| Summary: | Photographed by Lynn Johnson for February 1985 LIFE magazine article, "LIFE Visits Wright Valley, Antarctica: Investigating the World's Coldest Desert," with text written by Jeff Wheelwright. Article summary from Black Star (photo agency) caption sheet “Wright Valley, Antarctica – The World’s Coldest Desert”: "Antarctica is one area of the world which encourages international scientific cooperation. For eighty years this unusual and fascinating area has served as a laboratory for scientists from many countries of the world probing Antarctica’s geological mysteries. In December 1984 a group of international scientists including Japanese , New Zealanders, Chinese, Peruvian, German and American scientists descended on Wright Valley, considered the world’s coldest desert. These biologists, geologists, ecologists and scientists of other persuasions explored the valley so as to add to the cumulative scientific knowledge about Lake Vanda and the forty mile Wright Valley. Survival training for the scientists is an absolute essential for living in this hostile environment, even in the Antarctic summer. This arid frozen wasteland requires dedicated and hardy personnel whose desire for personal comfort becomes secondary to their scientific curiosity and explorations.” Image caption from "LIFE Visits Wright Valley, Antarctica: Investigating the World's Coldest Desert": "Confused seals crawl 40 miles from the sea and die here; some carcasses are 3,000 years old." Caption from caption sheet “Wright Valley, Antarctica – The World’s Coldest Desert”: "Peter and Joan Webb have passed by many seal shelters on their many trips to the Antarctic. Such remains decay quite slowly due to the low humidity. Some carcasses are 3000 years old." Text on slide mount: "©1984 Lynn Johnson Black Star 1-85-9147 Wright Valley, Antarctica 13 2199"
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