We have the hut … a small 10' X 10' canvas covered building with electricity (via solar panels that need to be turned by hand every 4 hours), internet, food, a small propane heater, and a small camping style cook-stove. So … What's it like to live in the field doing research at Cape Royds? This is one of the sub-colonies I'll be collecting data on over the next 10 days. The main colony is broken up into sub-colonies. My work here at Cape Royds will contribute to our understanding about the colony and penguin behavior, and perhaps why the colony has not recovered to its previous population. However the penguin population has not yet rebounded to its previous levels, and scientists don't know why. The giant iceberg is long gone and the sea ice resumed its normal pattern of breaking up in the summer months years ago. The penguin guano is mostly frozen and due to extreme conditions, Antarctica lacks the necessary bacteria and insects that might otherwise break the material down. Keep in mind the reason waste usually smells is because you have all sorts critters in there eating (breaking down) the waste and giving off gas. You do notice the smell when walking around the colony, but it's really not as bad as you might think. Notice the color of the rock in the foreground … that's what color the island would be if it were not for years of accumulated penguin guano (penguin poop). The island in the background is the location of the Penguin Colony with over 4,000 Adelie penguins. Prior to this event the penguin population at Cape Royds was more than twice the current population. The iceberg prevented the sea ice from breaking up, and without access to open water many penguins died and others left for better feeding conditions elsewhere. The giant iceberg grounded about 40 miles north of Cape Royds. In 2000 a giant iceberg broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf. Ĭape Royds is home to approximately 4,500 Adelie penguins. You can also visit the live Penguin Cam of Cape Royds at. You can check out Jean's work and educational materials she has developed at. Jean has been coming to Antarctica for eleven seasons and the Adelie penguin colony is her most recent project. I arrived a couple days ago where I met up with science educator and penguin researcher Jean Pennycook. I didn't have enough time to fit in required snow machine training, so I got a rare treat … flying into Cape Royds by helicopter. You either get to Cape Royds by snow machine (snowmobile) or helicopter.
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