In this episode of The IcePod, we talk to Nina Gallo about her work as a tour guide in Antarctica and how she gets the most out for her Antarctica-loving passengers, even when the weather is unstable.



Nina came to Antarctica about five years ago when she applied for a tour guide position in Antarctica. "Australia has a strong connection to Antarctica, and I heard about it when I was a kid in school," says the Australian writer and photographer. What she likes best about the Antarctic landscape is that it is "always surprising". After each of her trips south, you'd think Nina would be exhausted from a 24-hour job lasting several weeks, but no, she's always excited to just turn around and go back.



Her work as a guide consists, on the one hand, briefing and preparing the passengers who have boarded in Ushuaia, Argentina, and are now finally entering Antarctica. On the other hand, she explores the untouched nature of the southernmost continent in Zodiacs with the passengers. In addition to the specialist knowledge she has acquired in various training courses, her intuition is important for exploring the area and assessing possible risks and dangers at an early stage.Because the weather is often difficult to predict, her expedition team uses some popular tools like https://www.windy.com/ and https://www.zygrib.org/ to plan their trips to the landing sites. "We go with whatever Antarctica has to offer" to make the trip as enjoyable as possible for passengers. "It doesn't matter what the weather is like in Antarctica, there is always something magical to see", says Nina.  



Find more about Nina Gallo at https://ninagallo.squarespace.com/The episode with music is played at https://www.medialabnord.de/radio-livestream/ (Bremerhaven) on Saturday, 4 December 2021, 1–3 pm UTC (2–4 pm CET). For any question, send and email to polarprediction@gmail.com

And here's the playlist from Nina:



- Sunrise - Pillows – Alfa Mist, Emmavie

- Wise Women – Moonchild

- Nakamarra – Hiatus Kaiyote

- Under Control – The Internet

- Cool Change – Little River Band

- The Storm – Boy & Bear

- Sunset (Amber Navran Remix) – Ashley Chanel, Amber Navran

The IcePod is produced by the International Coordination Office of the Polar Prediction Project, a project initiated by the World Meteorological Organization to improve weather and sea ice forecasting in the polar regions. For any question or feedback, please contact polarprediction@gmail.com.