Author Archives: Jeff
A better backup
I’m continuing the theme of cost-saving lab tricks (see this post on the topic). Over the summer my laptop died on me. While putting everything back together I couldn’t find my key for the commercial synchronization software (Allway Sync) that … Continue reading
Posted in Research
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Frost flowers in the news, continued…
Many thanks to Robert Krulwich, co host of NPR’s RadioLab, for a great article on frost flowers. Reading through the comments I can see that there is a lot of public interest in this phenomenon. I want to take the … Continue reading
A work around for expensive stir plates
I have an experiment that I want to do that involves growing bacteria in relatively large volumes (around 10 L) in a cold room for several weeks. Typically in this sort of experiment you stir the cultures with a magnetic … Continue reading
Frost flowers in the news
Well, at least on another blog. Thanks to Dr. Kim Martini, a physical oceanographer at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, for including linked photos from this blog in an article on frost flowers for Deep Sea News. Dr. Martini’s … Continue reading
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An Arctic MOSAIC
Back in June I had the opportunity to attend two workshops hosted by NOAA in Boulder, CO. The first workshop focused on bio-chemical-physical processes that affect the Arctic marine boundary layer (the lowest layer of the atmosphere). The boundary layer … Continue reading
Posted in MOSAiC, Research
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Merging a phylogenetic tree with a heatmap in R
***UPDATE*** I was recently introduced to a great tool for working with phylogenetic trees that can do something similar to what I describe below (and a whole lot more). Check it out at http://itol.embl.de/. ****** It seemed like a simple … Continue reading
Posted in Research
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New blog purpose
This blog was originally intended to share the experiences of our group while we conducted field work in Antarctica during the Austral winter/spring of 2011. The further I get into analysis however, the more I find myself needing a place … Continue reading
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And that’s it!
In thirty minutes we will catch a ride to the airfield for our flight back to McMurdo. It’s a good day to fly home, warm with a clear sunny sky. It’s hard to believe how nice it is after yesterday, … Continue reading
Posted in McMurdo 2011 field season
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Fourth time’s the charm
Made it! We had great weather Friday and no trouble reaching Taylor Glacier. The whole Taylor Valley is a remarkable place, but it was really something to stand on top of the glacier itself and take it all in. The … Continue reading
Posted in McMurdo 2011 field season
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Smelling sulfur
Shelly and I completed our last round of sampling at Tent Island yesterday. Normally we get a bit of wind protection from the island but not this time, it was possibly the coldest we’ve been in the field on this … Continue reading
Posted in McMurdo 2011 field season
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