18 November 2022

#AntarcticLog: Under the Sheet

Posted by Olivia Ambrogio

#AntarcticLog is a series of comics by Karen Romano Young. You can find the originals here.

It’s miles thick and millennia old. It’s the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and it’s a bit of a mystery. Though it’s not easy to get to the bottom of the thing, scientists use innovation, imagination, and information to piece the puzzle together.  One of the best clues has proved to be something that didn’t make sense at all. 

I’m fascinated by this whole question — and, being me, by the technologies and practices developed to try to answer it.  Here are just a few #AntarcticLog comics that are summed up in this one. 

This comic was based on the patch created for participants in Expedition 379 aboard the JOIDES Resolution. It’ll help you understand the lay of the land and the sea and ice above — before the river discovery. 

Satellites and the ice surface measurements they provide played an important role — helping scientists pose a question. 

And here’s a look at just one of the underwater exploration robots whose data adds to under-ice understanding. 

Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.