Headed to the Dry Valleys today! We are flying to Bonney Camp, located on Lake Bonney, the farthest inland of the three lakes in the Taylor Valley. Over the next few days we'll be doing the second round of sampling on both the eastern lobe and the western lobe of Lake Bonney. More on that when I get in to the field!
The images below were taken by AWI Operations Manager Sue O’Reilly in 2015 during her time working in Antarctica.
McMurdo town from an overlook behind a skiing sculpture built by someone in the welding shop.
The roof of the weather building looking toward the Crary Lab where Lija works (the large beige building) and the helicopter pad on the distant right.
A helicopter of the type that Lija took to the Dry Valleys. This one is slingloading some gear underneath.
A common midsummer sight: Weddell seals sleeping on the sea ice after pulling out through a crack.
Lija joined the AWI in the Spring of 2020 as a research technician and works in the lab and field on the Institute's water quality monitoring programs and environmental research projects. Prior to joining the AWI she worked as a lab manager for an aquatic geochemistry group at the University of Michigan researching carbon cycling in tundra watersheds of northern Alaska and as a technician for a marine nitrogen biogeochemistry lab at the University of Connecticut. She is interested in the biogeochemistry of aquatic and marine systems and particularly enjoys working with long term environmental data sets to understand how human activities can alter biogeochemical cycles and impact water quality. Lija is excited to explore the abundant beauty of the Adirondacks by foot, ski, and kayak and is happy to finally live in a place with real winter.
