DOCSLIB.ORG

The Antarctic Sun, December 24, 2000

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

www.polar.org/antsun The December 24, 2000 PublishedAntarctic during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Sun for the United States Antarctic Program Quote of the week Glad hands “Normal is something you set your dryer on.” - Veteran McMurdoite on weather in Antarctica Winging it Snow petrels visit island By Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini Sun staff "Pretty bird, pretty bird," Andy Klein shout- ed down to his fellow sci- entists, digging soil sam- ples from a hillside on Bratina Island on the A snow petrel other side of the in flight McMurdo Ice Shelf. Dianna Alsup looked up and saw a white A Spryte-load of general assistants waves to a passerby. Each year people from bird flying ten feet away, wings curved like a wide range of backgrounds become GAs. The job entails a broad spectrum of scimitars glinting in the sun. The snow petrel work, from shoveling snow and dirt to entering data and cleaning equipment. swooped past, then soared up the hill. See related story on page 12. Photo by Beth Minneci. "I don’t know why the dove’s the symbol see Petrels on page 5 waterlife and death in the valleys By Beth Minneci peaks. On the ground, tents and research huts Sun staff look toy-sized next to an 80-foot ice wall – the or just a few weeks in the Dry Valleys cliff face of Canada Glacier, and the subject of each year, glaciologist Thomas Nylen Nylen's intense scrutiny. Fcan hear a steady trickle of water flow- This afternoon, on soft, pebbly sand at the ing past the dome tent in which he sleeps. glacier's edge, water streams gently past Nylen's The rest of the year water is frozen, silent. boots, feeding Lake Hoare. He points with a In Taylor Valley, one of three in the area, the pole to ice blocks that have split from the edge, A seal, dead in the largest of the valley's science camps is nestled piled like rocks fallen off a mountain. It’s called Dry Valleys. among gigantic ice sheets plunging over cocoa see Valleys on page 4 INSIDE Underwater Antarctic GAs galore Tiny people, warriors relativity page 12 big vision page 6 page 9 page 14 2 • The Antarctic Sun December 24, 2000 Old practice, new problem By Josh Landis Sun staff cMurdo Station’s history of local trash disposal surfaced Mthis week when excavation for the new waste treatment plant uncov- ered a forgotten landfill. A bulldozer dug into the ground near the blasting site by Winter Quarters Bay on Wednesday, exposing an old pile of discarded food. A skua landed to investigate some of the 1960s-era sausages, but even it didn’t find them appetizing. They were in remarkable condition considering their age. They’ve most likely been frozen solid ever since they were thrown away. The garbage must now be disposed of again. "We’re going to dig out what we This week a bulldozer unearthed sausages can see and send it out as food waste," and other food estimated to be more than said Tom Vinson, McMurdo’s waste 30 years old. The garbage will be shipped management supervisor. His team will off the continent with the rest of McMurdo’s put the old food into boxes and keep it food waste. Photos by Josh Landis. frozen so it won’t spoil. After it returns Foundation in the 1980s and 1990s to the U.S. by ship it will be burned at however, the area looks virtually clean. an incinerator in Washington. From time to time, however, pock- In the early days of the program, the ets of old trash turn up. In this case the slope that leads down to the bay was amount of food waste was small used as a dumping ground for varying enough to be contained in 18 large, types of refuse. After remediation cardboard boxes and shipped off-con- efforts by the National Science tinent. I T ake your best shot! The Sun’s Photo Festival is only two weeks away! Share your vision of Antarctica with the world One entry per person Submit via e-mail to [email protected] Deadline: Saturday, January 6 Public judging will decide Home improvement winners in three categories: Paul Zahradka attaches a cone to his gingerbread house with icing Monday night. A dozen gingerbread houses were decorated this week by dining attendants and Scenic, Wildlife and Other volunteers in preparation for Christmas. Photo by Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini. December 24, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 3 News In BRIEF LETTERS to the editors Helicopter ready to fly again First and foremost, a special world. We live in a world of new tech- A helicopter stuck on the edge of the sea ice since Christmas