Merry Christmas

On Christmas Day in Antarctica in 2010, these scientists found themselves hard at work rather than by a cozy hearth. They did, however, have a white Christmas—even though it was summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Alison Criscitiello (right), a graduate student in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program, and Lou Albershardt, of the University of Wisconsin’s Ice Drilling Design and Operations team, showed their holiday spirit as they recovered a fresh ice core. Criscitiello and WHOI glaciologist Sarah Das are using ice core records to reconstruct how sea ice coverage has changed around the continent over recent history. And in case you’re wondering, Criscitello said that, yes, “Santa totally visits the South Pole!”(Photo By Sarah Das, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)