SPECIAL FEATURE: NEW WALL MAP OF ANTARCTICA ENCLOSED THE PUBLICATION OF THE NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY Vol 37, Nos. 3 & 4, 2019 Vol RRP $15.95 AURORA AUSTRALIS ON CAMERA - capturing the beauty of the southern lights Drilling through the Ross Ice Shelf Micro-organisms in the volcanic vents of Erebus What’s causing sea level rise? The mapping of Antarctica Join the 04 NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY today! 9 770003 532006 antarcticsociety.org.nz Vol 38, Nos. 3 & 4, 2019 In Brief antarcticsociety.org.nz Antarctic Treaty turns 60! On 1 December 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington is published by the New Zealand Antarctic Society Inc. DC by twelve countries, including ISSN 0003-5327 New Zealand, ensuring that Antarctica “shall continue forever to be used exclusively EDITOR: Nicholas O’Flaherty Publisher, The Antarctic Report for peaceful purposes”. The agreement specifically email: [email protected] promoted the freedom of scientific research and laid EDITORIAL SUPPORT: Peter Barrett, Shirley Russ, Bill Nye, the foundation for the extensive international science Stuart Grayson cooperation that exists today. MEMBERSHIP: Anyone can join the NZAS! If you have an 160°E Bedrock Elevation Ice Velocity 16 180° W 0°E 180° ° 180˚ Aerial radar surveys over many years have revealed the thickness By using satellite data, scientists can track the velocity of the ice °W 14 160 as it moves slowly from the central ice domes and gains speed 160 of the ice sheet and topography of the bedrock hidden beneath, 14 0° interest in Antarctica, and want to help preserve its fragile much of it located below sea level. In fact, the deepest point is towards the coast, especially for glaciers and floating ice shelves. 0° W E E 0° the Bentley Subglacial Trench at 2555m below sea level. The Understanding the speed and direction of the ice increases our 4 140°W 1 highest peak on the continent is the Vinson Massif (4892m) in knowledge of ice behaviour under climate stress, and improves ˚E 160˚W projections of future sea level rise. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is 1 the Ellsworth Mountains. However, the most intriguing is the 160 20 120 °E Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountain Range, which rises to a height so named because it is largely east of 0° longitude, the Greenwich ° W 0°W E 0° 12 of 2768m above sea level, yet lies buried Meridian, with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet lying 12 beneath more than 1km of ice below Dome A west of that longitude line (4091m) on the Polar Plateau. 10 10 0°E 0°W 0°E 0°W BENTLEY SUB- 10 10 GLACIAL TRENCH 60˚S EAST ANTARCTIC WEST ANTARCTIC -2555m ICE SHEET ICE SHEET GAMBURTSEV SUBGLACIAL VINSON MASSIF 80 80° 80°E MOUNTAINS 4892m °W 80°E W 2768m 80°S 80°S 60°W 60°W 1 ˚E 4 0 0˚W °E environment, contact us at: membership@antarcticsociety. 60°E 14 60 New wall map of Antarctica 40°W 40 E 70°S E 70°S ° ° ° W 0 0 4 4 20° 20° E °E W W 20 0° 20° 0° 3300 1000 300 0 -1000 -3000 -4000 -4700 -6300m 0 10 30 500 1000 m/year Scale: 1:47 000 000 Scale: 1:47 000 000 0 500 km 0 500 km org.nz. 70˚S 12 0 ˚ W 120˚E - enclosed with this edition SCHOOLS: NZAS welcomes membership from schools; for 80˚S 1 0 0 ˚W 00˚E more information on the benefits of school membership 1 90˚S To commemorate the 60th 1. SAN MARTIN (ARGENTINA) 2. ROTHERA (UK) 3. VERNADSKY (UKRAINE) 4. PALMER (USA) 5. YELCHO (CHILE) 6. MELCHIOR (ARGENTINA) 7. BROWN (ARGENTINA) 8. GABRIEL GONZALEZ VIDELA (CHILE) 9. MATIENZO (ARGENTINA) 10. PRIMAVERA (ARGENTINA) ˚W 11. JOHANN GREGOR MENDEL (CZECH REPUBLIC) 80 ˚E 0 12. MARAMBIO (ARGENTINA) 8 13. O’HIGGINS (CHILE) 14. ESPERANZA (ARGENTINA) 15. PETREL (ARGENTINA) contact: [email protected]. 16. DECEPCION (ARGENTINA) 17. GABRIEL DE CASTILLA (SPAIN) 2 18. DR. GUILLERMO MANN (CHILE) 19. JUAN CARLOS I (SPAIN) 20. ST. KLIMENT OHRIDSKI (BULGARIA) 1 21. CAMARA (ARGENTINA) 22. PEDRO VICENTE MALDONADO (ECUADOR) 23. ARTURO PRAT ANTARCTIC NAVAL BASE (CHILE) 80˚S 24. LUIS RISOPATRON (CHILE) 25. GREAT WALL (CHINA) 3 26. PROFESSOR JULIO ESCUDERO (CHILE) anniversary of the Antarctic 4 27. PRESIDENT EDUARDO FREI (CHILE) 5 28. BELLINGSHAUSEN (RUSSIA) 29. ARTIGAS (URUGUAY) 6 30. KING SEJONG (REPUBLIC OF KOREA) 7-8 31. CARLINI (ARGENTINA) 32. ARCTOWSKI (POLAND) 33. MACHU PICCHU (PERU) 9 10 16-17 34. COMANDANTE FERRAZ (BRAZIL) 11 12 18-24 13 25-34 15 14 ˚ 60 E ˚ W ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP: Please contact: 60 70˚S Antarctic Circumpolar Current Treaty, the NZ Antarctic Society, Represents dense, super-cold water sinking to the ocean floor’ Polar Front (PF) Sea Ice Extent: Sept (1981-2010) Subantarctic Front (SAF) Sea Ice Extent: Feb (1981-2010) Scale: 1:85 000 