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Media Advisory 13-008

Two-month Time-lapse Video of Antarctic Ice Goes Viral

A chronicle of a research cruise aboard NSF's Nathaniel B. Palmer becomes a media sensation

research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer surrounded by ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

The research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, in 2011.


May 16, 2013

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Cassandra Brooks is a Stanford University doctoral student with the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources.

She spent two months in 2013 aboard the National Science Foundation-operated icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer as part of a research cruise investigating the role of dissolved organic carbon in the Ross Sea ecosystem.

She--and a video she produced on the voyage--became worldwide media sensations, appearing in stories published by sources as diverse as the San Jose Mercury News, CNN and YouTube. The video is a time-lapse sequence, compressing about 60 days into less than five minutes, taken from the ship's bridge as the ship "carves" forward through the ice.

Brooks is studying international ocean policy and is focusing particularly on Antarctic marine ecosystem protection.

A version of the video may be viewed on YouTube.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Peter West, NSF, (703) 292-7530, email: pwest@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
Alexandra Isern, NSF, (703) 292-7581, email: aisern@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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