Ice People Features Extreme Science of Geosciences Researchers

Newswise — Extreme sports are one thing, but how about extreme science? North Dakota State University professor Allan Ashworth will be a featured guest at a preview presentation of the film "Ice People" during the American Museum of Natural History's Polar Year weekend on Feb. 2 to 3 in New York City. NDSU professors Allan Ashworth, Adam Lewis, and students Kelly Gorz and Andrew Podoll, were part of the expedition filmed by a documentary crew led by Emmy-winning filmmaker Anne Aghion, who spent seven weeks in the field capturing the work of the expedition.

Ashworth, a distinguished professor of geosciences at North Dakota State University, Fargo, conducts research expeditions to one of the coldest places in the world, where the earth's climate history is frozen in time. The expeditions are held in the Antarctic summers where there is 24 hours of daylight, but challenging weather conditions and temperatures of 25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. "Imagine living in a tent for weeks on end using only a portable camp stove for heat," says Ashworth.

Ashworth's research in Antarctica includes collecting fossils of plants, mollusks and insects which help scientists determine climate changes that enveloped the earth millions of years ago. Over four expeditions, Ashworth and his colleagues have collected hundreds of pounds of rock from which fossils will be extracted and studied by researchers worldwide. "The fossils provide detailed information about the climate -- how warm it was," says Ashworth. "For moss to be growing in the center of Antarctica, it had to be much warmer and wetter than it is today." The team's discoveries of volcanic ash in the deposits can be dated using radioactive isotopes in the crystals. "The fossils and the dates indicate that an abrupt climatic cooling occurred about 14 million years ago, marking the transition to the permanent ice sheets which cover the continent today," according to Ashworth.

For scientists and the film crew of Ice People, adapting to the conditions of the beautiful and inhospitable landscape of Antarctica is crucial. "You are always aware of the danger of cold, Ashworth says. "You can never misplace your gloves or your hat. If you want to brush your teeth, you need to put the toothpaste in the sleeping bag with you or it will be solid in the morning." Release dates for the film are in progress and updates are found at www.icepeople.com. "We previewed the film in a private showing in Fargo," says Ashworth. "Looking at yourself on a big screen larger than life is a little intimidating. But the film captures the beauty and ruggedness of Antartica. Information about Dr. Ashworth's research is available at http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/ashworth/.

The research of Ashworth, Lewis and other colleagues has been featured in The Washington Post, The Scientist, GEO magazine and in the future is scheduled to be part of a NOVA television program on climate change. Ashworth also serves as chair for the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research and vice president for the International Quaternary Association.

Note: The research of Dr. Allan Ashworth described here is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation's Polar Programs. The film "Ice People" is a co-production of Dry Valleys Productions, ARTE France, ITVS International, in association with Sundance Channel and is produced with a grant from the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program.

For more information:American Museum of National HistoryNew York City International Polar Weekend activitieshttp://www.amnh.org/programs/specials/polar/

Ice Peoplehttp://www.icepeople.com

Exploring Antarcticahttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/science/interactives/antarctica/index.html

The Scientisthttp://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/42343/