LATEST QUESTIONS

Hello Max,

We have begun the long journey back home. We will land in Pittsburgh on Thursday. With luck I'll be back in school on Friday.

Hello Gannon,

Thanks for the question. We were able to see Chinstrap, Gentoo, and Adelie Penguins. I'm not sure how many but it must have been thousands and thousands. It is early spring in Antarctica and as the weather warms into summer more and more Penguins are there.

Hello Alena,

We use a really cool technology called BGAN which is short for Broadband Global Area Network. It is basically like a satellite internet. We have a portable terminal which is about the same size as a laptop computer. We connect my laptop computer into the terminal and as long as line-of-sight to the satellite exists we are able to connect. Line-of-Sight means that there is a satellite above us and there is clear space between the terminal and the satellite.

In Antarctica it is sometimes tough because there is only one satellite that circles this area. This technology really worked well on this trip and certainly better than it did on our last expeditions to Antarctica, North Pole, and the Amazon Rain Forest. The only bad thing is that it costs a lot of money for the airtime.

Hello Richard,

I'm so glad that you have enjoyed watching. We hope to make a TV series about education through adventure travel. A show with virtual field trips so kids from everywhere can follow along and feel like they are there. I love to work with Jason and Allan. This trip has received a lot of good feedback and I know they are talking to people that produce TV shows.

Hello Olivia,

No but I have an excuse. Antarctica is so cold that the trumpet would stick to my tongue. I've seen that happen in movies and it never turns out well.

Hello Taylor & Olivia,

Oohhh!!!!!!!! Yyyyeeeeaaaaa!!!!1111

:P

Hello Elena,

Antarctica is one huge glacier. The ice is constantly moving towards the coast. There are 7 glaciers that are recessing drastically on the Antarctic Peninsula. Some notable ones are the Wilkonson and Larsen B ice shelves. Antarctic holds 90% of the world's ice.

Hello Greg,

Possibly the most ferocious seal in the world, leopard seals weigh in at up to 750 lbs and 10 feet long. They are the only seal to prey on other seals, but their favorite meal is penguin. They use their razor-sharp teeth to grab and tear and they are not afraid of humans at all!

Early Antarctic explorers told stories of being chased by these aggressive creatures. Today researchers give these seals plenty of space if encountered and it would NOT be wise to attempt to swim with them.

Hello Garrett,

The penguin's torpedo-shaped body makes for a streamline form that 'flies' through the water at an average speed of 15 miles per hour. To maintain speed, but gather the air they need to breathe, they leap or 'porpoise' out of the water for a quick gulp and then it's back under!

They are not so graceful when they travel on land. They typically waddle or hop, occasionally using their tails or bills to assist in the process. Emperor penguins walk a slow 1.7 mph, while Adelie's can get up to a brisk 2.4 mph. If they want to move faster, they drop to their bellies and 'toboggan' using their feet and flippers to help push.

Hello Nita,

Well now that we have crossed I'm not scared anymore. This crossing was not nearly as bad as my last time. You know you are not going to feel well but once you have crossed and see Antarctica it is well worth the sickness.

Hello Felicia,

The first place in made it to in Antarctica is just on the west wide of the Antarctic Peninsula just north of Hughs Bay. We are very close to a Argentine Research Station named Primavera.

Here's a picture!

Hello Julia,

It didn't shake me out of bed even though I spent most of the last 2 days lying in it. It feels like you have the flu. The water is very cold and varies across the Drake. The water in Ushuaia was 42° F and down here in Antarctica the water is 32° F.

Hello Julia,

There are huge mountains of ice to sled down but I don't have a sled. Got my skis though. I haven't seen a leopard seal eat a penguin this trip but last trip one did about 5 feet in front of the Zodiac. It was wild!!!!

Hello Anya,

The Penguins

Hello Ryan & Connor,

Great question!

I (Allan) was wading in the water with a Weddell seal and took some underwater footage. Keep in mind, however, that I was wearing what's called a 'DRY' suit. Unlike a SCUBA diving neoprent 'wet' suit that lets water come in contact with your skin, this DRY suit is completely sealed with attached hood and boots to keep everything but your face mask area covered. I am wearing warm, dry clothes under the suit!

The average water temperature in the area around Antarctica is 33°Fahrenheit. Below that things turn to ice. A diver that is properly equipped may stay in the water 20 minutes or so (it really depends on the diver and their equipment.)

If a person falls in the water without a survival suit or proper dry suit, it could end their life in a matter of minutes! The natural human response to immersion in cold water is to gasp, sucking in freezing water and preventing air from coming in. Hypothermia, your body temperature dropping, sets in quickly as well.

Hello First Grade Class,

The seals in the picture are Fur Seals. They are kind of like smaller versions of sea lions. They can walk on their flippers, and eat fish from the ocean.

We leave in the morning to cross the Drake Passage and I'm certainly going to keep the Teddy Bear close. I may need something to hang onto if the Drake is as bad as last time we crossed it. They call it the Drake Shake.

I'm not sure how big the Martial Glacier is, but it looks pretty big to me! In the Winter it's a popular place for skiers, and in the Summer lots of people go hiking on it. It's also an important source of drinking water for people living in Ushuaia.

Hello Taylor,

The most common penguin in Antarctica is the Adelie penguin. There are about 2,600,000 breeding pairs and 10,000,000 immatures. On our last trip it seems like we saw at least half of them. You can't believe it, they are everywhere.

Hello Jonathan,

We always eat on the expedition ship and the food is really good. Sometimes we take food to shore and have lunch.

Hello Linda,

The goal of the expedition is education. We hope that as many kids as possible follow the expedition and ask questions. Since it is not possible to take everyone I'm trying my best to make it feel like you are there with me.

I'm very very lucky to be able to do this and want to thank the Ice Axe Foundation that selected me to go.

Hello Crosby,

We most likely will see 5 species of penguins, 3 or 4 different types of seals, killer whales, humpback whales, and fin whales. You really must watch out for the leopard seals because they have really big teeth.

Hello Brenda,

I hope not but I can certainly make observations of how big the ice pack is compared to last time I was there. Antarctica is 98% ice so a small change to warmer temperatures could melt a lot of ice. Not to worry if there is melting because I brought along some Sham Wows to suck up all the extra water and save the planet.

Hello Eli,

My favorite part has been meeting up with my friends on the expedition team. They are such a cool group of people. Some of them say "what's up mate" a lot.