A kitchen party at the bottom of the world: NS scientists return from Antarctic research trip
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Katie McIntosh had dreamed of visiting Antarctica her whole life, but the first time she set foot on the world’s southernmost continent, things didn’t go according to plan.
He decided to land with his Zodiac, but quickly realized that his wetsuit was leaking.
“So there was a mixture of physical pain, but also the inner feeling of setting foot on a continent that very few people would ever set foot on… especially women, women who work in science. Very few people have been there. So it was a really emotional day for me,” she said, laughing as she recalled that feeling.
This moment was one of many that three geologists from Nova Scotia experienced during a month-long research expedition in Antarctica.
Two dozen women with expertise in various fields from around the world set out on a journey led by the Sea Women Expedition to study the impacts of climate change.
Three geologists from Nova Scotia have returned after a month-long expedition to Antarctica to research the effects of climate change. And now that they’re home, they want to share what they saw with as many people as possible. CBC’s Caroline Wray reports.
Incidentally, three of the four people leading the underwater robotics work were from the province. The women say it’s a reflection of Nova Scotia’s strong work in oceanography.
“Really for explorers and anyone working in oceanography, this is the dream,” said McIntosh, who is from Antigonish but works in London, England.
She is a marine geomatics engineer who looked after the planning and technology of the voyage.
“To be able to go as part of an all-female team and successfully conduct science in such a remote location with a really harsh environment and deploy equipment there when most places have never seen this equipment was really special to me.”
The team spent several weeks scuba diving and snorkeling while collecting data underwater.
Scientists studied the behavior of leopard seals, examined whale bones, and mapped glaciers. While the work was serious, they also wanted to represent their home by deploying robotic gear from the Zodiac while playing ocean tunes on speakers.
Heather Pierce, visiting from Chester, joked, “We had a kitchen party every day on our Zodiac, so it was really, we brought our maritime spirit with us to the South.”
She works as a geological consultant with WSP Canada, and was assigned to scuba dive along glaciers to gather data on benthic marine life – organisms that live near the ocean floor.
“To be able to get off the boat and slowly wade into the water, it was something I will hold very dear to my heart.”
Dennis Brushett, who is originally from the Lake Ainslie area but now lives in Halifax, specializes in mapping.
She came to the area because of her love of glaciers and said seeing the ice in Antarctica was a life-changing moment.
“Everything was so bright and I think I cried. It took your breath away. And then the whales were jumping and there were big icebergs and it kind of created this surreal picture.”
He said it was shocking to compare old maps of a remote part of the world with the current reality as a result of melting ice.
He said that they came to the newly formed lagoon.
“You could see a lot of the recent retreat that had taken place. It was marked by fresh peaks and fresh stones.”
Brushett said she now feels a responsibility to talk to people about what she saw during the trip.
They will spend the next year analyzing the data and speaking at schools to help raise awareness about climate change.
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