," Brooks explained. "We sampled water for weeks and then, as the summer drew to an end, the ice closed in on us."
In the final minutes of the video, you get a rare glimpse of the autumn in Antarctica, complete with amusing footage of penguins feeding in the fast-forward, time-lapse style.
The video below highlights part of the team's work in Terra Nova Bay, including the instruments used to take measurements on the water's conductivity, temperature and depth.