greeting to wish you the nology, global communication and Dec. 16 will be flown home as soon as the weather love, joy and peace that the Christ interaction. We think we are very clears, said Jack Hawkins, project manager for child brought to the world: may it be smart and sophisticated. The truth is, it Petroleum Helicopters Inc. yours personally and extend to your is nothing compared to the wonder The AS 350, or A-Star, was shifting a 1,500- family, friends and our community. that we celebrate at Christmas. pound (680 kilogram) gondola when the clamp hold- There is a simplicity about I’ve not been here at this time of the ing a cable failed. The cable snapped up and hit the Christmas that shines through the tin- year before. Now as I enter the chapel main rotor, nicking one of the blades. The pilot safe- sel, social demands and commercial- each morning and look at the simple ly lowered the helicopter from about 60 feet off the ism that can permeate the season. crib in front of the altar, then look out ground, Hawkins said. Somehow our hearts are touched by the window at the Antarctic moun- One inspection is left, but maintenance crews the humble Bethlehem setting with the tains, I’m somehow deeply touched by determined the helicopter is safe to fly once the rotor baby, the stable, shepherds, animals the contrast of the little crib of ‘our blade was replaced. PHI keeps spare rotor blades on and above all Mary and Joseph who creation’ and the wonder of God’s cre- station. were forced to be away from home ation that surrounds us. Operation a success and family at this special time to satis- My prayer is this: that the Spirit of An experiment on Pegasus runway with a fy a census demanded by a foreign Christmas will live in our hearts and wheeled plane went well last weekend, station oper- power – the Romans. touch our daily lives in the years ahead. ations manager Bill Haals said. An LC130 landed on For those of us who come to the May we learn some truths from a skis, then moved across the snow on wheels. The test crib with faith, a whole new world reflection on the Bethlehem scene that is part of an effort to build a summer snow pack stur- opens up because we believe that here ‘speaks’ to us of humility, simplicity, dy enough for Pegasus runway to one day take over lies the child of God’s promise. This joy, peace and love: my wish for you as a wheeled-plane landing site once the sea ice run- child that would come to be known as and all of us at Christmas and always. way closes each December. The runway is closed the Messiah, Son of David, Son of mid-November to late January. God, Savior of His people and the - Father John Coleman Almost all of the compacted snow held up, with the wheels breaking through in just a few places, the week in weather Haals said. More tests are planned this season. around Antarctica corrections McMurdo Station Palmer Station (Saturday) South Pole Station The Sun would like to clarify some statistics High: 36F/2C High: 51F/11C High: -16F/-27C on USAP waste management: The program Low: -14F/-10C Low: 30F/-1C Low: -23F/-31C reuses 34 percent of all waste, 29 percent of Windchill: -9F/-23C Avg. temp: 35F/1C Avg. temp: -19F/-28C solid waste and 55 percent of hazardous waste Wind: 31 mph/50 kph Wind: 28 mph/44 kph Wind: 21 mph/34 kph (in the form of oil and fuel). Last season a truck- load of paint and glue that was shipped to Latvia, not soap. Two buildings burn waste oil. around the world Saturday’s numbers Iqaluit, Canada Bergen, NY High: 34F/1C High: 26F/3C The Antarctic Sun, part of the United States Low: 22F/-6C Low: 17F/-8C Antarctic Program, is funded by the National Singapore, Singapore Dwight, Ill. Science Foundation. High: 86F/30C High: 22F/6C Opinions and conclusions Low: 75F/24C Low: 10F/-12C Bergen, Norway Springfield, Tenn. expressed in the Sun are not High: 38F/3C High: 35F/2C necessarily those of the Foundation. Low: 32F/0C Low: 24F/-4C Use: Reproduction and distribution are encouraged with acknowledgment of source and author. Publisher: Valerie Carroll, Communications manager, Raytheon Polar Services Senior Editor: Josh Landis Dreaming of an Christmas Editors: Beth Minneci ICE Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini • http://www.riv.co.nz/rnza/tales/antarctica.htm Contributions are welcome. Contact the A New Zealand artillery gunner’s tale of Christmas on the Ice Sun at [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit • http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/ph/xmas/pcpra.htm our office in Building 155 or dial 2407.
Recommended publications
  • Office of Polar Programs

