Travel Tips

Posts Tagged ‘antarctica’

Antarctica is famous for it’s vast and unforgiving ice, snow and wind. Nations around the world with interests in whaling controlled their own various sections of the continent.Land on the Peninsula has been claimed by Chili, Argentina, and Britain.Claims have also been made by Australia, Norway, New Zealand, and France.

The greatest example of nationalism came in 1940 when planes were sent by Nazi Germany to drop stakes with the swastika symbol carved on them over vast areas of Antarctica to allege ownership by the Third Reich.With the exception whaling, the world left Antarctica alone, so it could fight a second World War, and then a Cold War after that.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.This was such a successful cooperative effort, that the Antarctic Treaty, among the most remarkable international pacts ever created, was negotiated.affordable travel to antarctica

This treaty was signed in 1959 by all the countries with major interests in Antarctica. It was an agreement that made this continent to be used solely for peaceful purposes.The treaty specifically spelled out not allowing any destructive forces to be detonated on the continent, including banning nuke testing and exploding, as well as not allowing countries to dump their toxic waste onto it’s barren landscape or waters.The same went for military presence on the continent. Any military forces on Antarctica are only allowed to support scientific research.The deliberation over land claims were put to rest for the time being.

This period marked an odd time in the Cold War where the superpowers both put aside their differences for the moment, staking no claims on Antarctica or recognizing any others as well.The smaller countries became reluctant to pursue their claims in light of the maneuvering practiced by the more powerful countries.antarctica trip

By the 1960s and 1970, other countries began to realize the extent of oil, gas and minerals that lie in and around Antarctica, and they also began to realize the value of those resources.Countries established bases in and around the continent along with dozens of science stations in the area.

Bases were opened on King George Island throughout the 1960s and 70s by Chile, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Argentina, the United States and Soviet Union, with Peru, Brazil, China, Uruguay, and South Korea joining them in the 1980s.Even though these bases are carrying out legitimate scientific work, just like the swastika stakes the Nazis were dropping via planes, they also serve as individual political markers.Essentially, they claimed territories as their own.

However, by the 1980′s the political tide was starting to change from supporting exploitation. It began being more supportive of science.Antarctica is now becoming thought of as communal property and is thought not to belong to one major political power, but to all countries.The Halley Bay Antarctic headquarters, a British base, found the opening in the Earth’s ozone layer, indicating that man’s actions might chip away at the atmosphere so much so that ultraviolet rays can pass through and cause cancer.

Because of this, there was an international ban of ozone depleting toxins like Chloroflorocarbons or CFC’s in 1987. The agreement was that they would be completely gone by the mid 1990′s.This finding emphasized the importance of the Antarctic scientific headquarters. They have since been shown to be essential in keeping track of the “greenhouse” gasses that have been prevalent in the atmosphere for decades.The 1980s saw anti-whaling movements at their peak, as well as the Green movement, which helped convince countries to leave Antarctica alone biologically.

By 1991 Antarctica received protection from ravaging of it’s natural resources with the Antarctic Treaty where participating nations agreed to ban exploration for oil and gas, mining and any other irreversible exploitation for at least 50 years.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.

It was one hundred years ago when the whaling ship called Antarctic lowered its anchor of the volcanic coast of this wind-battered landmass. Soon it sent a longboat to the landmass through the rough waters of the Ross Sea.The leader of this party was Captain Leonard Kristensen and they were the first people to set foot on Antarctica. This historic event happened on January 24, 1895 while on a mission to kill whales in waters that remained unclaimed.

Antarctica proceeded to be baptized with blood.The Industrial Revolution was starting to grow and the millions of seals that were slaughtered for their fur, as well as penguins and whales massacred for their oil, were part of what was needed to keep society moving forward.Many more hundreds of thousands of confused penguins form Macquarie Island were shepherded into large, boiling vats of oil and were subsequently reduced to oils themselves.

