Arctic & Antarctic Writing
Williams began reporting on science in the Arctic and Antarctic in 1997 when the National Science Foundation selected him as one of two newspaper reporters to go to Greenland to report on research at the Greenland Summit ice-coring camp. He was one of a half dozen reporters the NSF selected to go to Antarctica in January 1999. He later made three other reporting trips to Greenland and one to report from a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker conducing Arctic Ocean research. During this trip he also filed stories about Arctic science in Barrow, Alaska.
On the scene: Greenland 1997
On the Scene: Antarctica 1999
The term “blog” had not yet been coined in 1999, but that’s what Williams’ daily journal reports from Antarctica, such as those below, would be called now.
- Learning about Antarctica in New Zealand
- Getting outfitted for cold weather
- Flight to The Ice is a long, long trip
- We have a busy day at the bottom of the world
- Learning how to be a ‘happy (cold) camper’
- A plane crash drill, then a mirage
The Reporter’s journal from Antarctica index has links to all of Williams’ reports.
On the scene: USCG Icebreaker Healy and Barrow, Alaska, 2001
- Scientists struggle to learn Arctic Ocean’s secrets
- Arctic owls illustrate mysteries of climate and wildlife
- Arctic Ocean both cools and warms Barrow, Alaska
On the scene: Greenland 2001
During this trip Williams filed daily reports, these would be called a blog today. Unfortunately, the links to photographs on the USATODAY.com files no longer work,
On the scene: Greenland 2004
Stories reported from conferences, or from the office via phone calls or e-mails
- Sea ice threatens some Antarctic penguins
- Ice shelf breakup challenges researchers
- Too much Antarctic ice prompts call for aid
- Q & A: Ice cores and climate science
Answers about life and science in the polar regions