    Office of Polar Programs

    DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SURFACE TRAVERSE CAPABILITIES IN ANTARCTICA COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION DRAFT (15 January 2004) FINAL (30 August 2004) National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22230 DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SURFACE TRAVERSE CAPABILITIES IN ANTARCTICA FINAL COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Purpose.......................................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) Process .......................................................1-1 1.3 Document Organization .............................................................................................................1-2 2.0 BACKGROUND OF SURFACE TRAVERSES IN ANTARCTICA..................................2-1 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Re-supply Traverses...................................................................................................................2-1 2.3 Scientific Traverses and Surface-Based Surveys .......................................................................2-5 3.0 ALTERNATIVES ....................................................................................................................3-1
  • DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION (CEE) for ANDRILL Mcmurdo Sound Portfolio Madrid, 9/20 De Junio 2003

    DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION (CEE) for ANDRILL Mcmurdo Sound Portfolio Madrid, 9/20 De Junio 2003

    XXVI ATCM Working Paper WP-002-NZ Agenda Item: IV CEP 4a NEW ZEALAND Original: English DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION (CEE) FOR ANDRILL McMurdo Sound Portfolio Madrid, 9/20 de junio 2003 ANDRILL - The McMurdo Sound Portfolio An international research effort with the participation of Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION (CEE) FOR ANDRILL McMurdo Sound Portfolio Antarctica New Zealand Private Bag 4745, Christchurch Administration Building International Antarctic Centre 38 Orchard Road, Christchurch January 22, 2003 2 CONTENTS 1. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY.....................................................................................11 2. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................13 2.1 What is ANDRILL?...............................................................................................13 2.2 The CEE process.................................................................................................15 2.2.1 What is a CEE and why is it needed?....................................................15 2.2.2 Process for preparing the Draft CEE .....................................................15 3. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTIVITES ..............................................................17 2.1 Purpose and Need...............................................................................................17 3.1.1 Scientific justification..............................................................................17
  • Map and Compass

    Map and Compass

    UE CG 039-089 2018_UE CG 039-089 2018 2018-08-29 9:57 AM Page 56 MAP The north magnetic pole is not the same as the geographic North Pole, also known as AND COMPASS true north, which is the northern end of the axis around which the earth spins. In fact, the north magnetic pole currently lies Background Information approximately 800 mi (1300 km) south of the geographic North Pole, in northern A compass is an instrument that people use Canada. And because the north magnetic to find a direction in relation to the earth as pole migrates at 6.6 mi (10 km) per year, its a whole. The magnetic needle in the location is constantly changing. compass, which is the freely moving needle in the compass that has a red end, points The meridians of longitude on maps and north. More specifically, this needle points globes are based upon the geographic to the north magnetic pole, the northern North Pole rather than the north magnetic end of the earth’s magnetic field, which pole. This means that magnetic north, the can be imagined as lines of magnetism that direction that a compass indicates as north, leave the south magnetic pole, flow north is not the same direction as maps indicate around the earth, and then enter the north for north. Magnetic declination, the magnetic pole. difference in the angle between magnetic north and true north must, therefore, be Any magnetized object, an object with two taken into account when navigating with a oppositely charged ends, such as a magnet map and a compass.
  • Antarctic Primer

    Antarctic Primer

    Antarctic Primer By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller By Nigel Sitwell, Tom Ritchie & Gary Miller Designed by: Olivia Young, Aurora Expeditions October 2018 Cover image © I.Tortosa Morgan Suite 12, Level 2 35 Buckingham Street Surry Hills, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia To anyone who goes to the Antarctic, there is a tremendous appeal, an unparalleled combination of grandeur, beauty, vastness, loneliness, and malevolence —all of which sound terribly melodramatic — but which truly convey the actual feeling of Antarctica. Where else in the world are all of these descriptions really true? —Captain T.L.M. Sunter, ‘The Antarctic Century Newsletter ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 3 CONTENTS I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Guidance for Visitors to the Antarctic Antarctica’s Historic Heritage South Georgia Biosecurity II. THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Antarctica The Southern Ocean The Continent Climate Atmospheric Phenomena The Ozone Hole Climate Change Sea Ice The Antarctic Ice Cap Icebergs A Short Glossary of Ice Terms III. THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT Life in Antarctica Adapting to the Cold The Kingdom of Krill IV. THE WILDLIFE Antarctic Squids Antarctic Fishes Antarctic Birds Antarctic Seals Antarctic Whales 4 AURORA EXPEDITIONS | Pioneering expedition travel to the heart of nature. CONTENTS V. EXPLORERS AND SCIENTISTS The Exploration of Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty VI. PLACES YOU MAY VISIT South Shetland Islands Antarctic Peninsula Weddell Sea South Orkney Islands South Georgia The Falkland Islands South Sandwich Islands The Historic Ross Sea Sector Commonwealth Bay VII. FURTHER READING VIII. WILDLIFE CHECKLISTS ANTARCTIC PRIMER 2018 | 5 Adélie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula I. CONSERVING ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the largest wilderness area on earth, a place that must be preserved in its present, virtually pristine state.
  • The Nimrod Antarctic Expedition

