Maintained by pioweb@ucsc.edu
© 2008 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

July 25, 2007

Expedition to Antarctica is topic of lecture by UCSC biologist Daniel Costa on Saturday, August 4

By Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@ucsc.edu

Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, will describe his expeditions to Antarctica in a lecture and slide show on Saturday, August 4. Costa's presentation will take place at 2 p.m. at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Admission (which includes Seymour Center exhibits) is free for members of the Friends of Long Marine Lab and children under 4, $6 for adults, and $4 for seniors and students. For more information, call (831) 459-3800.

Costa's Antarctic expeditions are currently featured in an exhibit at the Seymour Center called Eyes on the Ice: The Scientist's Lens. Costa and other members of his "Seal Team" used cameras to record their research activities as well as the spectacular beauty of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean during several expeditions to study crabeater seals and southern elephant seals.

Costa has spent ten field seasons in Antarctica, starting in 1978. He is currently lead investigator on a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the foraging ecology of crabeater seals and southern elephant seals. He also served as chief scientist aboard the research ship L. M. Gould for two winter cruises in 2001 and 2002. Funded by NSF, the expeditions focused on better understanding the relationship between climate change and the ecology of the Southern Ocean.

This year, members of the Seal Team continued their research during another expedition to Antarctica. They also continued their brilliant photographic documentation. Through computer technology, Costa sent daily updates and photos directly from the ship back to California. Although the researchers returned in June, their experiences are on display throughout the summer on a large-format monitor in the Seymour Center.

In his talk, Costa will tell the stories behind the photos featured in the exhibit. He worked with an international research team, including scientists from Chile and the United Kingdom, as well as several UCSC graduate students. A local veterinarian also accompanied Costa on his most recent expedition. David Shuman, a UCSC alumnus, volunteered his time to work with the seals. Shuman earned his D.V.M. at UC Davis and returned to Santa Cruz to establish the Westside Animal Hospital.

The Seymour Center is located at UCSC's Long Marine Laboratory at the end of Delaware Avenue in Santa Cruz. For more information, visit the center's web site or call (831) 459-3800.

#####