Polar scientists face serious hazards: exposure, hunger, loneliness... but is the worst really slightly unpleasant weather? Sometimes your least favorite part of the job becomes a springboard for unexpected discoveries.

What's the most embarrassing thing you can imagine happening while you're out working with a field partner? How about discovering that one of you smells terrible.... but not being sure which one of you it is. Sometimes you need to follow your nose wherever it leads.

This stinky adventure led to a new understanding of how ice sheets wax and wane in Antarctica.

Usually, field work at remote polar camps means getting along with the same people, day in and day out, for months at a go. So when an unexpected visitor turns up in the middle of a camp crisis, things go from bad, to weird, to maybe a little bit heartwarming.

Here's the research that came from that unusual field season!

This is the story that started it all for me--a close encounter with one of Antarctica's most fearsome animals: the dreaded skua. Special thanks to the Polarizing Your Science workshop team who put together a great intro to telling science stories.

Want to know all about water tracks? You can find the research paper here.