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Sands of Deception

Chinstrap penguins from the world’s largest colony of the birds stand on the black sand of Deception Island, a volcanic island off West Antarctica. WHOI scientist Scott Doney traveled there during a recent research cruise as part of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project which studies the West Antarctic marine ecosystem. Once a sheltered site for whaling ships, the island’s scattered whale bones and ruined whaling stations are conserved for historical value, as are scientific outposts destroyed by volcanic eruptions.(Photo by Scott Doney, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)