We are scientists who have dedicated our careers to studying life in the most inhospitable regions of the world. Our mission is to understand how warming temperatures, melting ice, and a changing environment influence microscopic life living in Antarctica’s oceans. We spend countless hours in our temperature-controlled labs – yet deep down, we know that to truly understand the changes happening in these beautiful, faraway places, we must be there to feel the cold air, see the glaciers calving, and scoop up the organisms we study.
We know that many travellers feel the same, so we developed FjordPhyto, a citizen science programme that allows travellers to Antarctica to become part of the process of scientific discovery. FjordPhyto isn’t just about collecting data; it’s about seeing the unseen and instilling awe in a traveller’s experience. Of course, people come to Antarctica to see its icebergs, penguins and whales. But its ecosystem’s true foundation lies with the microscopic phytoplankton we study. We affectionately call them the ‘invisible forest’ because you need a microscope to truly see their wonder. Connecting with them can transform your whole perspective on Antarctica.
Turning travellers into scientists
For polar scientists, securing time in the field is difficult and highly competitive. High costs and the limited availability of research vessels mean that time on a ship can be a very rare commodity, which makes studying the Antarctic ecosystem in a continuous way difficult.
The area of interest to us is by the vast majority of travellers to Antarctica: the 1,300 km (800 mile) Antarctic Peninsula. This long finger of land lined with coastal fjords is a biodiversity hotspot, and one that is acutely sensitive to increasing temperatures in our warming climate.
Scientists had never specifically focused on understanding Antarctica’s coastal fjords until 2015, when the National Science Foundation funded a 5-year study called FjordEco, which one of us (Dr Mascioni) took part in. This was one of the first major efforts to specifically study how warming temperatures and increased glacial meltwater are affecting Antarctic fjord ecosystems. The project focused on intensively understanding just one fjord as a model for understanding other fjord ecosystems, by comparing conditions between one month in spring and one month in late summer.
Studying a single fjord with one icebreaker was a polar scientist’s dream. But we were left with a fundamental question: how would our findings extend to the entire Peninsula? Our limited access to research vessels made it a huge challenge to collect the seasonal baseline data needed to understand changes along the entire coastline
The solution to our data problem was right in front of us: the tens of thousands of passionate travellers who visit Antarctica each year. Could this be a space for polar citizen science? In 2015, we held a successful pilot project with two expedition cruise ships, looking at phytoplankton diversity in the surface waters at different locations along the Peninsula. The following year, with funding from the National Science Foundation, we officially launched the FjordPhyto programme.
The potential for this programme to have a major impact on both polar science and the travellers themselves was apparent and, to our joy, FjordPhyto has been a massive success. In 2021 we received funding from NASA’s Citizen Science Earth Systems programme to roll the project out to 15 cruise ships. By the end of 2025, more than 10,000 participants will have collected samples from across the Antarctic Peninsula – all contributing to our research.
What is FjordPhyto? The Science Made Simple
The FjordPhyto Project transforms an Antarctic adventure into a hands-on scientific mission. The expedition guides who work on the polar cruise ships are essential to its success. Before the start of the Antarctic travel season, selected guides receive training in the techniques to engage travellers in science.
In Antarctica, the guides lead designated citizen science zodiac cruises, during which travellers use simple oceanographic tools to collect water samples from the fjords along the Peninsula. They gather crucial environmental data on temperature and salinity, and collect samples that we can analyse at our home institutions. Thanks to this, we now have a better picture of the seasonal diversity of phytoplankton species and have even documented novel types of phytoplankton never recorded for some locations. By getting travellers involved we have gathered wide-ranging data that would be impossible for us to collect on our own. Expedition operators, guides, and travellers participating in our programme have all become valued extensions of our team.
By the end of 2025, more than 10,000 travellers turned citizen scientists will have collected samples from across the Antarctic Peninsula.
