SEA ICE SCIENTIST AND PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS
WHAT HE STUDIES:
-Sea ice & polar ecology
-Microbiology
EDUCATION:
M.S. Marine Biology
Ph.D. Marine Science
ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT WORKING IN THE ARCTIC IS... "It's like a little bit of exploration. You go there, nobody has been there before. We were the first people walking on that ice and taking samples. That's very exciting!"
Dr. Rolf Gradinger describes what he loves about working in the Arctic. (0:45)
What keeps me going is that I'm fascinated with the Arctic. You know, I did my first Arctic cruise in 1984 and I can't get enough.
What always amazes me when we do these kinds of trips, is the beauty of the landscape. During the transit sometimes you see Orcas or you see Bowhead whales, and you have this beautiful coastline. And personally, I love the ice, the different shapes of ice. Like a sunset in an ice covered water, I would do a lot of things to see that again. I have to admit this, it's just stunningly beautiful.
Each time it's a wonderful experience, and I just love to learn. That's the other part, I'm always curious and I love to learn, and I feel pretty priviledged that I can do this as my profession.