Welcome! First of all, any opinions and statements expressed on this website are mine and mine alone. They are not the views of the United States Antarctic Program, the United States Arctic Program, the National Science Foundation, ASC, Polar Field Services, or the United States Government. All photos are taken by myself unless otherwise cited.
A little about me: I decided I was going to go to Antarctica after reading Shackleton’s Endurance in 6th grade. Through high school and college I kept this goal in mind. An interest in geology and climate change only brought me closer and I completed a degree in Geology focusing on snow, ice, glaciology, and climate change as much as possible. Since 2007 I have spent two summers working on the Juneau Ice Field in SE Alaska, five austral summers in Antarctica, one winter at the South Pole Station, and three and a half summers, two falls, and two winters at Summit Station in the heart of the Greenland ice sheet. I have worked in positions ranging from General Assistant shoveling snow to Heavy Equipment Operator running bulldozers, from Science Technician repairing scientific instruments to Station Manager overseeing station operations.
While thousands of people have traveled to and worked on the continent of Antarctica and the island of Greenland most people I talk to have no clue people even visit these cold and remote places let alone conduct research on the ground. This blog is a way to share my observations and experiences and to hopefully try to answer some questions about living/working/conducting research in the Antarctic and Arctic.
Leave a comment below if you have any questions, post ideas, or want photos of something in particular. Thanks for stopping by!
AntarcticArctic 
Hey Marie!! Sweet blog, can’t wait to catch up on your explorations 😀
This is awesome that I can finally know what exactly you do all the time! I’m so jealous, at least until I get to the parts where you mention the temperature…
Happy centennial! I saw the interview with the Norwegian PM on the BBC website. Excellent blog you have, I will read your old posts and RSS to get updates, I too love the Endurance history. I am an Englishman in Memphis, Tennessee and frequently check on the webcam for the pole base and Mc Mudro when available. I have passed this blog on to my friend from the UK who works as a teacher in Beijing, they are doing work on continents. They are al(you don’t have to read their site or anything) so trying to get “hits” to their class website from around the globe, if you get a chance to just click on http://blogs.wab.edu/grade5f/ it will register a visit from the pole and I am pretty sure that will be the best hit ever! Hope you are enjoying the balmy summer down there. Thanks, Alasdair
I jyst read your whole blog, what wonderful writing, I should be working but this “goofing off” is better. As a Brit, reading “the Last Place on earth” made me realize that Scott was not quite the hero we had been taught at school in the 60/70s. It was great to read your accounts of the station and base, I am amazed there are so many flights a day when the weather cooperates (I guess I thought it was perhaps once a week?) Also who’da thunk to take a ball gown as required clothing? As a private pilot I also love the fact you are giving us details about the a/c down there and life as a cargo person. I have signed up to follow your blog, great job and best wishes for the holidays too
Thanks for the comments! Scott is still a hero in many people’s eyes, he was just following the mindset and way of doing things of fellow British explorers of the time. Happy holidays to you as well!
Hi Marie,
Love the blog! I’ve been trying to find someone with a sense of humour at the South Pole to help with a fun global science experiment about the Earth’s Gravity. Someone who’s willing to weigh our Travelling Garden Gnome and take a couple of quick photos. We’ll ship you everything you need. Could I possibly ask your help with this?
All the best,
James (jamesnester@hotmail.com)
Hi Marie this is Carol Ulrich, as in widow of Carl Ulrich, your grandpa’s brother. Hans is my grandson and he said he spoke with you when he was there doing research! Small world! I find your writings fascinating, and I want to keep up on them whenever you write.
Hi Carol! I did see Hans in McMurdo! Definitely a small world – glad you found my blog 🙂
I have so enjoyed your journey over the last 9 months. I eagerly check my email every day to see if you’ve written again. I will miss your wonderful words, your wit and wisdom. May you have a joyous reunion with the world of green.
Hi Marie. I’m a reporter with the Wall Street Journal working on a story about life at the South Pole. I’d love to talk to you. Feel free to be in touch via email — I’m at rachel.feintzeig@wsj.com. Thanks!
