Posts Tagged ‘antarctica’
February 24th, 2010
Traveling to Antarctica has plenty of surprises in store.But many people have difficulty getting organized. Get help deciding what things are essential to have handy during Antarctica travel from this article. Be ready for anything the unpredictable weather throws your way.
Define what intolerable chilly weather means to you. Some can stand icier climates than others. You must take this into account if you wish to go on Antarctica vacation. People concerned about withstanding harsh weather should know that Antarctica cold is not that harsh.People always think extreme cold weather when Antarctica is mentioned. Antarctica is actually quite pleasant. antarctica cruise prices
What you really want to think about on an Antarctica trip is having many layers. There is no sense being warm with a single bulky coat when you can achieve the same result with light layers. Layering clothing keeps you warm by trapping heat within the garments.Wool and silk wardrobes insulate more than fabrics like cotton.This is something to mull over when choosing clothes to take on the trip.
Your outer wear should be able to resist water and wind. The body will fail to warm you efficiently if you become wet or are hit by wind. The effectiveness of layering is hinged on the kind of outer garment worn.
Cover your body in warm layers before putting on windbreakers or raincoats. Fleece cloth materials are excellent insulation sources.Those who have gone on Antarctica trips are aware of this. People not fond of fleece can keep warm by donning pants and cardigans.antarctica cruise vacations
Underclothes must be the heated kind to effectively warm your skin.You will be glad you brought them once you set out for those Antarctica trips. Wool and silk as well as polypropylene are top choices for thermal underwear material. They do a superb job of maintaining heat within the body.
Now let us move on to what people pack for Antarctica cruises. Keep fingers and feet warm with gloves and socks. When you start to get cold it is usually because body heat is escaping from your hands and feet. Help your feet stay warm by piling on pairs of socks. Pick from a selection of thick and thin and combination types.
The trip can take a dramatic turn if you have fingers that have gone numb from the cold. Mittens and gloves usually are from fur or polypropylene material. You will want a pair that is both comfortable and waterproof.Even if you ruin the pair you are wearing you can relax since you brought along a spare you can use.
People bound for Antarctic adventures need to pack a few hats for the trip. Approximately 90% of your body heat is lost from your head. A good hat shields the ears and forehead from the elements. A scarf is a good idea to protect your face and neck in the windy Antarctic conditions.
Cruising Antarctica involves adjusting to wearing layers of clothes. This will help you keep warm throughout the journey. Spare yourself from the trouble of looking for lost or damaged items by bringing all an exact duplicate of everything. You are assured of a pleasant trip so long as you stay warm.
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February 22nd, 2010
Antarctica, larger than Europe or, makes up one-tenth of earth’s land mass.However, this continent is far from hospitable, with sustain winds reaching 192 mph and temperatures as low as negative 89 degrees Celsius.The continent is fully surrounded by water, specifically the Southern Ocean.
The waters off of Antarctica are some of the most nutrient rich in the world, and they support a plethora of wildlife including whales, dolphins, penguins, fish, flying birds and seals.Schools of micro forage, more commonly known as krill, grow in vast quantities beneath the massive ice shelves of the Antarctic.The chief food of the seals, whales and penguins is krill, and it is also utilized by humans in Japan.antarctica travel
The wildlife of Antarctica must be equipped to endure its harsh climate, since it is the most arid, bitterly freezing, and windiest continent.The average altitude is greater than any other area on Earth. Precipitation is merely 200 mm a year near the coastline, with much less further inland.Animals which have learned to survive and thrive in these brutal weather conditions include penguins and seals.
There is a very unique condition here in Antarctica that makes it critically valuable to mankind.A higher molecular density exists within the atmosphere at the poles. The greenhouse effect is more evident as a result of these intensified levels.The planet’s surface heats more quickly at the poles as the sun’s power is consumed more readily.