    The Nimrod Antarctic Expedition

    THE NIMROD ANTARCTIC EXPENDITION Dr. W. A. Rupert Michell (1879-1966) Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874-1922), a giant of Antarctic exploration, made four journeys into the earth’s most southerly continent. On the Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904 he was Third Officer to Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912)1. Then, between 1907 and 1922, he organized and led three expeditions2 himself. On the first of these his team included a 28-year- old doctor from Perth, Ontario, W. A. R. Michell. William Arthur ‘Rupert’ Michell was born at Perth, on October 18, 1879, the second son of Francis Lambton Michell (1849-1928) and Margaret Helen Bell (1854-1930). His father was, first, a teacher and later principal at the Perth Collegiate Institute and then, County Inspector of Public Schools. Michell received his primary and secondary education at Perth and in 1902 graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School. He was on staff at Hamilton General Hospital until 1904 when he returned to Lanark County and purchased the practice of Dr. Herbert Edwin Gage (1867-1926) at McDonalds Corners, in Dalhousie Township, north of Perth. In 1906 Michell left McDonald’s Corners and Canada for England where he planned to undertake post graduate studies. Before doing so, however, he signed on with the Elder-Dempster Line as a ship’s surgeon. The shipping line had been founded in 1868 specifically to serve travel and trade between the United Kingdom and colonial outposts on the west coast of Africa. Elder-Dempster ships provided scheduled service to-and- from Sierra Leone; Cape Palmas (Liberia); Cape Coast Castle and Accra (Ghana); Lagos, Benin Bonny and Old Calabar (Nigeria); and Fernando Po (Equatorial Guinea).
  • JOURNAL Number Six

    JOURNAL Number Six

    THE JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY JOURNAL Number Six Antarctic Exploration Sir Ernest Shackleton MARCH 2012 1 Shackleton and a friend (Oliver Locker Lampson) in Cromer, c.1910. Image courtesy of Cromer Museum. 2 The James Caird Society Journal – Number Six March 2012 The Centennial season has arrived. Having celebrated Shackleton’s British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition, courtesy of the ‘Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition’, in 2008/9, we now turn our attention to the events of 1910/12. This was a period when 3 very extraordinary and ambitious men (Amundsen, Scott and Mawson) headed south, to a mixture of acclaim and tragedy. A little later (in 2014) we will be celebrating Sir Ernest’s ‘crowning glory’ –the Centenary of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition 1914/17. Shackleton failed in his main objective (to be the first to cross from one side of Antarctica to the other). He even failed to commence his land journey from the Weddell Sea coast to Ross Island. However, the rescue of his entire team from the ice and extreme cold (made possible by the remarkable voyage of the James Caird and the first crossing of South Georgia’s interior) was a remarkable feat and is the reason why most of us revere our polar hero and choose to be members of this Society. For all the alleged shenanigans between Scott and Shackleton, it would be a travesty if ‘Number Six’ failed to honour Captain Scott’s remarkable achievements - in particular, the important geographical and scientific work carried out on the Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions (1901-3 and 1910-12 respectively).
  • AQUILA BOOKS Specializing in Books and Ephemera Related to All Aspects of the Polar Regions

    AQUILA BOOKS Specializing in Books and Ephemera Related to All Aspects of the Polar Regions

    AQUILA BOOKS Specializing in Books and Ephemera Related to all Aspects of the Polar Regions Winter 2012 Presentation copy to Lord Northcliffe of The Limited Edition CATALOGUE 112 88 ‘The Heart of the Antarctic’ 12 26 44 49 42 43 Items on Front Cover 3 4 13 9 17 9 54 6 12 74 84 XX 72 70 21 24 8 7 7 25 29 48 48 48 37 63 59 76 49 50 81 7945 64 74 58 82 41 54 77 43 80 96 84 90 100 2 6 98 81 82 59 103 85 89 104 58 AQUILA BOOKS Box 75035, Cambrian Postal Outlet Calgary, AB T2K 6J8 Canada Cameron Treleaven, Proprietor A.B.A.C. / I.L.A.B., P.B.F.A., N.A.A.B., F.R.G.S. Hours: 10:30 – 5:30 MDT Monday-Saturday Dear Customers; Welcome to our first catalogue of 2012, the first catalogue in the last two years! We are hopefully on schedule to produce three catalogues this year with the next one mid May before the London Fairs and the last just before Christmas. We are building our e-mail list and hopefully we will be e-mailing the catalogues as well as by regular mail starting in 2013. If you wish to receive the catalogues by e-mail please make sure we have your correct e-mail address. Best regards, Cameron Phone: (403) 282-5832 Fax: (403) 289-0814 Email: [email protected] All Prices net in US Dollars. Accepted payment methods: by Credit Card (Visa or Master Card) and also by Cheque or Money Order, payable on a North American bank.
  • Immediate Scientific Report of the Ross Sea Iceberg Project 1987-88

