Blog - Laura Kubiak

Our swim off the shore of the Antarctic continent was coined as the “polar plunge.”  Plunge is a verb meaning “to jump quickly and energetically.”  I did just that – the quicker I got in, the sooner I could get right back out!  I plunged holding a bucket to collect the day’s water sample from Neko Harbor.  Since I had jumped into the Arctic’s water last June (read here),...

Penguins have the right of way at land and sea!  The first thing I noticed when we landed at Peterman Island (off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula) was long sled tracks down the hillside.      As I walked to take a closer look, I had to wait for a fearless gentoo penguin to cross the path in front of me, since penguins have the right of way!   ...

Our zodiac landed on a flat volcanic beach to an unexpected sight.   Gentoo penguins and Antarctic fur seals were everywhere!                  The abandoned buildings proved we were not the first people these animals shared a beach with.  Dozens of seals and penguins seemed unaware of the law, the Antarctic Treaty, to...

  Volcanoes, a steamy lagoon, abandoned buildings, abundant wildlife: my first sight of Antarctica. This is a deception of my prediction of Antarctica, which is quite fitting for the name of our first landing:  Deception Island.    The first documented people, sealers in the 1800’s, were deceived as they sailed through the entrance point, Neptune’s Bellow.  They...

Greetings from Ushuaia, Argentina South America - the southernmost city on our amazing planet!  Hello, I’m Laura Schetter a GLOBE teacher, from Holland, Ohio, USA.  This city is the site we will embark on the Ocean Endeavor ship to reach Antarctica.  From the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, I will be collecting hydrosphere and atmospheric data for GLOBE. ...