The Earth’s atmosphere composition is approximately 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.Carbon dioxide and methane are also present in small amounts.These water vapors and gases absorb the radiation from the sun’s rays and warm the area below.This is often referred to as the “greenhouse” effect.antarctica trip
With what is commonly referred to as the “slingshot effect” at the equator, the polar areas amass greater methane and carbon dioxide far quicker than warmer climates.Therefore, the temperature increase caused by the Greenhouse effect is nearly 4 to 5 times greater in the Antarctic region than any other place, making this continent essential for climate research.
The surface of Antarctica is layered with ice - approximately three miles deep.The ice layers have been building on the continent for millions of years.Studies regarding prehistoric areas are possible in this region by drilling through the ice and studying core samples, more specifically the atomic isotopes and air bubbles contained within.
The notorious gap in the ozone layer is a result of injecting many coolants into the surrounding atmospheric area with severe negative consequences.These refrigerants combine poorly with ozone.The increase in temperature has resulted in the melting of many ice shelves.
Those ice bergs then float north and slowly melt.The resulting additional water greatly brings up the altitude of sea level.In another adverse effect, the melting decreases the size of the krill’s breeding and feeding habitat.
If all the continent’s ice shelves were to disappear into the ocean, it is calculated that sea levels would increase by more than 180 feet.Essentially, this would make New York seem like Venice, with water reaching the 20th floor of the skyscrapers.Countries that are more low lying, like Bangladesh and the archipelagos of the South Pacific, would disappear entirely.
Antarctica is a breathtaking land of exquisite beauty that touches everyone who visits it. The animals don’t always view people as a threat.This is a pristine world of ice and snow, untouched by humans.
It is up to the future generations to preserve the pristine splendor or Antarctica.Sadly, we see that the continent’s deterioration has been put into motion many, many years ago.Fortunately, many nations have joined forces and are now working together so some small steps toward conservation, preservation and preserving sustainability have already been taken.
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February 17th, 2010
The highest temperatures you’ll experience in an Antarctic winter won’t be any higher than negative 25 degrees.This is compounded by the fact that the miles of glacier are home to gale force winds that can make your eyelids frozen in a second.Antarctica is one of the most harshest places to live on our Earth.
One of the most isolated and important scientific outposts is a permanent U.S. station located in this climate.The Pole at one time was barred to anyone except certified researchers and workers.But this has evolved with the charter flights of wealthy tourists and thrill-seekers starting to arrive on the cold horizon.cruises to antartica
All there is to see is white, really.There are no penguins closer than a thousand miles in any direction.It seems that the draw is to be able to say that you have stood at The Pole.
Since the South Pole has been seen as an important base for scientific discovery, those who work there likely scoff at the notion of selling out Antarctica, which could get in their way.But is doesn’t stop visitors, as the do come frequently during research season.Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to stop them.
Antarctica belongs to no one and everyone. 43 nation agreement states that scientific research can be done as well as other exploration expeditions but that does not include exploitation of the land.There is not a day that goes by that the three large U.S. stations are not staffed. This include the eight months of winter where the Pole is completely pitch-dark.The unwritten law of the Ice mandates that its crew help anybody who can get to 90 degrees south latitude, whether invited or not.great antarctic cruise
Many travelers to this area arrive ignorant of what The Pole has in store for them, and the fact that they are at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and this type of travel is discouraged.Visitors usually will arrive cold, dehydrated and experiencing altitude sickness.
In 1975, the sleeping facilities of the dome were opened to accommodate thirty-three men.Since then, this has grown ten fold to accommodate up to 200 men and women.”Summer Camp” is the name that has been given to the bunkhouses assembled of plywood, plastic, and canvas, that cover the glacier.
Fresh water is supplied in abundance at Summer Camp, so no one goes without.Limited luxuries, like showers, flushing the toilet, even laundry come from melting ice using expensive $12 a gallon fuel.It’s a long walk to the communal bathroom which can be slippery and bone chilling cold even though the sun is blazing at 3a.m.
