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Two people walk through a field of snow.
Photo Credit: Steven Profaizer (inset: Mary Lynn Price)
 

From the field

Video blog follows science team doing long-term project on Weddell seal population

Man rummages through backkpack with seals in background.
Photo Credit: Steven Profaizer/Antarctic Photo Library
Bob Garrott prepares to tag, weigh and document a Weddell seal pup near Big Razorback Island.

Every year beginning in October, Weddell seals gather in Antarctica’s Erebus Bay to give birth and raise their pups. And every austral summer for the past 42 years, a research team returns to Erebus Bay to gather new population data on these unique animals, representing one of the longest field investigations of a long-lived mammal in existence. Videographer Mary Lynn Price External Non-U.S. government site will document some of the researchers’ work directly from the field on her video blog: Weddell Seal Science External Non-U.S. government site. In 2008, she visited McMurdo Station External U.S. government site and shot a series of videos about Women Working in Antarctica External Non-U.S. government site.

The research project is funded by the National Science Foundation External U.S. government site through the U.S. Antarctic Program External U.S. government site. Co-principal investigators are Robert Garrott External Non-U.S. government site and Jay Rotella External Non-U.S. government site, professors in the Department of Ecology External Non-U.S. government site at Montana State University External Non-U.S. government site, and Donald Siniff External Non-U.S. government site, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota External Non-U.S. government site. Project Web site: Weddell Seal Population Dynamics in Erebus Bay, Antarctica External Non-U.S. government site.

Also check out our previous coverage Link to PDF file in The Antarctic Sun.