Tourists give Science a gift…

[This is cross-posted to the LTER Blog]

Yesterday, the Palmer LTER group received, on behalf of Palmer Station, a hyperspectral radiometer supported through Abercrombie & Kent’s “Fighting Climate Change in Antarctica” mission trip. The hyperspectral radiometer will be used to measure light coming from the sun that can be used for photosynthesis (aka Photosynthetically Available Radiation – PAR). The data collected by this instrument will help augment our research into the effects of the rapidly changing climate in the region on the fragile Antarctic ecosystem. Specifically, the data from the hyperspectral radiometer will help us quantify how much energy is entering the ecosystem as the light from the sun drives the conversion of atmospheric CO2 into biomass at the base of the food web.

Unfortunately, the LTER principal investigator, Hugh Ducklow, was unable to make it down to Palmer to accept the gift. As a result, I was given the opportunity to represent Palmer science and accept the radiometer. The whole event was pretty spectacular, especially because the passengers of the A&K mission trip represented 10 countries (Australia, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, & the United States).  Jim McClintock (whose work on chemical ecology in the Antarctic is quite renowned) aptly noted during the presentation ceremony aboard the MS Minerva

As such, their gift to you represents a global collective seeking to facilitate a better understanding of a significant global problem – climate change.

This sort of collaboration between responsible tour operators, their passengers, and scientists helping shed insight into issues in the region of tourism, are the sort of thing we need to see more often. This type of interaction brings tourists into the fold of the research and allows them to become a stakeholder in the ongoing work that the scientists are conducting. In the end, increasing the number of people who have a vested interest in seeing the research succeed can only be beneficial to the program as well as help reduce the disconnect often felt between scientists and the general public.

Kudos to Abercrombie & Kent, and the Officers, Crew, and especially to the Passengers of the MS Minerva for their kind support of our research.

Thanks!

Receiving the Radiometer with the international passengers behind us.