Our five month expedition to arctic Alaska began today with our first stop at Kaktovik, Alaska. Kaktovik is a village of about 300 people, mostly native Alaskans, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. It’s actually located on an island, separated by a small strip of water from the mainland, but in winter it is all frozen so it is essentially connected. Turner “Is there enough room for me in the car?” No one had much sleep lately. ...

Hi, everyone. My name is Nancy Etchemendy, and I am a professional writer. Most of my work is for children and teens. On May 26, 2008, I will step out of the cozy room where I usually spin my tales, and will head south for the first of two month-long Antarctic voyages aboard the National Science Foundation's icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. We will be researching the complex ways in which the icebergs that have recently broken off of the ice shelves are affecting the environment around them. Eventually, I will write at least one K-12 book about the project. But before, during, and immediately after the voyages, I will be posting to two blogs, intended to provide engaging, informative, interactive reading for different age groups, and classroom opportunities and science fact...

In about 48 hours we leave Fairbanks for five months of research on McCall Glacier and its neighbors in the Alaskan Arctic. For the past few months we have been making plans, shipping tons of gear, and looking forward to an exciting field season. As usual with any big project, we have encountered numerous obstacles, delays, set-backs, and triumphs. But the preparations are nearly finished now and we’re ready to face the next set of challenges. All of our field logistics are handled by small fixed wing aircraft, like this Beaver flown by Dirk Nickisch. This photo was taken a few weeks ago when we confi...

This enjoyable on-line training system Antarctica: Challenging Forecasts for a Challenging Environment features an educational introduction to Antarctica including some history, interesting facts, real-life experiences, climate, and the challenges inherent to this frozen continent. After the short (12 minute) introductions, those viewers who want more information can follow on-line instructional units designed to give prospective Antarctic forecasters or meteorology students an understanding of the challenges in forecasting in Antarctica and an overview of the tools used to monitor and forecast Antarctica’s weather. Using recent ima...