The Conversation - Scientists at work: New recordings of ultrasonic seal calls hit at sonar-like abilities
MOO team member recounts our process of exploration and discovery beneath the sea ice of Antarctica
Lisa Munger (right) and Paul Cziko prepare to descend beneath the ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Photo: McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory.
Author: Lisa Munger
Date published: February 9, 2021
I’m sitting on the edge of a hole drilled through 15 feet of Antarctic sea ice, about to descend into the frigid ocean of the southernmost dive site in the world. I wear nearly 100 pounds of gear – a drysuit and gloves, multiple layers of insulation, scuba tank and regulators, lights, equipment, fins and over 40 pounds of lead to counteract all that added buoyancy.
I do a final check with my dive buddies: Air? Hoses? Weights? Then, one by one, we put in our mouthpieces, plop into the hole and sink out of sight into the dark…