000 Scale: 1:85 000 000 160°E 0 1500 km 160°E South Island (NZ) Chatham 0 1500 km 180° 180° Islands (NZ) °W Tasmania (AU) 160°W 160 [email protected] 140 Auckland Islands (NZ) 140 Campbell Island (NZ) °W °E 0 °E 4 1 140°W Macquarie Island (AU) Sou ther n O c 40 e E an ˚W ˚ 12 40 120 0°E 0°W °E 0°W 12 12 100 1 °E 100°W 00°E 100°W 60˚S 80° E 80 80°E Heard Island (AU) 80°S W 80° 80°S °W C McDonald Islands (AU) HIL in partnership with Land E AR GENTINA Kerguelen Islands (FR) 70°S 70°S Falkland Islands 60°W 60°W S ˚ 0°E o (UK) 20 6 u W 60°E ˚E Crozet Islands (FR) th 20 Sea Ice Extent e Southern Ocean rn Oc Antarctic sea ice expands and retreats each year over a vast ea 60°S South Georgia In the Southern Ocean, cold dense waters from Antarctica sink 60°S Marion Island (SA) n 2 (UK) and oxygenate the deep ocean, burying carbon dioxide. The area of the Southern Ocean, covering up to 19 million km , larger Prince Edward 4 4 Island (SA) 0° world’s largest ocean current, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current than the continent itself. The annual process creates one of the 0°W Bouvet Island (NO) W 0°E (ACC), flows uninterrupted around Antarctica. About one third largest, most dynamic ecosystems on Earth, which has a major 4 50°S 50°S 20° of the water transported in the ACC is in the Subantarctic Front, influence on the rest of the global climate system. Sea ice reflects 20 0˚ °W W solar radiation, and modifies exchanges between ocean and 20°E which also marks its northern boundary. Further south, another 20°E INDEXER: 0° 0° Mike Wing third is transported in the Polar Front which separates the atmosphere. As it melts, the ice releases organic matter which upwelling waters from the sinking polar waters further south. fosters phytoplankton blooms. ANTARCTICA Ross Island Citations Ever since humans have been going to Antarctica, they have needed shelter from Since the time of Scott and Shackleton, Ross Island has been a popular starting Basemap: Land Information New Zealand. Ross Sea Region Antarctic Base Map. https:// Rocks: Burton-Johnson, A., Black, M., Fretwell, P. T., and Kaluza-Gilbert, J.: An automated the elements, and bases from which to explore and conduct research. The first point for expeditions into the interior of Antarctica. Today it is the location of New tiles.maps.linz.io/antarctic_basemap/WMTSCapabilities.xml methodology for differentiating rock from snow, clouds and sea in Antarctica from Modern Traverse: Indicative routes taken each summer by were cramped by today’s standards and provided only rudimentary protection Cape Bird Zealand’s Scott Base and the United States McMurdo Station. Landsat 8 imagery: a new rock outcrop map and area estimation for the entire Antarctic supply convoys of tracked vehicles, to scientific research COMNAP: Data provided by individual COMNAP member National Antarctic Programs. from the cold. continent, The Cryosphere, 10, 1665-1677, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1665-2016, 2016. stations on the polar plateau. ROSS SEA https://www.comnap.aq/SitePages/Home.aspx The very first base used for wintering over on the continent consisted of Labels: RAMP2: Liu, H., K. C. Jezek, B. Li, and Z. Zhao. 2015. Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project prefabricated huts of Norwegian spruce, installed at Cape Adare. Ten men from Mt. Bird Cape - SCAR Secretariat (1992, updated 2014 and 2017). Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Historical Route: The first three overland expeditions to 1800 Tennyson Digital Elevation Model, Version 2. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA Borchgrevink’s British Antarctic (Southern Cross) Expedition spent the winter Wood Point Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. reach the South Pole, 1911-1958. National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: http://dx.doi. Information New Zealand, has there in 1899. LEWIS - Land Information New Zealand (LINZ): David Harrowfield, Antarctic Visitor Center, BAY org/10.5067/8JKNEW6BFRVD. [01-05-2019] International Antarctic Center, Christchurch, New Zealand Antarctic Programme and the Science station In 1903 the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition constructed Omond House, WOHLSCHLAG International Centre for Antarctic Information and Research. BAY Cape REMA 8m: Howat, I. M., Porter, C., Smith, B. E., Noh, M.-J., and Morin, P.: The Reference a stone building, on Laurie Island in the South Orkneys. In 1904 it became part Crozier of Orcadas Base, still operated by the Argentine government today, the longest Elevation Model of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 665-674, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc- Acknowledgemets for REMA DEM MT.