The very first woman who came to Antarctica needed military escorts.Today, at least a third of the summer staff are female, and they are treated as colleagues.The Pole is balanced equally.
Research indicates that workers in extreme cold need three times more time to finish a simple task.This is because the brain’s chemistry reduces the hormones you need for problem solving and increases those needed for physical activity.In winter, this phenomenon gets worse.
It is in mid February that the South Pole is virtually deserted as the last aircraft leave the area.Those few, 28 men and women, will stay on the frozen land through the next six months of harsh winter.They have to deal with endless night until salvation comes in October.
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February 15th, 2010
Returning from the South Pole in 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott suffered a horrible death.Suffering from hypothermia and starvation, Captain Scott and the individuals accompanying him, met their death.It has been said that Scott faced his impending doom with great courage, unfortunately it came after losing his race to the South pole and his stature as a hero.
It has taken us decades, if not centuries, to gain what knowledge we have of the harsh environmental challenges that Antarctica can dish out to her visitors.In Antarctica’s winter, temperatures can fall to 90 degrees Celcius below zero, with average wind speeds of 67 kilometers per hour.Scott would have faced conditions such as these, with unfortunately an insufficient knowledge about the continent’s real dangers.antarctic cruises
As a scientist working in the Polar Regions, Scott frequently wrote to his wife about the feelings of isolation.Even with all our modern communication skills, scientists today still feel that same sense of isolation.Scott was survived by his wife, and a young son.
His body was discovered months after he expired. The letters written to his wife were among his things.The camp with his equipment was eleven miles away.The wife-made-widow of Captain Scott was waiting in New Zealand from him when she was made aware of his passing.
The letters that Scott left behind gave historians a great deal of information about his expedition. Towards the beginning of his journey, he wrote about being in excellent physical health, and spoke of how he found enjoyment in having a good meal.His letters mentioned the cold, and his complaints about it, but he claimed the hot meals the team enjoyed kept the freezing temperatures away.antarctica trip
As the letters progressed with time, Scott wasn’t as positive about his trek. He begins to describe how the cold has become more bitter and unrelenting.He and his men were only able to consume one hot meal with two days of cold food in order to move another 11 miles.
Scott was one of the brave men of the early age of exploration but it seemed as if his expedition was cursed.He lost the race to be the first person to reach the South Pole to the Norwegian Roald Amundsen.Scott made his appearance on January 18, 1912, while Amundsen had already been there on December 21, 1911.
Prior to undertaking his final expedition, Scott was considered a national hero for his invasion of Antarctica between 1902 and 1904.Nearing the end of the 1912 expedition, along with Lt. Henry Bowers and Dr. Edward Wilson, he fought for survival until the very end.Petty Officer Edgar Evans and Captain Lawrence Oat unfortunately would be overtaken by the elements and die.
With just twenty miles until the next depot, the expedition stowed their provisions.The small group was down to the last of their food and fuel.In one of his later letters, Scott gave his wife permission to remarry in the event of his death as he then described the brutal seventy degrees below zero temps while only having a tent around him.
His last missive shows no regret for the decision to take the trip which took his life.He described the journey, saying he preferred it over relaxing at home in comfort.The young people of Britain have been greatly encouraged by the strength and perseverance that Scott displayed.
Captain Scott’s expedition finished second to Roald Amundsmen in the race to the South Pole, arriving several weeks after Amundsmen.Scott died on March 29, 1912.In 1913, Scott’s journal was published under the title “Scott’s Last Expedition.”
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February 15th, 2010
In all parts of Antarctica, countries whose primary industry is whaling, claimed large portions of land.On the Peninsula, three nations claims overlie each other. Making the Peninsula shared by Britain, Argentina, and Chile.Claims to Antarctica have also been declared by New Zealand, Australia, France, and Norway.
Even Nazi Germany wanted to have a piece of the Antarctica pie when they planted stakes with 3rd Reich swastikas on them all over the frozen land.With the world pre-occupied by WWII, Antarcitica found itself alone except for the whalers who came to hunt the great animals.However, science would soon be motivated by celestial events to return to Antarctica.
