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Antarctica: Exploring Far From Home, Part 1

Summer 2006 Newsletter

When asked to write this article about my trip, I hesitated -- “I’m willing to share my experiences, but it’s not about Jo Daviess County, nor Illinois, or even the Midwest”, I exclaimed, and travel logs can be boring. Does it have anything to do with our conservation group? Can I convey a connection?

If you are familiar with any of the Antarctic explorers, you know the Ernest Shackleton and Endurance story. On the 1914 expedition to try to cross, on foot, the Antarctic Continent, the Endurance was trapped in the ice and eventually crushed, leaving 28 men to fight for their lives in the worst climate in the world. Names like Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton are exciting reading. Long a fan of Shackleton and polar adventure stories and anything having to do with nature, I someday hoped to go on a Great Southern journey too.

In December, my dream materialized and I not only went to Antarctica. I set foot on the very places Shackleton did, Elephant Island and South Georgia. Once part of Gondwanaland, Antarctica is a desert, the driest, harshest place on Earth, yet it harbors huge concentrations of wildlife around it’s edges. It’s size is almost twice that of Australia, and colder than the Arctic because it is surrounded by oceans.

The World’s oceans are all connected, recirculating water constantly. The circumpolar deep water moves toward the surface along Antarctica. This movement is called the Antarctic Convergence, and as an upwelling current, introduces heat and vast quantities of nutrients.

These nutrients promote a rich soup of phytoplankton, zooplankton such as the all important krill which are similar to shrimp, and fish, attracting marine mammals and birds in great numbers. The Antarctic Convergence is approximately 180-240 miles wide, a moving zone with variable and unpredictable displacement, characterized by abrupt changes in surface water temperatures. (A bottle of champagne was the prize to the passenger who came closest to guessing when our ship would cross the Convergence).

Antarctica is generally referred to as a continent, but it’s not known with certainty whether it’s a continuous mass, a nucleus with smaller islands, or an archipelago of extensive islands joined by ice. Seismic data does indicate the island theory at least in the West Antarctic region.

There the thickness of the ice reaches below sea level in deep fjords separating many island groups. Due to the pull of gravity, the ice sheet reaching almost 9,000 ft. moves downwards toward the sea through valleys and fjords as massive glaciers. When they reach the sea, huge ice shelves break off creating icebergs.

Some bergs can be as large as the state of Maryland. Several seen in the distance were a mile or two long! It was eerie to have them loom ahead out of the fog. Their shapes could resemble ships, cathedrals, Quonset huts, etc., or appear to be cut by machine, completely flat on top and sides -- tabular bergs. Whatever is above water should be multiplied by nine for the true depth of these gorgeous masses.

The highest peak on Antarctica is the Vinson Massif at 16,067 ft and the greatest snow and ice depth is 15, 670 ft. Volcanic activity continues. It snows very little, but what falls is blown around and piles up against any obstacle.

There are no polar bears in the Southern Hemisphere, in fact, no four-legged animals at all on the Antarctic continent. Reindeer were introduced onto the island of South Georgia during whaling days for food. There are now too many of them for they have no enemies except the weather, and because they eat the tussock grass which holds the sparse soil, erosion is becoming a problem. Rats that escaped from ships have wiped out most of the endemic South Georgia pipit. It still exists on some of the outlying islands and I can happily say I was able to add it to my bird list.

If you saw the popular new movie March of the Penguins, now on DVD, you know what the life of the emperor penguin is like. Of the 17 species of penguins worldwide, theirs is the most difficult under the harshest conditions. They are the largest at about 80 lbs. and approximately 39” tall. I saw 7 penguin species, magellanic, rockhopper, adelie, macaroni, gentoo, chinstrap, and vast numbers of kings, one colony alone of 400,000. Awesome!

Wildlife viewing rules state that you can approach within 15 ft. If they come closer to you, OK. The chicks thought we were just very large kin and came to us peeping “feed me, feed me.”

Penguins have lots of subdermal fat to keep warm, fairly solid bones for diving, and a heat exchange system of blood vessels in flippers and legs allows returning blood to be warmed. Their feathers are very short, very stiff, and packed densely, trapping warm air and are waterproof. They have sharp scales on the bottom of their feet so they can negotiate ice, slippery rocks and climb bergs or steep slopes. Someone asked me if penguins are birds. Yes, definitely birds. They fly, but only through the water!

Predatory leopard seals and orcas(killer whales) are the polar bears of the South. Leopard seals with their huge mouth filled with large teeth and almost reptilian appearance are ferocious. They favor pack ice and shorelines where penguins come and go and where other species of seals congregate. Orcas can be found almost anywhere.

Bird life was plentiful in some sections of ocean, almost non-existent in others, but lovely cape petrels were our almost constant companions. Wandering albatross, the longest lived birds in the world to 60 years, with a wingspan of up to 12 ft., and the farthest roaming, were frequent visitors. Several other albatross species were seen as well.

Sea birds rarely have to rest on water, needing only to flap their wings infrequently to gain a little altitude above the waves. They are masters at gliding, skimming the waves within inches. Giant petrels, shearwaters, skuas and prions swooped back and forth across our wake. Dainty storm-petrels danced at the surface.

Sparkling white snow petrels were seen near icebergs and glaciers. Strange looking snowy sheathbills patrol seal and penguin colonies looking for almost anything to eat including droppings. Sheathbills also have learned to flutter up to penguin parents feeding chicks, causing food to spill, quickly gobbling up the precious meal.

In olden days, waters everywhere would have been teeming with whales; humpbacks, rights, fins, blues, sei, sperm, bottle-nosed and minke, but whaling has taken most. Grim evidence of the whaling and sealing era was seen on So. Georgia and many of the islands we visited. Huge rusty tanks which had contained whale oil still stand at the derelict whaling stations.

In our 3 weeks, we saw a few humpbacks, several orca, some minke and a couple unidentified spouts. That’s all. Most seal species have rebounded from the extreme hunting, whales have not. Albatross go after hooked bait, and are drowning by the thousands due to long line fishing. New long line baits are weighted to sink fast so birds don’t see them, but not all fishing vessels are complying, nor care about the bird losses.

Antarctica belongs to no country. All nations have pooled resources for the accurate understanding of world climate, and all phases of scientific research are conducted there. It has a unique system of government. No one owns it, though seven nations claim parts of it. An international treaty gives all countries the right to explore it’s scientific mysteries but none the right to exploit its resources. Antarctica is defined as a natural reserve devoted to science and peace. Let’s hope it stays that way forever.

Humans have plundered and abused the Earth. Minke whales are still being taken and krill is harvested by the scores of tons per day. Each and every action we take has an effect on everything else.

From the preface of the book Explore Antarctica -- the most fundamental challenge we confront in Antarctica is how to live in peace and harmony with our fellow human beings, and all the species with which we share the planet. The international treaty which governs Antarctica has so far protected the continent from war and its environment from exploitation. Can we build on this inspiration, and the inspiration of Antarctica’s unique physical grandeur, to create a new perspective on humanity’s relationship with the Earth, which could be the key to the long-term survival of our society and our species?

No one who visits Antarctica comes away unchanged. I was deeply affected by the magnitude and wonder of it all.

If you go -- choose a small ship for many reasons, one being they can maneuver into places larger vessels cannot, and your Zodiac (rubber raft) excursions will be more numerous.

—Grace Storch