It took 100 years, but mankind has thankfully become much wiser and finally set priorities in the right direction. Rather than exploiting the amazing Frozen Continent for money, Antarctica is now designated as a nature preserve and used only for scientific research.There’s even talks of establishing a park where people from all over the world can visit.Antarctica serves as a window for scientists to understanding the potential danger of several global threats such as our ozone depletion as well as greenhouse effect.Thankfully, humanity’s presence in Antarctica was short-lived, and the reversal of the travesties committed on this great continent are now a thing of the past.Small areas of the coastline, some trails to the South Pole and a few islands were explored up until 1958.antarctic cruises

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.America and the Soviet Union began killing sperm whales for their extra-fine oil after World War II. This oil was used as jet engine lubricant.Prior to the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, Antarctica was identified as the “Terra Australia Incognita,” by medieval mapmakers.

It is important to note that even the first person to be born in Antarctica, who is still not an adult, was born here for the sake of patriotic affectation.In 1978, Emilio Marcus Palmer was born at Esperanza Base, owned by Argentina in order to reinforce claims by Argentina to large portions of the 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.This same journey was made by Robert F. Scott of England, though his team took the time to amass fossil and rock samples along the way, carrying these things all on sleds.

Unfortunately, Scott arrived at the South Pole only to find that Amundsen had already been there the month before, and thanks to the depression over this realization, their poor diet, the effort of dragging those rocks, and some bad luck, Scott’s party never made it back, and became the first to give their lives for the sake of Antarctic science.America earned its claim to the South Pole when Richard Byrd flew over it in 1929 in a Ford Trimotor.The Soviet Union also announced their own interest in the area in 1821 when they sent Admiral Thaddeus Bellinghausen through the territory.

If you want to be in hundred-degree weather in the middle of summer, you go two places – Dallas, Texas, or the South Pole.However, the difference between the two is that you experience negative 100 degrees at the South Pole.Think about it this way, it will be sufficiently cold to freeze exposed skin in mere seconds.

During this time there is alo no sunlight, little contact with the outside world, and little hope for assistance if things should go wrong, and yet twenty-eight people will spend six months of their lives in Antarctica.As a crew they work to maintain the U.S. polar base and operate telescopes and other scientific devices located at the research station.Present day communications and technology are altering that purpose.

In the past, astronomers located in North America used satellites to operate the telescope at the South Pole observatory.This was the first time a South Pole telescope was controlled from a warmer continent.Astronomers are wishing that someday they will have the ability of observing the universe from the South Pole while being physically located in a warm office somewhere else.affordable antarctica tours

The people who commit to staying at the South Pole have to contend with the coldest, driest, and windiest conditions on this planet.They also have to be careful of breathing difficulties as the result of the high altitudes at the South Pole.As a result, little else survives in that climate, save for animals and plants that have already adapted to the cold.

“Winter-over” is the moniker given to people who spend their winter working in Antarctica for whatever reason.In order to occupy their time, they’re given great meals, exercise rooms, pool tables, as well as hundreds of videos to choose from.Normally, winter-overs do not speak much about what occurs during their winter months of isolation at the South Pole, from February to October.antarctica vacations

Since the number and complexity of the South Pole facilities have expanded so greatly, electrical power can often be fairly dogdy there.There are only three oil-burning generators to power everything, including computers, lights, telescopes, lasers, and other electrical devices.That being the case, the winter-overs must cope with insufficient power, tight quarters and cold buildings.

Various traditions are used by winter-overs to help pass the time.If there’s a day in which the outside temperature is more than 100 degrees below zero, you can join the “300 Club.”The sauna is stoked up to 200 degrees for maximum warmth.Then they run from the sauna out into the 100 degree air and back.

They also look forward to the annual airdrop.This occurs in June. It is the drop of pallets of food, mail, and supplies by a U.S. Air National Guard military transport plane.The winter-overs will operate heavy equipment to retrieve the supplies and bring them into the station.This airdrop is the closest contact with the civilization and the outside world that the winter-overs will experience during their six month stay.

During their stay in Antarctica, they will not travel over a mile from the pole or even see a tree.Everyone who takes on this responsibility is given a week’s vacation at the McMurdo Station, which is a U.S Antarctic base.While on this vacation the winter-overs typically camp out in the wonderful 25-degree weather, sun bake on rocky beaches, and wear t-shirts and jeans.