Researchers entered the waters of Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound through holes drilled into the sea ice. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Biological sciences PhD student Lauran Liggan collects a red algae sample during a dive in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Many times, Liggan found that sea urchins had stuck bits of red algae to their spines to save as a snack. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Liggan collects red algae samples during a dive in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Many areas where researchers wanted to dive were so remote they could only be reached by helicopter. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Divers sometimes had to drill their own entry points into the sea ice using ice augers – a process that could take up to three hours. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
51ÁÔÆæ biological sciences PhD student Lauran Liggan collects samples of red algae to test for genetic diversity. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Two Adélie penguins stand on the ice. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Weddell seals lie on the ice. (Brett Seymour/U.S. National Park Service)
Antarctica is one of the most barren places on Earth. But below the ice, the sea teems with life. That’s the place that 51ÁÔÆæ doctoral student Lauran Liggan explores with curiosity and wonder.
A recent scientific trip took her to McMurdo Sound in Antarctica with a grant from the National Science Foundation.
