Research ships Laurence M. Gould (LMG), left, and Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) docked at Palmer Station, Anvers Island, Antarctica. The smaller LMG ferries personnel and cargo routinely between Punta Arenas, Chile, and Palmer Station and collects some data while crossing the Drake Passage. The larger NBP is the primary research ship for the U.S. Antarctic Program. (NSF/USAP photo by Zee Evans, Raytheon Polar Services Company.) |