    Immediate Scientific Report of the Ross Sea Iceberg Project 1987-88

    SCIENCE AND RESEARCH INTERNAL REPORT 9 IMMEDIATE SCIENTIFIC REPORT OF THE ROSS SEA ICEBERG PROJECT 1987-88 by J.R. Keys and A.D.W. Fowler* This is an unpublished report and must not be cited or reproduced in whole or part without permission from the Director, Science and Research. It should be cited as Science and Research Internal Report No.9 (unpublished). Science and Research Directorate, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10 420 Wellington, New Zealand April 1988 *Division of Information Technology, DSIR, Lower Hutt. 1 Frontispiece. NOAA 9 infrared satellite image of the 160 km long mega-giant iceberg B-9 on 9 November, four weeks after separating from the eastern front of Ross Ice Shelf. The image was digitized by US Navy scientists at McMurdo Station, paid for by the US National Science Foundation and supplied by the Antarctic Research Center at Scripps Institute. Several other bergs up to 20 km long that calved at the same time can be seen between B-9 and the ice shelf. These bergs have since drifted as far west as Ross Island (approx 600 km) whereas B-9 has moved only 215 km by 13 April, generally in a west-north-west direction. 2 CONTENTS Frontispiece 1 Contents page 2 SUMMARY 3 INTRODUCTION 4 PROPOSED PROGRAMME 5 ITINERARY 6 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS RNZAF C-130 iceberg monitoring flight 6 SPOT satellite image and concurrent aerial Photography 8 Ground-based fieldwork 9 B-9 iceberg 11 CONCLUSION 13 FUTURE RESEARCH 13 PUBLICATIONS 14 Acknowledgenents 14 References 14 FIGURES 15 TABLES 20 3 1.
  • Living and Working at USAP Facilities

    Living and Working at USAP Facilities

    Chapter 6: Living and Working at USAP Facilities CHAPTER 6: Living and Working at USAP Facilities McMurdo Station is the largest station in Antarctica and the southermost point to which a ship can sail. This photo faces south, with sea ice in front of the station, Observation Hill to the left (with White Island behind it), Minna Bluff and Black Island in the distance to the right, and the McMurdo Ice Shelf in between. Photo by Elaine Hood. USAP participants are required to put safety and environmental protection first while living and working in Antarctica. Extra individual responsibility for personal behavior is also expected. This chapter contains general information that applies to all Antarctic locations, as well as information specific to each station and research vessel. WORK REQUIREMENT At Antarctic stations and field camps, the work week is 54 hours (nine hours per day, Monday through Saturday). Aboard the research vessels, the work week is 84 hours (12 hours per day, Monday through Sunday). At times, everyone may be expected to work more hours, assist others in the performance of their duties, and/or assume community-related job responsibilities, such as washing dishes or cleaning the bathrooms. Due to the challenges of working in Antarctica, no guarantee can be made regarding the duties, location, or duration of work. The objective is to support science, maintain the station, and ensure the well-being of all station personnel. SAFETY The USAP is committed to safe work practices and safe work environments. There is no operation, activity, or research worth the loss of life or limb, no matter how important the future discovery may be, and all proactive safety measures shall be taken to ensure the protection of participants.
  • Flnitflrclid

