Walking in Antarctica: McMurdo Dry Valleys

Above is a sampling of photographs and sculpture of glaciers and rock formations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys from my Antarctica project from these locations:

Canada Glacier  The Canada Glacier and the lakes on either side — Lake Hoare and Lake Fryxell — are major sites for long-term ecological research. I spent several days at the Lake Hoare camp and made a daylong hike over the Canada Glacier to the Lake Fryxell side and back. In addition to the photographs, I made 3D scans of both sides of the glacier and have produced two sculptures from them.

Blood Falls  The toe of the Taylor Glacier in the Dry Valleys is known as Blood Falls, due to the iron and saline deposits that color it striking shades of red and orange. A rare and delicate phenomenon, the site is protected by international treaty, and requires a permit from a government authority for entry. I was privileged to gain access and photograph it from close range.

Ventifacts Above Lake Bonney  At the top of the steep, gravel-covered hill above Lake Bonney is a plateau strewn with ventifacts, giant boulders eroded into strange shapes by freezing, thawing, and fierce winds — I called it “The Surrealist Sculpture Garden.” The process of making one of the ventifact sculptures is shown in a video posted on YouTube.

Mummified Seals  Mummified seals are an enduring mystery of the Dry Valleys. Often found miles inland, far from the sea coast, it is thought they are young seals that lost their way in the total darkness of Antarctic winter. Because there are no organisms that break down flesh, it is impossible to tell how long they’ve been there — a few years or several hundred — without analyzing tissue samples in a lab. I photographed four such seals in the Dry Valleys. Most were reduced to leather and bones, but remarkable was the eerie sight of a leopard seal near Lake Fryxell that had been there for about three years, but still had its fur.

Lake Hoare  Follow the Lake Ice link to see photographs of the ablated ice structures and ice designs on the permanently frozen surface of Lake Hoare.

Please inquire to see other photographs of these subjects.

More information about Walking in Antarctica | Download the exhibition proposal: 4-page PDF