Unforgettable experience for BLAKE ambassador
Kia ora, I’m Caitlin Berquist, a Waikato University student originally hailing from Whakatāne in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. I was lucky enough to be awarded the 2024/25 BLAKE Antarctica ambassadorship in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand and The University of Waikato on finishing my bachelor’s degree last year.
The experience itself was something I will never ever be able to forget. Hopping out of the plane and onto the continent was a life changing moment, and this feeling only intensified when I hopped out of the helicopter into the Taylor Valley for the first time - my new home for the time being, and somewhere I can look to with memories I will only ever be able to cherish with big smiles and laughter.
The science itself was unlike anything I’d been exposed to before. Growing up, I always thought that to be in science I had to work in a lab - but this experience opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. As someone who left school with a passion for pursuing a career in the environmental science space, this was an absolute dream opportunity for me. I had never been exposed to fieldwork on such an incredible scale before - and being able to say that my first experience of this was in the worlds most isolated and beautiful continent is a privilege. I made connections with world leading scientists in this field, and learned so much about the continent, the science, the world, and even more about myself.
Overall, the project I got to help out on was one which looked at determining if and how much greenhouse gases were coming out of the melting permafrost in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. These have been found to be extremely high in some Arctic regions, and so determining these in the Antarctic is hugely important for determining global greenhouse gas budgets and climate change predictions.
This season, previous anomalous points were tested for carbon dioxide, methane, and radon/thoron. A seismic survey, a polygon survey, and various soil thermal property measurements were taken to help contribute to building the picture of the source of the gases in this system. Radiocarbon samples were taken of soil gas and permafrost for analysis to determine the age of the gas to gain further information on where it is coming from.
Some days were challenging and had me questioning my why, but it didn’t take long for me to come back to it - one look at the Commonwealth Glacier outside our camp was enough to turn any feelings of doubt into a sense of overwhelming beauty and pride within moments.
I would like to say a huge thank you to the SENECA II team - the wonderful people I worked with all summer, who made the experience one I could never forget. Waikato University, Antarctica New Zealand, and of course, BLAKE, I will never be able to thank you enough for helping provide this ambassadorship - an experience like this is something that I had never even allowed myself to consider because it just felt impossible that I would be able to do. Your help made this dream my reality, and this is something I will be forever grateful for and will continue to make the most of. I hope to continue spreading the legacy of Antarctic science and environmental protection, and I hope to spread the message showing young Kiwis what else is possible for them.
By Caitlin Berquist