Meyer-Kaiser lab

I love telling others about my research. You might have figured that from my >1,000 posts on this science-focused blog, but just in case, I'll say it again. I love telling others about my research.  The title slide from my presentation My trip to Dallas was awesome because I spent basically the whole time talking to others about my work. After a delightful visit with friends, I was the featured speaker for a WHOI Chapter Event. The Chapters are groups of WHOI supporters in various cities around the country. Back in January, I had the pleasure of speaking to the New York Chapter . This time, I got to introduce myself to WHOI supporters in Dallas.  We gathered in a private room at an uptown restaurant. The Dallas chapter had a very different feel than the crowd in New York - it was a more intimate group, and almost all the participants knew each other already. The cocktail hour felt like a family reunion. Once everyone had settled into their seats and placed their dinner or...

I stepped out of the airport and located Betsy's car. Based on the use of first-person singular in her text messages, I assumed Betsy had come alone, but there turned out to be two Baldwins in the car. 9-year-old Lelia stepped out onto the curb and gave me a hearty hug around my waist. She bounced with excitement. I was glad to see her too.  Betsy, Lelia, me, and Everly at the Dallas Children's Theater. The girls decided to make funny faces! A few minutes of highways and stoplights later, we arrived at a public park. 12-year-old Everly was just finishing up the week's discussion with her book club. I got a hug from her, and then we compared outfits. Everly had worn her NASA shirt for me; I had worn a dress with marine animals on it for her. We found the girls' father and Betsy's husband, Zac, in the park, and the gang was all together! Four Baldwins and one Meyer-Kaiser. Total count: 5 nerds.  I adore the Baldwins , and it's pretty clear the feeling is mutual. T...

The water is clear as glass in Woods Hole right now. Every year in April, there are a few magical weeks in Woods Hole. The ocean is clear as glass. The turbulence of winter storms has dissipated, and the spring bloom has not yet begun. During those few perfect weeks, the seafloor's normal dark cloak dissolves, and light penetrates all the way through to the sand. I could easily believe the ocean surrounding Woods Hole was tropical.  The impressive clarity of the sea around me has been coupled with clarity of mind. After recovering from my Patagonian sojourn and struggling against the reviewers of my most recent manuscript, I have emerged from a stormcloud of work. I have a rare, beautiful window of freedom before the next round of deadlines approach. Like the ocean, I have nothing but clear, glassy water for a few precious weeks.  Here is the question, friends: what should I do with my time? Of course my to-do list offers plenty of options, but I relish the freedom to choose...

Friends, you're familiar with my love of modern art . I see art and science as orthogonal axes  on the same plane - different ways of capturing the human experience. I incorporate art   with my scientific work and learn from artists whenever I can. Well, today, I am once again drawing on modern art to describe my experience. I am working on a paper revision, and I keep thinking about Martha Graham.  Martha Graham is the mother of modern dance in the United States. She developed her own unique style and technique - even today, you can take dance classes in Graham Technique, and there is an entire professional dance company  that bears her name and uses her style. One of Graham's most famous pieces is called Lamentation . It's a solo ballet performed by a dancer inside of a piece of fabric. As the dancer moves, the fabric stretches, changing shape over and over yet still constraining the dancer's movement.  This week, I have been dancing inside fabric, friends...

On the way from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales on Route 9 , our bus had to stop for a herd of cows to cross the road! If you grew up in the 1990s like me, you certainly learned about the Ozone Hole in school. The "hole" is an area in the atmosphere, centered over Antarctica, where ozone is pretty sparse, and more UV radiation makes it through the atmosphere to the surface of Earth. We were at pretty high latitude (51 - 53 deg) in the southern hemisphere, so UV was a concern. I always made sure to cover up and use sunscreen when we were outdoors. This abandoned pier outside Puerto Natales is now a bird habitat. There are a lot of dogs on the streets in Chile, but it's unclear whether they are pets or strays. My experience in Palau taught me that in some countries, there is a large gray area between the two categories - there are pets who roam, and there are strays who have a home base. We're not sure which category this guy belonged to. He was incredibly polite, as mo...

After a few days in Puerto Natales and lots of hikes in Torres del Paine National Park, the Geodynamics class returned south to Punta Arenas. We toured the Chilean Antarctic Center so the students could have another introduction to Antarctic research. I shipped home a total of 32 samples from 11 stations including near glaciers, in glacial lakes , near icebergs, and throughout the fjord . I was feeling victorious. What could cap off a highly successful trip to Patagonia? One more hike, of course.  My colleague and co-instructor, Michelle, came with me to the Magallanes National Reserve just west of Punta Arenas. The circuit trail, Las Lengas, takes you through the Patagonian forest to a series of viewpoints overlooking the Strait of Magellan. It was a beautiful hike.  I kept seeing these small red berries everywhere, and they reminded me of cranberries. I looked it up, and they are actually related to cranberries!  A beautiful mushroom  Looking out from Mirador Zapa...

A major reason why the Geodynamics class traveled to Patagonia this year was to see glaciers! I want to highlight some of the glaciers we visited and the sights we encountered along the way.  Seen in Torres del Paine National Park. Photo by Elena Perez. Glacial lakes abound in Torres del Paine. These lakes are filled with glacial meltwater. The dark color is from sediment that was released by the melting glacier. Photo by Elena Perez. An iceberg in Lago Grey, a glacial lake fed by Grey Glacier. Photo by Elena Perez. Sunrise at the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park. Serrano Glacier, in Bernard O'Higgins National Park. Photo by Marta Faulkner. Balmaceda Glacier. Photo by Marta Faulkner. One of our open-water sampling stations in the fjord outside Puerto Natales.  Filtering eDNA from water samples in the fjord! Photo by Marta Faulkner. Another freshwater input to the fjord - a waterfall! Photo by Marta Faulkner.