Antarctica – the Great White South. Life in the Freezer. Terra Australis Incognita.
All of the Above.
The origin of the name Antarctica is a fascinating one, and dates back to Ancient Greece during the Hellenistic Period, about 100AD. As smart as they were, how could they have possibly known about, and even named, Antarctica? They did know of the Arctic (to the north), and the term Arctic came from the word, “Arctos”, the bear. Since the Greeks were so good at mathematics, geometry in particular, they reasoned that if there were not a land as far south as the Arctic is north, the Earth would be out of balance and spin off somewhere,possibly to hell - or even beyond. The area to the south (that would balance Arctos, Land of the Bear), would be the Anti-Arctos or Antarctica. Brilliant! Now, the man who made that
call, perhaps not describing the process exactly as I did, was Marinus of Tyre. While not exactly well known, he was an excellent geographer and mathematician. His maps and nautical charts used precise latitude and longitude measurement; he is considered the founder of the science of mathematical geography.
Another interesting factoid - the coldest day on the North Pole is warmer than the warmest day on the South Pole. That probably doesn’t come as a big surprise, as most who travel to Antarctica bring the warmest of clothing; somehow, in their minds, they think they will be in weather conditions similar to the South Pole. In truth, most will only venture to the upper portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, not even crossing the Antarctic Circle (over 66 Deg S.), about 1400 miles from the Pole. Cold and windy, but typically not severe weather during the Southern Summer (November - February). Unless they get pounded when they cross the Drake Passage - an event called the Drake Shake - see below.
All of the Above.
The origin of the name Antarctica is a fascinating one, and dates back to Ancient Greece during the Hellenistic Period, about 100AD. As smart as they were, how could they have possibly known about, and even named, Antarctica? They did know of the Arctic (to the north), and the term Arctic came from the word, “Arctos”, the bear. Since the Greeks were so good at mathematics, geometry in particular, they reasoned that if there were not a land as far south as the Arctic is north, the Earth would be out of balance and spin off somewhere,possibly to hell - or even beyond. The area to the south (that would balance Arctos, Land of the Bear), would be the Anti-Arctos or Antarctica. Brilliant! Now, the man who made that
call, perhaps not describing the process exactly as I did, was Marinus of Tyre. While not exactly well known, he was an excellent geographer and mathematician. His maps and nautical charts used precise latitude and longitude measurement; he is considered the founder of the science of mathematical geography.
Another interesting factoid - the coldest day on the North Pole is warmer than the warmest day on the South Pole. That probably doesn’t come as a big surprise, as most who travel to Antarctica bring the warmest of clothing; somehow, in their minds, they think they will be in weather conditions similar to the South Pole. In truth, most will only venture to the upper portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, not even crossing the Antarctic Circle (over 66 Deg S.), about 1400 miles from the Pole. Cold and windy, but typically not severe weather during the Southern Summer (November - February). Unless they get pounded when they cross the Drake Passage - an event called the Drake Shake - see below.
It’s more likely, the crossing may be on the calm side (the Drake Lake). Some longer trips (highly recommended) venture into the sub-Antarctic areas of South Georgia Island and the Falklands. More on these areas to follow. For the ultimate bucket list, there are some journeys that do venture into the freezer. Aboard Polar-rated ice vessels. In 2002, I boarded a nuclear icebreaker, a Russian vessel called the Kapitan Khlebnikov. She was capable of cutting through several feet of ice, maintaining reasonable
speed. It was an amazing adventure. We started off in Tasmania, traveled through the Ross Sea,
and saw a part of Antarctica that I only witnessed once.
speed. It was an amazing adventure. We started off in Tasmania, traveled through the Ross Sea,
and saw a part of Antarctica that I only witnessed once.
To give us even greater access, we had a couple of helicopters on-board that landed us on an iceberg, the incredible Dry Valleys, and close to Captain Scott's historic huts. We even got to see an Emperor Penguin colony, a month after they normally depart. The parent has already overwintered with the young chick once, but not this year. This chick is late in that it should have already molted into its subadult waterproof plumage; the pack ice will soon melt, and it's almost time to take to the sea and find its own food
until the freezer door closes once again.
until the freezer door closes once again.
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The iceberg visit was a bit of an adventure, and those of us that braved it had to wait for the Ice Guides to mark a safe path to avoid the crevasses. I lagged behind for a few minutes for some pictures, but then quickly caught up. All personnel who occupy the research bases must take an extensive crevasse training course; several early explorers, as well as the dogs that pulled their sleds, fell victim to these deep chasms.
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While 98% of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet averaging 1 mile in thickness, it is truly enigmatic to have one of the driest placed on Earth here. These Dry Valleys are surrounded by mountains, with frquent katabatic (gravity) winds that rip down the slopes and across the valleys at up to 200 mph – dessicating anything in its path. Including seals that have wandered in for protection; with nothing to decompose them, their mummified remains are seen everywhere, some up to 2000 years old. These winds also bring extremely cold conditions, with temperatures as low as -90 Deg. F. It’s as close to the conditions on Mars as we have on Earth, although life abounds here - endolithlic life (found in the moist interior of the rocks). What sort of life? Species that we characterize as extremophiles, capable of withstanding extreme conditions, from temperature to pressure to radiation (depending on the species). It is this sort of life we expect to find in the Solar System.
It took a major break in the weather for us to fly in over 90 passengers in 8-seater helicopters. We needed a 3 day break and we got it. Each passenger got a 2 hr. stay. But to play it safe, we needed to first fly in emergency shelter, food, water, medical supplies, etc. And we had to fly the stuff back out as well. Us guides were the "Sherpas" and therefore got to spend almost a day on land and flew back to the ship early in the morning as the Sun was rising on Mt. Erebus. What a sight. As the dog in the garbage pile said quite well, “It doesn’t get any better than this!" My camera was packed away on the chopper , but I have the memories.
It took a major break in the weather for us to fly in over 90 passengers in 8-seater helicopters. We needed a 3 day break and we got it. Each passenger got a 2 hr. stay. But to play it safe, we needed to first fly in emergency shelter, food, water, medical supplies, etc. And we had to fly the stuff back out as well. Us guides were the "Sherpas" and therefore got to spend almost a day on land and flew back to the ship early in the morning as the Sun was rising on Mt. Erebus. What a sight. As the dog in the garbage pile said quite well, “It doesn’t get any better than this!" My camera was packed away on the chopper , but I have the memories.
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Captain Robert Falcon Scott was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two trips to the Antarctic, the 2nd one (the Terra Nova Expedition of 2010-2013) with the goal of reaching the South Pole. Lacking many Polar survival skills, Scott and 4 companions met their fate after reaching the Pole early in 2012, but not before Norwegian Explorer Roald Amundson did so 5 weeks ahead of Scott. The story is well-told on nearly all trips to the Antarctic; I did so many times. So, to have a chance to land (via helicopter) nearby Scott’s Cape Evans Hut and have a visit - that was an incredible experience! I show 2 of my photos next to 2 archival images
Regardless of which voyage you take, you are virtually assured views as seen below. With as much daylight as there will be, rise early and go on deck, maybe one of the upper ones, and bring your camera. The same for later on in the "evening"; the bar will wait and still be open later.
