Zee Evans, National Science Foundation
The long voyage back through the Drake Passage was our first opportunity to reflect upon the journey we have just undertaken. While our outbound crossing had been deceptively smooth, this time the Drake revealed its true nature, with swells rising over 25 feet.
It feels fitting to be going through this crucible upon our return. Together, we have come to the bottom of the earth to witness the majesty of Antarctica — as well as the threat to it. We came as strangers, to a land so foreign to our day-to-day existence that it seemed dreamlike and otherworldly.
Laura Hamilton, National Science Foundation
Yet as the days went on and we traversed deeper toward the continent, we experienced this white world with all our senses – the endless trilling sound of the penguin colonies, the musky smell of the sea lions, the glowing blue light of the glaciers, the sharp slap of icy snow on our faces. And as we did, this foreign place became more real to us. As did its stark and precise balance, a symbiosis between the place and the life it supports. A shift of the smallest proportion can set in motion a chain of events with dire consequences. And so it has.
The scientists who have been returning here year after year could see what we could not: That this is not the same Antarctica they first came to study and to know. Entire glaciers droop and sag toward the sea, like pancake batter slowly spilling from a bowl. Animal populations are under stress, as the balance that has sustained them for millennia slowly slips out of joint.
Jeffrey Kietzmann, National Science Foundation
And so we return transformed. Both euphoric with the stunning majesty of the place, and moved by the threat to it, and what this threat represents for all inhabitants of planet earth. Having come here, we will always carry the majesty of Antarctica with us, and now we also carry a commitment: to protect this stunning place, this planet, this home of ours.
Meeting the climate challenge is our collective responsibility. There is no room within this challenge for politics, or finger pointing. Because if we do not act, there will be no winners. What we stand to lose belongs to all of us.
MORE LIKE THIS: Antarctica // Feature // Glaciers // Sea Ice
Terry Yonker
February 9th
I too returned from Antarctica two weeks ago having never set foot on the continent before. I conducted research on climate change and impacts on Antarctica in the early 1960′s focusing on infraraed radiation and ozone. There is little doubt what is happening there. We ignor it at our peril.
pepe troy
February 9th
Hey welcome back an we need to have some one pull our chain some times to let us know that we have but a little time and we must make every second count. Some might say to me hey it is not that bad until they see and some times we see the end of life and that puts politics? and finger pointing out the window!
Vipat Dharapak
February 9th
Global warmingis for real. One way of fighting this problem is to curb the explosion of human population. Stop using the word “abortion” but playing up the word “family planning” instead.
Geoge Atta
February 9th
The surreal beauty of Antarctica needs to be appreciated by the global community. When danger is not imminently perceived beauty may tug at the heart.
Mark Wiener
February 9th
With no disrespect to the emotion and anecdotes expressed on these pages, please send me links to hard, annotated, verifiable data. I have heard from some like Dr. Ryan Maue that this season, Antarctic ice is growing and Maue cites NOAA mean global temperature anomaly as -0.18C this season. Data to verify or refute this is appreciated as well as data for S Hemisphere land temp anomaly as well as SST anomaly. Sincerely.
Rick Lane
February 9th
It seems to me that the words “global warming” creates a red herring and leads individuals down the wrong thought path “global climate change” needs to be used instead, I feel it is far easier for people to see and relate to the fact that storms are getting far more severe, snowfall is at record levels as well as rainfall in various places and not consistently by any means, it is not a linear thing we are so used to a daily swing of some 30 degrees and a seasonal swing of about another 30 degrees that an overall change of +2 or 3 degrees is easily brushed off when in reality these changes can push the agricultural band north a couple of hundred miles and leave drought in it’s place. I am from the southwest US and I see it every day and every year, just watch the storm track across the US this coming Spring. Denver Co. recently got RECORD snowfall!! Denver, they normally get a lot of snow.
I honestly don’t know what the answers are but I feel that if we suddenly implemented all the needed corrective actions we are still in for a roller coaster ride with the damage already done.
Fred Sayre
February 9th
Some of the members in congress as well as a couple of the Rep. presidental candidates should get their heads out of the sand and go down there.
A lot of negative and untrue publicity has and is being funded by corporate America the super rich like the Koch brothers.
If no meaningful cap is put on green houses by 2016 whatever the temperature is at this point in time will never go down. This will be true if we miss the next window of opportunity to cap it.
Rich Kaiser
February 9th
Mark,
It does amaze me still that people are in such denial about topics such as global warming.
I don’t have the data you are asking for specifically however since you toss out a NOAA tidbit I have a couple of very recent NASA tidbits for you, with links.
” the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity — not changes in solar activity — are the primary force driving global warming.”
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/energy-budget.html
“Our data show that Earth has been accumulating heat in the ocean at a rate of half a watt per square meter (10.8 square feet), with no sign of a decline.”
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/missing-energy.html
I would prefer to bank my future on 10 years of data versus a statement regarding a season of unprovided data.
Grateful Child
February 9th
Great and most sensible comment Rich, …thanks very much for some reality. It’s hard to imagine why people can perceive they know more than the combined science of NASA and the NOAA. Geez, they have sat photos they’ve been studying for years, and take into consideration what none of us could even imagine.
Alejandro Rojas Anibal
February 9th
Yo habito en plena región ecuatorial (7º latitud N ; 78º Longitud W) en un país ( Colombia) donde las anomalías climáticas denominadas Niño y Niña se han convertido casi en permanentes con las consecuencias que todos sabemos originan, pero lo curioso del caso es que la gente culpa al clima por todos los desastres que estas particularidades climáticas ocasionan y no por la causa del problema, es decir, por la poca o nula importancia que se le atribuye al tema de la actuación social frente al planeta. En estas condiciones no creo factible que detengamos el proceso de deterioro climático global, a menos que el clima nos cobre con creces el maltrato (tormentas más fuertes y frecuentes; períodos de sequía y de altas lluvias más largos; distorsión de las corrientes reguladoras marinas, etc).
Carmen Slabbert
February 10th
This is heartbreaking!! Life is precious, also for these animals. We have destroyed so much of nature and we dont realise in the end this will destroy us. We need to stop this and start doing what we were meant to do and protect nature, not just seek financial gain in everything.
These animals deserve a chance to enjoy life, as much as you and I do. But only we can save them now ….
LOLIERO Véronique
February 10th
l’antarctique est un continent vaste pure hostile est l’une des 8 écozones peuplé de quelques animaux d’une biomasse importantes. Chaque année une zone faible concentration d’ozone croît au-dessus de l’Antarctique qui provoquerait plusieurs modifications à court terme. L’homme y est pour beaucoup dans tous ses changements mais le plus choquant aujourd’hui on constate les faits et nous sommes qu’une minorité a essayer de faire comprendre qu’il est urgent que les ressources sont inépuisable et de font engendrer de dégâts écologique. La beauté nos paysages vont se noircit beaucoup de perte écologie dont la faune et la flore disparaîtront à jamais. Récemment j’ai regardé un documentaire sur les ours blancs leur vie en arctique
prendre conscience que tout ou tard il vont disparaître a cause d’une population qui ignore ou qu’il ne veule pas faire l’effort minimum pour sauver notre biodiversité.
Toute faune et flore a le droit de se développer dans son milieu qui lui favorable sans que l’homme ne doit perturber son cycle et pourtant c’est se qui passe. Pourquoi avoir autant de mépris face à la nature? Pourquoi aujourd’hui est-elle autant ravagée?
Pour de l’argent???
Ellie Titus
February 12th
DITTO to Carmen Slabbert’s views. I feel exactly the same way.