Viking has announced a significant scientific discovery during its latest expedition to Antarctica. The expedition team aboard the Viking Octantis® discovered a new colony of chinstrap penguins on Diaz Rock, near Astrolabe Island, a discovery not previously known to science.

The discovery occurred in January 2024 when the Viking Octantis visited Astrolabe Island, a three-mile-long island in Antarctica’s Bransfield Strait of the Trinity Peninsula. The island is home to a chinstrap penguin colony that has yet to be surveyed since 1987.

Viking’s scientific partner, Oceanites, a leading field research entity in Antarctic penguin monitoring, conducted a visual and thermal aerial survey during the visit. The survey documented the first comprehensive study in nearly 40 years of the known chinstrap penguin colony of Astrolabe Island and, in the process, discovered the additional colony on Diaz Rock. Oceanites will share further details from the survey in a forthcoming scientific paper.

This discovery underscores Viking’s commitment to meaningful scientific discovery during every expedition voyage on the Viking Octantis® and her identical sister ship, the Viking Polaris®. The findings also come one year after Viking published its first scientific paper in Polar Research, the scientific journal of the Norwegian Polar Institute, following its expedition team’s encounters with rare giant phantom jellyfish in Antarctica.

“With our third season in Antarctica underway, we are pleased to have supported another significant scientific development that will allow for further understanding of the region,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “From the thoughtful design of our expedition vessels, each with a well-appointed Science Lab, to our partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, our intention has always been to provide our guests and scientists with opportunities for meaningful discovery during each voyage. We look forward to supporting other critical research opportunities on future voyages.”

Viking Expedition Team & Scientific Partners

Viking has established a world-class scientific enrichment environment in an expedition setting. This has been made possible through partnerships with esteemed academic institutions. During each expedition, visiting researchers from partner institutions form a multidisciplinary 36-person expedition team. This team of experts guides guests through meaningful scientific research, provides interpretation during shore excursions, and delivers world-class lectures.

For 30 years, Oceanites, an American not-for-profit field research entity, has been at the forefront of Antarctic penguin monitoring. As a scientific partner, Viking supports Oceanites’ fieldwork by mobilizing teams of penguin researchers on its Antarctic expedition voyages and providing thermal cameras.

Dr. Grant Humphries, Director of Science at Oceanites, expressed his excitement about the recent discovery, “The Antarctic peninsula is well-travelled and explored, and it is not often we find a new penguin colony. Our partnership with Viking opened a new opportunity to count the chinstrap penguins on Astrolabe Island for the first time since the 1980s. Still, it also allowed us to locate and map a colony of chinstrap penguins previously unknown to us. This work will allow us to understand better how Antarctic penguin population dynamics are shifting in an ever-changing world.”

Dr. Damon Stanwell-Smith, Head of Science and Sustainability at Viking, highlighted the potential of Viking’s expedition vessels, “Viking’s expedition vessels continue to showcase the potential of reimagined ‘ships of opportunity’ and the research capabilities available for scientific efforts. With scientists from our partner organizations on board, like Oceanites, we can conduct real, meaningful research in the regions. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Oceanites and other science partners to bring more findings forward in the future.”

In addition to Oceanites, Viking’s other scientific partners include:

• The University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI): Scientists from SPRI undertake fieldwork on board Viking’s expedition ships and join voyages to share expertise with guests. Cambridge University’s SPRI played a significant role in developing the scientific enrichment program for Viking Expeditions. Specialists from the Institute were also consulted in developing The Science Lab on Viking’s expedition vessels; the 380-square-foot lab is comprehensively appointed with wet and dry laboratory facilities and supports a broad range of research. Julian Dowdeswell, Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cambridge and former director of SPRI, serves as the Chair of the Viking Research Advisory Group, a consortium of scientific leaders from Viking’s partner institutions who have been actively involved in overseeing the field research being undertaken on board.

In 2022, Viking announced the Viking Polar Marine Geoscience Fund, which endows the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) with its first-ever fully funded professorship—the Viking Chair of Polar Marine Geoscience. This post enables the development of new lines of research into the behaviour of polar environments, including polar ice sheets, sea ice and ocean circulation.

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ornithologists regularly onboard Viking expedition vessels, undertaking post-doctoral research on new observation methods and providing guest advice and interaction.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL): This laboratory conducts innovative research on the dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and coastal regions to provide information for resource use and management decisions that lead to safe and sustainable ecosystems, ecosystem services, and human communities. Viking’s expedition ships have been designated official NOAA / US National Weather Service weather balloon stations, from which regular launches are undertaken.
• Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA): Scientists from NIVA are engaged in cross-disciplinary research programs on water-related issues. On Viking’s expedition ships, NIVA “FerryBox system” of automated oceanographic instruments are installed to sample the marine and freshwater regions where the vessels sail to provide continuous information about chlorophyll, oxygen, temperature, salinity, microplastic presence and complementary meteorological data.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego: Viking hosts Fjord Phyto, a NASA-funded program of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, that provides the opportunity for guests to engage in research and public education through novel citizen science sampling of polar phytoplankton, for genetic population analyses.
• The IUCN Species Survival Commission Species Monitoring Specialist Group: Viking coordinates with this international group of experts to develop marine biodiversity monitoring systems that enable Viking expedition vessels to collect valuable species population data.
• Norwegian Polar Institute: This is the permitting authority for Viking’s Norwegian-flagged expedition vessels. They review and approve all of Viking’s expedition and science activities in Antarctica.

The post New Penguin Colony Discovered in Antarctica by Viking’s Expedition Team first appeared on Stray Nomad Travel News.