Hi Marie,
I really like your sastrugi image! Do you think I could use it as a background for my website?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards,
Wouter.
Hi Marie, Im putting together a case study on the antarctica. Your photos are really amazing! I was wondering if i could please use a few of them if you are able to send them to me so that I have a large file good for printing them out. My email is amycarswell@hotmail.co.uk
The photos I really like are :
”tent town” , ”a buried challenger 55”, ‘the second twin otter”
If you could help me I would be really grateful.
Thank you!
I am so glad you’re back! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog about the Antarctic, and now I get to see your reaction to Greenland. I have two friends who have spent time in the Antarctic, and I love hearing their tales as well. (Jo Gutierrez; she dives beneath the ice to document pollution on the sea floor; and Stacy Kim; she dives to record sea snail activity.) stalfnzo@att.net
Hey Aunt Marie! I jsut remembered that you had a blog, and I then found it! Love ya–hope to see you soon!
J:)
Awesome blog, Marie. Really enjoyed reading through and several friends have quite liked herc fairy. Thank you! Looking forward to updates once you’re back from PIG…
I ran into Merle Salisbury this week, from Beach School. He has your blog address so maybe you’ll hear from
him!!
Hi Marie,chi have been enjoying your blog ever since I ran into your dad at the B’ham theater gild a couple of years ago. I truly enjoy each entry and look forward to it every month. I’ve passed along the blog to a few friends and it has become part of my continued go educational experience. Thanks so much for keeping me informed. Keep up the adventure.
Thank you Mr. Salisbury! Let me know if there’s anything in particular that piques your interest – always looking for more things to write about!
Enjoying your blog over and over!!! There’s such an astonishing variety of info and pics …. just wonderful!!!
Dad 🙂
At https://antarcticarctic.wordpress.com/2013/03/ , you have a dead link to one of my Web pages. The “mintaka.sdsu.edu” server no longer exists; the pages that were there have moved to “http://aty.sdsu.edu/” …
To convert the dead links, you have to change “mintaka” to “aty”, AND remove the string “GF/” from the old URLs.
Thanks! Changes made.
Dear Marie,
A few years ago you generously gave me permission to use one of your photographs, ‘Spoolhenge’, in my book ‘South Pole: Nature and Culture.” I am now hoping you might grant me permission to use the same image in another publication, an academic article in ‘The Polar Journal’. The contact email I have for you no longer works so I was hoping you might reply to me through this comments page or send me an email.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Leane
Hi,
What kind of clothes did you wear in Antarctica?
dorukakner@gmail.com
Hello – I’ve touched on this a few times, but here is a post where I went into more detail about what we wear: https://antarcticarctic.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/christchurchcheechchcchchnew-zealand/ Generally I wear wool long underwear, insulated carhartt bibs, maybe a light sweater or sweatshirt, and a carhartt jacket or windbreaker. On my feet I wear liner socks, thick wool socks, and big boots. Hands are covered by thick, insulated, leather gloves, and on my head I wear a fleece neck gaiter and a fleece lined wool hat and sunglasses if it’s summer.
i am going to stay at the Pole for a year so can you talk a bit more about those months winter days when the sun completely disappears.What was the lowest temperature that you experienced with the windchill?And what kind of layers did you wear to be able to stay warm during those coldest and windiest days when you went out for long periods?Especially can you give me some information about your lower layers,socks and boots?
And if you have can you send me some images and videos about your clothing?
If you want you can send me e-mail it might be easier to communicate.
selen.trumegad@gmail.com
Thanks, have a nice day
Are you going to work at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station? What position will you have? On the right hand side of my blog you’ll see old posts broken down into months and dates, check out Feb-Oct 2013 to read more about winter. I’ve written a lot about that. The lowest temperature we experienced was -107.4F, and I don’t even know what the windchill was…we don’t really care about that at the Pole. You’ll be issued boots, but I would bring wool long underwear (doesn’t have to be SUPER thick) and plenty of wool socks. Also sandals or crocks or something to wear inside the station.