Pack Ice

December 13, 2008

The ice goes out, the ice comes in. Ever since the frozen sea ice broke into pieces, those pieces have been roaming around the Ross Sea in a grinding pack, driven before changing winds. This morning, about 50% of our ocean view was covered by pack ice, but, by afternoon, ice covered 97% of that same view.

The penguins seem to enjoy the pack ice. They perch on the mini icebergs, dive off them, hop from floe to floe, swim under them, and scramble across thin spots. When the penguins decide to exit the water, they swim rapidly toward the surface and arc five or six feet in the air, falling in a heap on the adjacent raised ice edge. I was lying on my stomach this afternoon, angling for a good camera view, when a very wet penguin shot out of the water next to me and landed squarely on my back! I’m not sure which of us was more surprised.

Penguins On An Ice Floe

Penguins In The Pack Ice

A Penguin Hops Across A Crack

Penguins Diving From A Mini Iceberg