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Seven LSU Geology students (3 undergraduates and 4 graduates) received an opportunity of a lifetime and set out on an adventure of discovery to explore the coldest desert on the planet. These students accompanied LSU Geology professor, Dr. Phil Bart, on a two and a half month mission funded by the NSF Office of Polar Programs. The
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objective of this trip was to conduct research on the Antarctic Ice Sheets to determine how these ice sheets affect our global environment.
Dr. Bart’s research has focused on understanding the evolution of the Antarctic cryosphere during the Neogene (i.e., the past 25 million years). During the Neogene, the Antarctic Ice Sheets have undergone dramatic modifications that either forced and/or responded to climatic changes. Through his research, he hopes to obtain evidence about the age and site of ancient ice sheets. This data can help determine how the ice sheets formed and how they might behave in the future. Research projects such as this one, are of great importance to low-lying Louisiana’s coastline. At present, Antarctica contains sufficient ice volume to raise the global sea level by ~70 meters if the ice were melted and returned to the global ocean.
The LSU research team boarded the Nathaniel B. Palmer for a science cruise on the Ross Sea. |
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While on the ship, these geologists worked 24-hours a day in two 12-hour shifts at temperatures of 30 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. They collected three different types of data, including core samples. Coring is really the only way we can get definitive dates of how long ago it has been since the ice sheets extended all the way out to the middle of the Ross Sea. These sediment cores contain tiny
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| fossils that can be dated to determine how long ago they were alive, which suggests how long ago the ice retreated from this particular area. These core samples will be brought back to Louisiana to be analyzed. |
The LSU students learned a great deal about conducting research, but this trip proved to be so much more than a geological learning experience. Students were able to explore a continent like no other with its “larger than life” glaciers, lack of color and vegetation, and unique marine life. It was like nothing else they had ever seen or experienced. Kristie Cornell, PhD student, explained it best when she said, “When you get there, you realize how beautiful this place is…it’s a completely surreal landscape.” All students participating agreed, despite the hard work and harsh conditions they would do it again in a heartbeat.
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