Sunspot movement became prevalent in the years 1957 and 1958, so nations all across the globe began getting ready for the International Geophysical Year. Antarctica became a focal point due to its one-of-a-kind visibility of a clear spot in the magnetic field of the Earth in which they could examine it while it was being assaulted by solar radiation.The continent was soon home to a 67 country coalition of science personnel.The scientists worked so well together, that they were able to pave the way for the Antarctic Treaty, which turned out to be an amazing accord.antarctica travel experience
This treaty sets preserves and saves Antarctica for the sole purpose of peaceful research, and was signed in 1959 by countries that had key, vested interests in the continent.Nuclear experimentation was prohibited, as was the discarding of the radioactive waste generated.The only permissible activity of the military here, was to help in the coordination of scientific exploration.Any territorial claims that caused conflicts between countries were just ‘put on a shelf’ and labeled as an issue.
Although the Cold War wasn’t widely known as a time of cooperation, the superpowers dropped all claims, and ignored those of their ally nations, but made known their belief that their claim would still be valid at some future time.This agreement made it difficult for less powerful nations to assert their claims.antarctica vacation
By the time the 1960s and 70s rolled around, various industries and governments began expressing a desire for the possible gas, oil, and minerals that could be contained in or around Antarctica.National bases began to spring up on the peninsula and nearby islands, and peak population still occurs in the summer with around 5,000 people who tend to fill up the dozens of science stations built like urban sprawl on the peninsula and some of the islands.
It was during the 1960’s and 1970’s that Poland, Chile, Argentina, Britain, Italy, the United States, and the Soviet Union began setting up bases on King George Island. It was not until the1980’s that china, South Korea, Brazil, Uruguay, and Peru officially started their bases.Although these sites were involved in genuine scientific research, they also served as political symbols like the stakes the Nazis had dropped in the 40’s.In other words the bases also allowed each country to create “squatters rights.”
However, by the time the 1980’s rolled around, the use of Antarctica moved toward scientific research and retracted from using the continent for its resources.So now the Antarctic joins with the oceans in being defined as communal property belonging to the entire world.The Halley Antarctic base that was established by Great Britain was responsible for discovering the ozone layer, and they demonstrated how its degradation is promoted by the earth’s industrial activity, allowing damaging UV radiation to pass through.
This discovery began the discussions for an international agreement in 1987 that would ban the use of ozone-depleting chemicals from being used by the end of the 1990’sThis put Antarctica back on the map because the scientific research conducted at this location on Earth gave people a better view of how industry was changing Earth structurally and physically.The Green movement was largely responsible for rejection of whaling in the 1980’s and protection of the continent.
The same countries that signed the Antarctic Treaty, decided to disallow the removal of natural resources such as gas and oil from Antarctica for the next 50 years, and possibly longer. They also decided to make environmental issues equal to scientific issues.Antarctica is important today as it was during it’s hey-day because instead of being exploited and ruined in the name of wealth and greed, it’s teaching us how those very things that marked progress are creating a very unstable world. Hopefully, through the studies conducted we will be able to learn how to reverse some of those issues and challenges we will face in the future.
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February 8th, 2010
A hundred years ago or so, a whaling ship known as the Antarctic came to a halt off the volcanic, wind-battered coast and sent one of their longboats through the through the rough ocean of the Ross Sea to reach the shore.On January 24, 1895, Captain Leonard Kristensen and the landing party of the “Antarctic” left the first trace of human kind on the frozen continent in their quest to slaughter whales in these, as yet, unclaimed waters.
Antarctica proceeded to be baptized with blood.While seals were being slaughtered for their fur, whales and penguins were being killed for their oil which was then used to grease the machinery developed during the Industrial Revolution.It was on Macquarie Island that countless penguins were rounded up and forced up planks that lead into large pots of boiling oil so that they would fall in and add their own oil to the mix.
