MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS, Antarctica – Brrr.. there must be some Tigers in Antarctica!

In a land where the average temperature may be between 6 degrees and -22, LSU has fans warming up with anticipation of the National Championship game Monday. LSU shared a picture Friday of university researchers cheering on the Tigers from the edge of Antarctica.

LSU Geology Professor Peter Doran and LSU undergrad and Tiger Band clarinetist Elizabeth Sicard are in Antarctica for research at the Lake Fryxell Camp in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The National Science Foundation-funded the trip as part of the Long-Term Ecological Research program.

Despite being 8,500 miles from the Superdome, their absence from the game is worth it. Stationed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the research area is the closest surface area on Earth to that of Mars and is one of the few places of life in Antarctica.

The program describes the region as: "These ice-free areas of Antarctica display a sharp contrast to most other ecosystems in the world, which exist under far more moderate environmental conditions. The perennially ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and extensive areas of exposed soil within the McMurdo Dry Valleys are subject to low temperatures, limited precipitation and salt accumulation. Thus, the dry valleys represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits."

Click here for more information about the research projects. 

The snow-free region at the bottom of the world is about 2,300 miles from the nearest regular life – in New Zealand.

Experts call it one of the most extreme deserts in the world.

Peter and Elizabeth are cheering on the Tigers from Antarctica!

Where will you be watching the #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/VE47mArcJB

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) January 10, 2020

Doran and Sicard were photographed holding a cardboard sign with “Geaux Tigers” and a drawn picture of the iconic LSU logo featuring Mike the Tiger’s head.

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