But what exactly are phytoplankton, and what makes them so important? Their name comes from the Greek roots Phyto for plant and planktos for wanderer, or drifter. Like plants, they use chlorophyll to turn sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. However, phytoplankton aren’t true plants at all – they belong to various other kingdoms of life (most notably the Protista), and the diversity they display is so vast that it’s greater than the diversity between humans and fungi! There are more of these microscopic powerhouses in the ocean than there are stars in the sky.
Phytoplankton are actually responsible for over half of the world’s oxygen. They also play a crucial role in regulating the global carbon cycle as well as being the foundation of every marine food web.
In Antarctica, phytoplankton production is tied to the changes in the polar year. The timing of its appearance is critically important because the marine ecosystem relies on a ‘domino effect,’ where the right species must bloom at the right time to provide food for the entire food web. The first spring bloom of phytoplankton occurs with species full of lipid-rich fats, which tiny juvenile Antarctic krill can safely feast on under the sea ice. As these krill grow into adults and move into the open water, they feed on other species of phytoplankton – and in turn provide a meal for whales, penguins and seals. By monitoring this diversity of that first level of life, we can better understand how changes in the polar regions are affecting the delicate balance of the food web, both locally and globally.
FjordPhyto citizen scientists are absolutely crucial to our work. For many, the most exciting part is using a microscope back on board to view their samples firsthand, discovering that the clear water they collected is teeming with life. Every data point from each science boat is like a piece in a jigsaw. While one piece may not reveal much on its own, when we put the puzzle together, we can build a clear picture of the seasonal changes in phytoplankton diversity, helping us better understand how these vital ecosystems are responding to a changing climate.
The Impact: Enriching the Antarctic Experience
For us, the discovery is not only in analyzing the samples, but also in interacting with the guides and travellers in person. We are both educators and love to share what we are doing and learning with others. We’ll never forget those special moments watching participants experience the wonder of connecting all the dots in the moment. When people look under the microscope and cannot believe what they’re seeing: “That is really in the water?! Those are phytoplankton?”
These moments perfectly capture the magic of this work. It’s not just about data points; it’s about igniting curiosity and helping people feel a personal connection to the science that’s happening right in front of them. It’s about providing opportunities for people to be part of the scientific process. As one participant told us, ‘Citizen science made me feel like science is accessible to me even though it isn’t my career. We all have a place in understanding our planet.
The anecdotal stories we have are many, but the confirmation comes from what we’ve seen on the ground and asked people directly through surveys: citizen science makes an Antarctic trip more meaningful. Our research showed that 97% of participants felt FjordPhyto enriched their experience. They used words like ‘educational,’ “enjoyable,” and “motivational” to describe the activity. Results from over 250 surveys reveal participant experience was enhanced by the passion of the Expedition Guide leading the activity, ‘Overall, citizen science truly added to this trip– it gave our experiences meaning,’ said one participant.
This programme helps transform an Antarctic cruise from a passive trip into one making an active contribution, giving travellers a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of Antarctica’s ecosystem and a personal connection to the place.
Looking to the Future
In ten years, FjordPhyto has grown into a programme that partners with 16 polar operators and 26 expedition cruise ships. We have expanded so we can collect repeated samples at over 39 unique locations, providing seasonal data that no research team could have gathered alone. Thanks to this, we have presented our results and impact at 30 scientific conferences, and the data have been highlighted in nine peer-reviewed publications, the currency of scientific research. As well as contributing data to our own PhD theses, FjordPhyto has provided opportunities for numerous undergraduate students, masters students, and three more PhD theses. All of this is thanks to Antarctic travellers turning into citizen scientists.
We are only beginning to see the fruits of this research and regularly look for ways to financially keep the longevity of the programme going through time. The data we collect is now a crucial part of our knowledge base of Antarctic phytoplankton available in public repositories for anyone to access. While the federal funding from NASA for this programme comes to an end in September 2025, our programme will need to evolve. Once again, we will look to our community for support. The programme’s success is a testament to the fact that everyone—not just professional scientists—can play a vital role in understanding and protecting our planet. And that the more people participate in the process of science, even in remote regions of the world, the more they can experience the wonders of discovery. We invite you to join us on this continuing journey!
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