However, after 100 years of journeys to this Frozen Continent, humans have decided to stop using it to make a quick buck by killing the animals and have chosen to make Antarctica into a preserve of nature and science.There is even discussions about making a world park on this continent.For science, Antarctica serves as a base for studying pollutant threats that affect the whole world, including ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect.The change to preservation was extraordinarily fast when you think about how short of a time people actually spent exploring Antarctica.Small areas of the coastline, some trails to the South Pole and a few islands were explored up until 1958.antarctic cruise
From the very first, the appearance of men on this continent has resulted in a convoluted story of nationalism, aggression, idealism, and unchecked slaughter, with sporadic, cavalier attempts toward scientific research.Whaling was stepped up in World War I, as refined oil was used to make glycerin for artillery shells.Jet engines required extra-fine oil as a lubricant, which led the Americans and Soviets to seek out sperm whales after World War II.Up until the IGY, the majority of Antarctica was still known as “Terra Australia Incognita,” which is the name given this theoretical southern continent by the medieval map makers.
Antarctica’s first native birth has only recently reached adulthood, the birth itself having international repercussions.As a matter of fact, Emilio Marcus Palmer was born at Argentina’s Esperanza Base in 1978, where his mother was brought for the sole purpose of emphasizing Argentina’s claim to this area of Antarctic territory.antarctic cruise reviews
This was similar to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon nine years earlier and placing the American flag on the moon as a symbol of its dominance. Norway’s Roald Amundsen 1911 race to the South Pole was done explicitly to honor King Haakon VII, and make a direct claim on the territory.For the honor of the British Empire, a similar trek was made by Robert F. Scott and a team of explorers, who themselves, collected and physically hauled rock and fossil samples employing the use of sledges.
It is believed that between the discouragement felt when they found out that Amundsen reached the Pole a month sooner, eating a poor diet, having to haul the rocks and fossils, and utter bad luck caused Scott and his team to perish on the return trip, making them the first people to die in Antarctica for the sake of science.America was able to claim interest in the South Pole when Richard Byrd flew over it in 1929 in a Ford Trimotor airplane.In 1821, the soviets utilized Russian Admiral Thaddeus Bellingshausen’s voyage passed Antarctica in 1821 to justify their interests in the continent.
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February 6th, 2010
You may be surprised to know that Dallas, Texas has something in common with the South Pole: they both reach 100 degree temperatures in July.Granted, the South Pole sees temperatures of 100 degrees below zero, not above.If you were to stand outside naked, you’d be frozen in a single moment.
There are 28 people stationed at the South Pole for six months knowing that they will have no sunlight, virtually no contact with the outside world and no way to get away.This crew is responsible for operating the United States’ polar base, which includes manning the research station’s telescopes and other equipment.However, even in this frozen area so far from civilization, modern technology is leaving its mark.
Astronomers of North America until now have employed satellite communications to work the South Pole observatory’s telescope.This was the first time a South Pole telescope was controlled from a warmer continent.Eventually, it is hoped by astronomers that it will become unnecessary for people to have to man the South Pole stations at all, operating everything remotely instead.affordable antarctica tours
People on Antarctica have to deal with the coldest, driest, and windiest environments on Earth.Its elevation is the highest of the continents, making breathing sometimes difficult.It is due to the extreme cold and high altitudes that only cold-adapted plans and animals can live here. These include penguins, seals, various types of algae and tundra vegetation.
The people who accept the challenge of working through a winter in Antarctica are referred to as “winter-overs.”For entertainment, they have to rely on a large variety of videos, a small exercise room, a pool table, great food, and traditions.Typically winter-overs do not discus what occurs at the South Pole from February to October while they are isolated at the South Pole.antarctica holiday
The notable expansion of the research program at the South Pole has resulted in a constant problem regarding a shortage of electrical power. There are only three oil-burning generators which are not able to produce enough power for all the computers, telescopes, lasers, and other electrical powered equipment.However, they are not able to keep up, which causes the winter-overs to have to deal with insufficient power, as well as confined living arrangements, and cold buildings.
