Waves crash on a black sand beach on the south coast of Iceland.

Data Collection at the North PoleMy first time ever to the North...

Data Collection at the North Pole

My first time ever to the North Pole and the weather was gorgeous! It took several hours of searching with the helicopter to find a suitable spot a few miles from the pole itself, and Lauren had the luck to be along for the hour-long ride.

After enjoying the sunshine and scenery we get down to work, measuring the dimensions and salinity of two ponds. This all went surprisingly well for a first attempt and we learned enough to know what we want to measure next time and how we will include guests in the process.

Sailing to the North Pole is an expedition cruise like no other. It was a special experience, more so than I expected, and I’m really happy that the science went well too! I’ll be back three more times this summer and I can’t wait.

While breaking ice this summer we will be recording sea ice...

While breaking ice this summer we will be recording sea ice thickness and extent, and melt pond distribution, depth and salinity. We’ll be providing these data to a number of scientific institutions in the United States, and it’s really exciting to be part of a ‘citizen science’ project.

Check out the video, and if you’re really interested in helping then go to:

http://bit.ly/2015ArcticOcean.

Arctic Mirages

Arctic Mirages; Distant sea ice is raised into the legendary shimmering towers of the Fata Morgana on the edge of the great northern ice pack. http://flic.kr/p/o57B7q

Rocky Outposts in the Southern Ocean

Rocky Outposts in the Southern Ocean; Shag Rocks, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/nTdriQ

Underwater Leopard Seal

Underwater Leopard Seal; A curious Leopard Seal swims amongst the kelp around my Zodiac. Prion Island, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/nTi856

Bellowing Elephant Seal

Bellowing Elephant Seal; A beachmaster roars at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/nyj9Zq

Iceberg Arch, Antarctica

Iceberg Arch, Antarctica; The sun lights an arch in a vast tabular iceberg. http://flic.kr/p/nw7y8K

Lonely Rockhopper Penguin

Lonely Rockhopper Penguin; A single Rockhopper penguin makes its way up a steep rocky slab from the raging seas below. Sea Lion Island, Falklands http://flic.kr/p/nuaYwU

Go West!

Go West!; Steaming west on Pharos SG after a successful visit to South Georgia. Five days of rolling through the Southern Ocean. What a way to travel! http://flic.kr/p/nrMfHP

Sea of King Penguins

Sea of King Penguins; Now that's what I call a lot of penguins. Gold Harbour, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/nJq4Y6

South Georgia Sky

South Georgia Sky; A storm system approaches Carlita Bay, South Georgia. Staying in the hut while conducting the visitor management review for the government. http://flic.kr/p/nGfn7D

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet; A Northern Gannet at St Kilda, one of the largest colonies in the world. http://flic.kr/p/nm5hQX

Sunrise in Yellow

Sunrise in Yellow; Another photo of 'that' sunrise! Just as beautiful and peaceful but the colours have changed a lot in just 15 minutes. http://flic.kr/p/gDZMDo

Pastel Sunrise

Pastel Sunrise; An unusually hazy sunrise on the Antarctic Peninsula. I was up for a partial eclipse of the sun but this was so much better. http://flic.kr/p/gnttH8

Gold Harbour

Gold Harbour; Thousands of King Penguins, Fur Seals and Elephant Seals. South Georgia. http://flic.kr/p/dSUYJB

King penguins

King penguins; Gold Harbour, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/dSUY7r

King Penguins

King Penguins; Gold Harbour, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/dT1xPQ

King Penguins

King Penguins; Gold Harbour, South Georgia http://flic.kr/p/dT1xf1

King Penguin at Grytviken

King Penguin at Grytviken; King Penguin wanders a post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland http://flic.kr/p/dT1w3f