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Rocks covered with lichen.

Rocks covered with lichen.
Rocks covered with lichen.
Rocks covered with lichen.
Rocks covered with lichen.
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131797
Linder, Christopher L.
Rocks covered with lichen.
Still Image
12/25/2007
graphics/pd3-1/cl_20071225_antarctica_lichen_017.jpg
Tiny clumps of lichen bring life to the rocks around Igloo Spur, perhaps drawing nourishment from the same moist winds that froze our clothes. This one, known as Umbilicaria for its belly-button shape, grows in only a handful of places in Antarctica including this empty sweep of windswept rock. Along with three other lichen species, it hides in the patterned-ground cracks that crisscross Cape Crozier's hillsides just as they do at Mount Morning (see Days 15 through 22). For Toniolo, the lichens are a reminder of the whole green world that awaits her in the north. "The first thing you notice when you get off the plane in New Zealand is the smell of the foliage," she said.
Image of The Day caption:
Tiny clumps of lichen bring life to the rocks around Igloo Spur in Antarctica. Named Umbilicaria for its belly-button shape, this lichen grows in only a handful of places on the frozen continent, such as this empty sweep of windswept rock. Researchers and communicators from WHOI have been sampling such sights and sounds through the series of Polar Discovery online expeditions. They will take the show on the road to Greenland this summer.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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