Palmer Station
After spending the night at quiet anchor in Arthur Harbor, it was time to explore Palmer Station which is part of the United States Antarctic Program. This science base is one of three American bases on the Antarctic continent. The science done here by this small team of dedicated personnel has become an integral part of the National Science Foundation’s attempts to unfold the mysteries of Antarctica.
Tours were given to small groups of the many areas of the base as well as descriptions of the specific projects worked on at the base. The yellow torpedo is a water sampling device developed at Rutgers University. It has produced more oceanographic data in just a few days than other projects have in many months of work.
Those that were finished with the tour, shopping, and the famous Palmer brownies made their way by Zodiac to Torgersen Island where great views were had of Adelie penguins and a few elephant seals that had made their way onto the snow for some rest.
The day was beautiful and the base personnel welcoming, but by lunchtime it was time to leave and see what else the Antarctic Peninsula had to offer us on our last full day in the ice.
In the late afternoon in Dalmann Bay we got the surprise of our expedition; a sighting so rare that it has only been reported a few other times by any visitors to the peninsula: a group of little known whales called Arnoux’s beaked whales. These toothed whales are known to live in the southern ocean but not much is known beyond that. There were a few dozen in the water and at some distance from us, but the markings, coloration and fin shape told the story of their identification.
Antarctica can always give you a surprise just when you think you have seen it all.
