Biological techniques for continuous studies under Antarctic sea ice

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Wohlschlag, Donald E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1965
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Record; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400054838; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400054838

The purpose of this paper is to describe the facilities that have been developed forconducting biological studies through the permanent, or nearly permanent, sea ice cover ofMcMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The earliest Antarctic expeditions into inshore areas casually observed and collectedbiota either from shipboard and small boats on rareoccasions when ice conditions were favourable, or from holes or cracks in the ice when temperatures were high enough to preventrapid refreezing. The facilities and techniques described here have evolved since 1958 from similar crude and time-consuming techniques to sophisticated, efficient operations that can now be carried out continuously through ice cover of less than 1 m to over 4 m.