Washington Climate Researcher selected to join Antarctic Expedition
Expedition tour operator sponsors scientist to calibrate climate change in the Southern Ocean
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 4, 2017
Ushuaia, Argentina. Bradley Markle, who just completed his PhD at the University of Washington, has been selected to join the expedition sailing vessel Ocean Tramp in Antarctica this next season. Markle will collect samples of air, seawater, snow, and rain, to make measurements of modern day Oxygen isotope ratios. The expedition tour operator, Quixote Expeditions, supports scientists through their Guest Science Program, which sponsors researchers to join their expeditions in the Southern Ocean. Quixote Expeditions selected Markle out of a competitive pool of over 30 applicants.
Water isotope ratios are an important tool for reconstructing past climate variability. Completely understanding their relationships to modern climate is critical. Markle has previously been a member of three ice core expeditions to Antarctica and as a member of ship-board initiatives. His ice cores, part of NSF-funded research, help scientists look back in climate history. “An essential component of this research,” according to Markle, “is understanding how the geochemical proxies we measure in ice cores, such as water isotopes, relate to the modern climate.” He will include passengers in his research to help collect his modern-day samples.
Getting to the end of the world can be challenging and expensive for scientists. “Supporting science in these remote regions is important, as it’s incredibly expensive for an individual scientist to get down to Antarctica and a very sensitive and important place to research” says Laura K.O. Smith, co-founder of Quixote Expeditions. “It’s a win-win situation. The scientist gets access to research area and our guests get to learn about and participate in real research.”
Quixote Expeditions brings an active researcher on the trips they offer – -to Antarctica and to Isla de los Estados. Scientists get room and board, in return for explaining their science to guests. In the past, Quixote Expeditions has supported scientists who have studied penguin populations and whether whales can smell. Guests participate in the data collection enhancing their experience in Antarctica. This next season Quixote Expeditions will also offer trips for passengers to fly to Antarctica to join the vessel and the scientist for a 12-day trip.
Bradley Markle just completed his PhD as part of the University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences and was advised by Research Advisor: Dr. Eric Steig. His dissertation focused on investigating the last 70,000 years of climate history in the Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere. In addition to his Antarctic field work, he has worked in Greenland and since 2011 has worked as staff, project lead and faculty at the Juneau Icefield Research Program.
About Quixote Expeditions:
Quixote Expeditions is an adventure tour operator offering trips on the expedition sailing vessel, Ocean Tramp. They run trips to Antarctica and to the remote Argentine Island of Isla de los Estados. Each trip has a maximum of eight passengers and always includes a guest scientist who conducts active research on the trip and includes passengers in the data collection. This coming season Quixote Expeditions will partner with DAP Airlines to offer flights to join the yacht in Antarctica, so passengers can avoid crossing the Drake Passage. They are also the only tour operator to offer regularly scheduled trips to Isla de los Estados.
Additional information can be found at www.quixote-expeditions.com and www.flyantarctica.com.
Contact:
Laura K.O. Smith
Quixote Expeditions