The World’s Carolyn Beeler is riding along on a scientific expedition to explore the effects of climate change on the vulnerable Antarctic ice sheet.
But to get there, the research ship — a National Science Foundation-chartered icebreaker called the Nathaniel B. Palmer — first has to cross one of the roughest and most treacherous stretches of ocean in the world — the Drake Passage, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the east and west, and the tips of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula to the north and south. It makes life onboard challenging — for first-timers and veterans alike.
Related: What Thwaites Glacier can tell us about the future of West Antarctica
To help ward off seasickness on the rough crossing, Carolyn boarded the Nathaniel B. Palmer armed with seasickness patches, acupressure wristbands, bags of crystallized ginger and instructions to keep her eyes firmly on the horizon as much as possible. The multipronged strategy seems to have helped. Three days out, she says, they’re “keeping my stomach remarkably happy.”
Carolyn Beeler/The World
Huge waves crash up onto the deck of the Nathaniel B. Palmer as it crosses the Drake Passage.
Carolyn Beeler/The World
Every couple seconds, gravity pulls everyone in a different direction on the ship. The hallways run uphill one second and downhill the next. Doors fly open as soon as you turn the handle, or become heavy as lead. Sometimes, you feel like you're being pressed into the floor.
Computers, heavy equipment and many other things are lashed or bolted down aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer ...
Carolyn Beeler/The World
... But 20-foot swells take their toll on everything else onboard that can move.
Carolyn Beeler/The World
Related: An unexpected challenge on Antarctica: Measuring snowfall
Chef Julian Isaacs described the motion onboard the ship: “Oh yeah, we had a lot of things crash to the floor today, mainly utensils and stuff like that, so we were quick to pick them up, throw them in the sink, secure them real quick, but for the most part, we’re getting there.”
Carolyn Beeler/The World