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| W E E K 7 |
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Map of Ross Island Region. Arrow indicates where we flew our helicopter to sample the juvenile Weddell seal. I have circled the iceberg called C-16 (15km X 43km in size) which we could see from where we were. Although this is not the largest iceberg in the area, in pictures it takes up most of the horizon. The pictures of icebergs I show later in the update are not even big enough to be named icebergs!
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C16 iceberg in the horizon seen from the helicopter. The arrow points to the C16 iceberg, which as you can see, spans across the entire horizon of this picture. The ice-shelf from Cape Byrd can be seen on the right side of the picture.
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Dr. Kanatous and Dr. Watson walking beside a "bergy bit" at Cape Byrd. Despite the size of this iceberg it is not even given a name (like the C-16 iceberg for example). In fact, icebergs this size are termed "bergy bits".
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Adelie penguins saw us and decided to investigate. In the background you can see a Weddell Seal mom and her pup (behind the little snowbank).
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Penguins can move very fast on the snow by sliding on their stomachs. This is called tobogganing.
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You can see the tracks made in the snow from a tobogganing Adelie penguin.
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Self-portrait with a mom and pup Weddell seal behind me. Our Pisten Bully and seal sled are also in the background. It was so nice on this day that we were able to shed our big parkas!! Ah, the Antarctic summer!
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Dr. Kanatous and Dr. Trumble preparing to weigh a Weddell seal pup in the sled.
For the pups we did not require a large tripod for weighing (like we did for the adults). We were able to clip the strain gauge right on a metal bar and lift the seal pup to get the weight. |
Mom and pup Weddell seal reunited after sampling.
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Oil Red-O staining of seal skeletal muscle done by Dr. Trumble. This is a cross-section of seal skeletal muscle stained with Oil Red-O to determine the amount and location of intramuscular triglycerides (fat). Each little red dot indicates a triglyceride droplet. We can quantify the differences in intramuscular triglycerides between different ages. The individual muscle fibres are clearly visible in this image.
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Dr. Trumble lying next to a seal "shadow". Previously I told you how seals lying on the ice in the sun will begin to melt the ice around them. When they leave that spot they leave an impression in the ice we call a seal "shadow".
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Panorama of Big Razorback Island region. Big Razorback Island is on the right, Mt. Erebus is in the background and the tip of Tent Island can be seen on the far left. Many of the pups we sampled were located next to Big Razorback Island.
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Polar Science www.polarscience.ca info@yesican-science.ca |
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