Traditions are fun ways to while away the hours while in Antarctica.One is the “300 Club” which requires a day where the temperature is at least 100 degrees below zero.A sauna is heated up to 200 degrees.Then they enter the sauna, run out into the -100 degree air, and return to the 200 degree sauna.
The crew also looks forward to airdrop.Every June, they receive supplies, mail and, most importantly, food, via an Air National Guard transport that drops them by the palletload.Once the drop has taken place the winter-overs face the chilling air while they rush to use heavy equipment to bring all the treats inside.That single airdrop is the most contact with another person these people get in six months of occupation.
In their stay in Antarctica, the winter-overs are never able to see a tree or go more than a mile from the pole.But everyone is provided a one week vacation at McMurdo Station, which is the main U.S. Antarctic base.While on vacation, the winter-overs can enjoy camping and frolicking on the rocky beach in jeans and t-shirts in the relatively warm 25-degree weather.
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January 25th, 2010
Of all the planets regions, Antarctica is the most inaccessible and the most desolate. It is the only region on Earth that all nations agreed they could share. However as more and more natural resources start to dry up, more nations are eying Antarctica as a region of additional resources.
People’s attention has been drawn away from the ice, penguins and whales towards the oil, iron and coal that are present. There is the danger that resource exploitation will change the continent from being a region of international cooperation and scientific research to one of confrontation.
So far, places such as the United States Antarctic base the scientists have only experienced a tranquil environment of sharing and cooperation between nations. Many say that the challenge of the hostile environment causes people to work together better with a spirit of adventure even when the world is fighting other wars and conflicts. antarctica cruise
The McMurdo Headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which runs the U.S Antarctica operations have a small park located nearby which is dedicated to the work and dreams of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd. Richard Evelyn Byrd was the first to ever fly over the South Pole and led five Antarctic expeditions. He envisioned Antarctica as a region of International cooperation in science and as an example of a place where nations work together. But are such noble ideas likely to remain as the world becomes more dependent on the Earth’s minerals and the need for energy increases?
The full potential of the Antarctic as a region of mineral resource is not yet known, but there is growing interest over its potential. Now the situation has become a political issue rather than just a scientific one. Under the frozen icescape and seas that make up the Antarctic many believe that there is a large source of untouched minerals and oil reserves. cruise to antarctica
Other regions of the Earth, where oil and mineral reserves have already been discovered in great quantities are geologically identical to the Antarctic. Some offshore exploratory drilling by the United States has provided results that indicate a high possibility that hydrocarbon deposits are present. Coal and minerals have been confirmed on land with deposits of gold, lead, tin, uranium, cobalt, chromium, nickel, and titanium also present.
The regions harsh landscape and hostile conditions has made the exploitation of the region economically unwise, until recently that is. This is changing with rising prices and new technology. And environmentalists and Antarctic scientists are worried.
The idea of exploiting Antarctica for minerals is something that worries many environmentalists all around the world because it is a region that has remained unspoilt and unpolluted by man.Groups such as the Sierra Club and the International Institute for Environment and Development, in London, see inevitable conflict between environmental and commercial interests.
They agree that there must be some level of exploration to see what resources are there but the impact on the environment should also be accessed. But they are concerned that the exploration will eventually lead to the exploitation. It is oil spills that are causing the most concern.Most Antarctic life, such as birds and seals, clusters along the coasts and could be greatly affected. A spill in the region may cause more damage than in any other region because colder climates cause oil to break up and degrade at a slower rate.
In 1959 a landmark treaty turned Antarctica into a scientific preserve and the majority of what goes on there is tied in to the treaty. 12 nations were originally involved with the signing of the treaty, later Poland joined and together they ensure that the region remains free of militarization and that no nuclear waste dumping takes place. The treaty has side stepped the various overlapping territory claims but countries including Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Chile, and Argentina.
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