This document summarizes a trip to Antarctica organized by Quark Expeditions. It discusses sights seen on the trip like icebergs, penguins, and glaciers. It also covers environmental issues in Antarctica like krill being an important part of the food chain, overfishing of krill, and the effects of climate change and melting ice on the continent and global climate. The document ends by arguing that Antarctica needs a strong "brand" to defend itself and influence discussions around resource management when the Antarctic Treaty expires in 2048.

1. To Antarctica, with love
December 2012

2. | |
Once upon a time...
(in 2002, exactly 10 years ago)
John A. Smart Discovery Award - proposal
2012
2

3. …I had the privilege to be part of the Coca-Cola delegation of volunteers
supporting polar explorer Robert Swan's "Mission Antarctica" exhibition at
the World Summit for Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002.

4. Robert Swan is the first man to have walked to both the North and the South Pole.
He met a world leaders' challenge to involve business and youth in environmental issues by
removing and recycling 1'000 tons of waste from King George Island in Antarctica.
"Mission Antarctica" was an exhibition set up to deliver the message back to the world leaders
gathered at the Johannesburg Summit.

5. Since then, it has become my dream to go South. Far South.
http://geology.com/world/antarctica-satellite-image.shtml

6. Thank you Interbrand!
Had it not been for the
John Smart Discovery Award funding,
it is quite unlikely that I would have
made it there soon

8. First stop: Rio de Janeiro

9. Breathtaking

10. even under drenching rain.

11. Next stop: Buenos Aires.

12. Spectacular city

13. and
remarkably
efficient at
organizing
general
strikes. On
the very
day I had
to fly on

14. to Ushuaia, the end of the world.
Sort of.

15. Eventually I made it the next day, last flight. Happy.

16. We are at the end of the Andes mountain range,

17. here.

18. Getting down there doesn't seem like a long way.
About 1000 miles.

19. Enter the
Drake Passage,
a.k.a. "Drake Shake".

20. …hence the name.

21. But after two days, "land in sight!" - The South Shetland Islands

22. with a sudden weather change.

23. The first sunset over Antarctica

24. and the first iceberg.
My estimation of a first iceberg sight was "only" about a day off – they tend to
be found in shallow waters close to the continent, not in the Drake Shake.

25. The first morning in Antarctica is starting off cloudy

26. but the day turns out very friendly.

27. Time for the first zodiac ride

28. in teams

29. around icebergs

30. of various designs

31. and, somewhat ironically, a human reminiscence,

32. the Governoren, a Norwegian Whaler in deep clear water.

33. Finally, the first penguin

34. and a bunch of seals on lunch break.

35. Back to the Ocean Diamond

36. moving on

37. to Orne Harbor

38. to set foot
on the
Continent.

39. Weird yellow animals occupy the heights

40. but natives are happy for visitors.

41. They do the "ecstatic display", meant to show who da boss.

42. Won't say what this penguin is doing,

43. but it recomposed quickly.

44. Their active social life is suddenly adrenalized by

45. an intruder. Skua the name, penguin egg piracy the trade.

46. We go on

47. to the next day. "More like Antarctica weather", our guides say.

48. Pingus don't mind.

49. The colony is patiently waiting for the snow to melt, so they can nest.

50. Gentoos with the red beak

51. are disinclined to acquiesce to my
attempted penguin portrait setup.
Wireless remote didn't work
anyway. Should have done a time
lapse instead,

52. of the Penguin Highway.

53. These lines will turn into trenches come summer.

54. Hitchhiking.

55. Weather improves and paints the sky

56. as we move to Brown Station.

57. The hike is thoroughly enjoyed by our multicultural group.

58. Paradise Bay - probably the best dinner view I've had

59. ever.

60. Last day – through the Lemaire Channel,

61. will we make it through the ice?

62. Question mark.

63. The answer is, unfortunately,
no.
We get to see penguins only from a distance

64. but get closer to glaciers

65. big glaciers

66. and a sea of ice.

67. Bye-bye!

68. Stuff I learned
from insightful Quark Expeditions lectures
(Thank you!)

69. Among all the Greats inhabiting the
Southern Ocean, this is the silent hero: Krill.
Photo: Wikipedia

70. It feeds off phytoplancton growing on the iceberg underwater
surface and represents the bottom of the food chain for an
impressive number of species.
Corolary: The more ice melts, the less krill get to eat. The less krill
get to eat, the more great species are in danger.
Photo source: http://anniekatec.blogspot.ch/2011/04/antarctic-penguin-population-declines.html

71. It is not only about ice
melting – humans fish
for krill too, exactly on
penguin feeding grounds.
Because it’s easy -
"Look, penguins! There
must be krill." Duh.
This is unnecessary –
there is plenty of krill for
everyone. Just fish
somewhere else.
Picture source: http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu15oe/uu15oe0u.htm

72. The right to fish for krill & co. is
only a small part of a big question:

74. 100 years ago
Various claims to the Antarctic territory have been made
since the age of great explorations.
http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-128167/A-photograph-shows-members-of-Captain-Robert-Scotts-expedition-to

75. http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/9_claims.php

76. Why would anyone want a cold,
empty, inhospitable desert?
For example, because it holds

77. 70%
of the world's fresh water
Picture source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=facing-the-freshwater-crisis

78. and various minerals.
http://coolantarctica.com
Oh, did I mention oil & gas?

79. For now, only scientific drilling is allowed
http://blogs.nature.com/news/2012/02/%E2%80%98too-soon%E2%80%99-to-confirm-success-of-antarctic-lake-drilling.html

80. under the Antarctic Treaty.
But revisions can be requested after 2048.

81. Meanwhile, the Peninsula is heavily heating up
Photo: Wikipedia

82. under (in spite of?) a gasping hole in the ozone layer.
Photo: Wikipedia, courtesy of NASA, 2008

83. Branding seems the least
of Antarctica's problems.
…but is it?

84. Actually, a brand is the only thing Antarctica has to
defend itself… and us.
Photo: Wikipedia

85. Atmospheric pressure, humidity, air
temperatures and wind patterns for our
entire planet are interconnected and
greatly influenced by processes in the
Southern Ocean.
Antarctic ice reflects sunrays and thus
regulates global air temperature.
The Antarctic current generates an
overturning circulation (movement of
water masses of different densities
caused by variations in salinity and
temperature) that transports vast
amounts of heat and also takes up a
significant amount of carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.
If the Antarctic ice would melt, oceans
would rise ~60m.
Source: Australian Government, Antarctic environmental report
http://joannenova.com.au/2010/06/the-deep-oceans-drive-the-atmosphere
Damages in the very fragile Antarctic environment
could have consequences difficult to predict.

86. And we can do a loooot of damage.
Photo source: Jalopnik.com

87. Nobody knows now who's
going to have Antarctica's back
in 2048.
We all should.

88. Ironically,

89. the continent without humans could have the
power to save mankind.
Let's give it a hand. Let's give it a brand.

90. Thank you.