Today was a relaxing cruise on the outer waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. Yesterday was full of excitement as the ship went further south than she ever had before, 68 degrees South and now we must head north towards the Shetland Islands. During the day we saw several large icebergs, the tallest over 230 feet.

When one thinks of Antarctica the image of ice and penguins comes to mind and the connection between the two is even more involved than many realize. The primary food for penguins is Euphausia superba (inset photo) or krill. There is a direct relationship between the amount of pack ice, how long it lasts and the amount of krill. Underneath the pack ice is a very rich and stable environment with year round water temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter season krill will feed upon the algae growing on the bottom of pack ice and the juvenile krill will spend spring and summer under the pack ice as long as the ice exists. This will help shield them from predators until they are older and reproduce. In years following a season of relatively little pack ice, krill populations are severely reduced; this is of grave concern for penguins, seabirds, seals, and whales, all of which depend upon krill as the linchpin for the food chain.