I have read numerous books about human struggles in the Antarctic and Arctic. The classic is Ernest Shackleton and his crew's epic two year struggle to survive and escape the entrapment of their ship, the Endurance, in the ice of the Weddell Sea. Less well known, but no less heroic or inspiring is the story of the Australian explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson, a contemporary of Shackleton. While these stories tell of unimaginable feats of endurance, ingenuity and bravery they are all at odds with the environment - Man against nature. This is not the story I want to focus on in my blog. Certainly the conditions for these explorers proved in many cases to be fatally overwhelming and people still die in both places while conducting science, exploring and visiting, however, nowadays visiting the polar regions is easier for humans and even comfortable.
I want to look at how the creatures of Antarctica thrive in a place so harshly impossible for humans without modern equipment, technology and logistics.
How is it that penguins, krill, seals, whales and numerous other organisms can maintain a robust population in such an environment. I had to stop myself, right there, from typing "harsh" in the last sentence. What may be impossible for us may be just what these creatures need. I want to keep that in mind as my exploration begins.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Why am I creating this blog?
I decided to start this blog because I wanted a record of my trip to Antarctica. I will be leaving for Ushuaia, Argentina from San Francisco, California on 17 December 2014.
I have wanted to go to Antarctica for as long as I can remember, but never thought I would have the means to do so. Last year I heard that some penguin colonies were collapsing - several thousand birds one year to less than a dozen the next. I teach Environmental Science, Marine Science and Ornithology and tend to keep on top of environmental news, so I hear a lot of disaster stories about the environment, but this one took me by surprise. I thought that climate change had reached a tipping point and that these penguin colonies were serving as "canaries in the coal mine" as a warning of total collapse. This spurred me to action and I looked for a way to get to the ice continent and see wild penguins before it was too late.
I looked for scientific expeditions to join as this had gotten me to the arctic in 2007 and to Midway Island in 2009. But I was having no luck. Finally, I decided to try a commercial trip. These commercial trips are notoriously expensive, normally way out of the reach of a teacher. So I threw myself on their mercy and asked if they had a "teacher discount". I ended up connecting with Bob Simpson, a Vice President of Abercrombie and Kent, who felt that what I could learn and communicate to my students back home was valuable enough to offer me a place on board the trip for free! In return I will be helping out with their Young Explorers program on this particular trip.
My main goal is to communicate what I experience and learn to my students through my writings, photos, videos and sound recordings. Thanks, Abercrombie and Kent!
I have wanted to go to Antarctica for as long as I can remember, but never thought I would have the means to do so. Last year I heard that some penguin colonies were collapsing - several thousand birds one year to less than a dozen the next. I teach Environmental Science, Marine Science and Ornithology and tend to keep on top of environmental news, so I hear a lot of disaster stories about the environment, but this one took me by surprise. I thought that climate change had reached a tipping point and that these penguin colonies were serving as "canaries in the coal mine" as a warning of total collapse. This spurred me to action and I looked for a way to get to the ice continent and see wild penguins before it was too late.
I looked for scientific expeditions to join as this had gotten me to the arctic in 2007 and to Midway Island in 2009. But I was having no luck. Finally, I decided to try a commercial trip. These commercial trips are notoriously expensive, normally way out of the reach of a teacher. So I threw myself on their mercy and asked if they had a "teacher discount". I ended up connecting with Bob Simpson, a Vice President of Abercrombie and Kent, who felt that what I could learn and communicate to my students back home was valuable enough to offer me a place on board the trip for free! In return I will be helping out with their Young Explorers program on this particular trip.
My main goal is to communicate what I experience and learn to my students through my writings, photos, videos and sound recordings. Thanks, Abercrombie and Kent!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)