In Living Color: Antarctica's Vibrant Wildlife Under the Sea

Mostly when Antarctica is mentioned, the first color one thinks of is white. An easy conclusion to reach given that the majority of the continent is thickly covered in ice, but a recent collaborative experiment between scientist Skye Moret and I has yielded far more colorful results.

In Living Color: Antarctica's Vibrant Wildlife Under the Sea

Asking for 50 of my most boldly colored dive images from the two months I spent exploring the Southern Ocean earlier this year, she then paired them against 50 of her own images from above the water to see what might be realized when comparing the two worlds.

Devising a way to represent the information in the most compelling manner, Skye crafted a pixellated color bar to represent the variance in each image individually. Fascinating in their own right, simply because we spend so little time dwelling on the inhabitants of our most southern continent, the color bars take on a whole new appearance when placed together.

In Living Color: Antarctica's Vibrant Wildlife Under the Sea

Published by The Ground Truth Project at Medium, Skye writes of her time aboard research vessels in the Southern Ocean and how such a project came to form in her mind.

Check out the recent article in the Boston Globe about Skye's work: Teaching Scientists How to Visualize Their Data

Also not to be missed her website where science and a designer's imagination meet: Skye Moret

In Living Color: Antarctica's Vibrant Wildlife Under the Sea

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Penguin Colony Lifecycle on the Antarctic Peninsula.

After a two day crossing of the Drake Passage, the National Geographic Explorer steered a course toward the penguin colonies upon Brown Bluff. Being the northernmost tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, it is a known location for penguin colonies.

Waiting for the austral summer to commence, the penguins know exactly when to come to ground to begin preparations. As the ice clears, moss and lichen begin to show their colors once again.

Here Adélie penguins gather in great numbers and choose to nest in close quarters. This can make nest building a bit of a competitive sport.

Choosing which beach rocks to build with is important and competition is everywhere.

Neighbors are not to be trusted, often stealing a rock away when someone is not looking.

But there is satisfaction when finding a mate who can help with the work load.

Once the chicks are hatched they are still in need of the parents warmth and protection.

And of course, the free meals that they provide.

This Brown Skua is one of the many predators that a penguin colony must endure. Patiently waiting at the edge of the colony, it seeks out those who stray too far from their parents' protection.

Unattended eggs also make a meal. Trading a life so that another may go on. As gruesome as this may seem, it is a necessary factor in maintaining the equilibrium of the colony's population.

The cold climate can preserve remains. Telling the story of survival in a landscape riddled with dangers.

And once the breeding season has run its course and the chicks are grown, it is back to the waters of the Southern Ocean to seek food and furtherance for these hearty, flightless birds.

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The Brush-Tail Penguins of Antarctica

Ending 2014 with a journey to the white continent of Antarctica was a dream. Working as the Undersea Specialist with Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic allowed for many amazing wildlife encounters. Chief among them was meeting all three species of Brush-tail Penguins.

Generally described as 'cute' - I feel this word undermines the endurance and creativity of these survivors. Living in the most unforgiving environment on our planet, they swim, waddle, surf, and build in order to secure the future of their species.

Brush-tail #1: The Gentoo Penguins carefully select their rocks with which to build their nests.

Brush-tail #2: The Adélie Penguin heading to the ocean to feed.

Brush-tail #3: Chin-strap Penguins inspecting the water for predators before they dive in.

Many more photos of these little ones on the way. Until then I leave you with a picture of me in front of our mighty ice breaking vessel the National Geographic Explorer.

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