    Flnitflrclid

    flNiTflRClID A NEWS BULLETIN published quarterly by the NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY (INC) A New Zealand geochemist, Dr W. F. Giggenbach, descends into the inner crater of Mt Erebus on December 23 last year in an unsuccessful attempt to take gas samples. Behind him in the lava lake of the volcano where the temperature is 1000deg Celsius. On his rucksack he carries titanium gas sampling rods. Photo by Colin Monteath VOl. 8, NO. 1 1 . Wellington, New Zealand, as a magazine. o6pt61*11061% I 979I ' . SOUTH SANDWICH Is SOUTH GEORGIA f S O U T H O R K N E Y I s x \ *#****t ■ /o Orcadas arg \ - aanae s» Novolazarevskaya ussr XJ FALKLAND Is /*Signyl.uK ,,'\ V\60-W / -'' \ Syowa japan SOUTH AMERICA /'' /^ y Borga 7 s a "Molodezhnaya A SOUTH , .a /WEDDELL T\USSR SHETLAND DRONNING MAUD LAND ENOERBY \] / Halley Bay^ ununn n mMUU / I s 'SEA uk'v? COATS Ld LAND JJ Druzhnaya ^General Belgrano arg ANTARCTIC %V USSR *» -» /\ ^ Mawson MAC ROBERTSON LANO\ '■ aust /PENINSULA,' "*■ (see map below) /Sohral arg _ ■ = Davis aust /_Siple — USA Amundsen-Scott / queen MARY LAND gMirny [ELLSWORTH u s a / ; t h u s s i " LANO K / ° V o s t o k u s s r / k . MARIE BYRD > LAND WILKES LAND Scott kOSS|nzk SEA I ,*$V /VICTORIA TERRE ' •|Py»/ LAND AOEilE ,y Leningradskaya X' USSR,''' \ 1 3 -------"';BALLENYIs ANTARCTIC PENINSULA ^ v . : 1 Teniente Matienzo arg 2 Esperanza arc 3 Almirante Brown arg 4 Petrel arg 5 Decepcion arg 6 Vicecomodoro Marambio arg ' ANTARCTICA 7 Arturo Prat chile 8 Bernardo O'Higgins chile 1000 Miles 9 Presidents Frei chile * ? 500 1000 Kilometres 10 Stonington I.
  • Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASPA) No

    Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASPA) No

    Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASPA) No. 137 NORTHWEST WHITE ISLAND, McMURDO SOUND (167° 20' E, 78° 00' S) 1 Description of values to be protected An area of 150 km2 of coastal shelf ice on the northwest side of White Island was originally designated by Recommendation XIII-8 (1985, SSSI No. 18) after a proposal by the United States of America on the grounds that this locality contains an unusual breeding population of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) which is the most southerly known, and which has been physically isolated from other populations by advance of the McMurdo Ice Shelf and Ross Ice Shelf. The original boundaries have been adjusted in the current plan in light of recent data recording the spatial distribution of the seals on the ice shelves. In the south, the boundary of the Area has been shifted north and east to exclude the region north of White Strait where no observations of the seals have been recorded. In the north, the Area has been extended to encompass an additional part of the Ross Ice Shelf in order to ensure inclusion of more of the region within which the seals may be found. The Area is now approximately 130 km2. The colony appears unable to relocate to another area because of its distance from the open ocean of McMurdo Sound, and as such is highly vulnerable to any human impacts that might occur in the vicinity. Year-round studies have detected no evidence of immigration or emigration of seals from the population, which appears to have grown to around 25 to 30 animals from a population of around 11 in the 1960s.

  • Public Information Leaflet HISTORY.Indd

    British Antarctic Survey History The United Kingdom has a long and distinguished record of scientific exploration in Antarctica. Before the creation of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), there were many surveying and scientific expeditions that laid the foundations for modern polar science. These ranged from Captain Cook’s naval voyages of the 18th century, to the famous expeditions led by Scott and Shackleton, to a secret wartime operation to secure British interests in Antarctica. Today, BAS is a world leader in polar science, maintaining the UK’s long history of Antarctic discovery and scientific endeavour. The early years Britain’s interests in Antarctica started with the first circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent by Captain James Cook during his voyage of 1772-75. Cook sailed his two ships, HMS Resolution and HMS Adventure, into the pack ice reaching as far as 71°10' south and crossing the Antarctic Circle for the first time. He discovered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands although he did not set eyes on the Antarctic continent itself. His reports of fur seals led many sealers from Britain and the United States to head to the Antarctic to begin a long and unsustainable exploitation of the Southern Ocean. Image: Unloading cargo for the construction of ‘Base A’ on Goudier Island, Antarctic Peninsula (1944). During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, interest in Antarctica was largely focused on the exploitation of its surrounding waters by sealers and whalers. The discovery of the South Shetland Islands is attributed to Captain William Smith who was blown off course when sailing around Cape Horn in 1819.