November 21st, 2009
After a whirlwind few days at the bottom of the planet, also known as Ushuaia, Argentina, our IATE team set off for the Drake Passage early afternoon on 18 November, 2009. Having made it through the notorious Drake and having their first sight of land in 2 days, the excitment is reaching fevor pitch for all onboard – follow their adventures at our IATE expedition blogsite. Our enthusiastic team onboard has also launched a twitter account to better communicate their Antarctic expedition experiences for their family, friends, co-workers, and supporters around the world.
Follow us @IATE2009, or sign up for our twitter RSS feed here. Don’t know what this ‘twitter’ is all about? Find out here!
Published by: Heather | Comments Off
Posted in 2041 News, Antarctica, Expedition |
August 19th, 2009
Antarctica is fascinating, dangerous, strange, awe-inspiring, and ultimately unlike anywhere else on this planet – qualities that provoke both legendary and legendarily tragic conquests. These are some of the reasons Robert Swan developed his attachment to the continent at a young age, and also why he feels so strongly about ensuring its protection.
These photos, taken by Keith Vanderlinde of the National Science Foundation are of the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights.
Taken from the Amundsen-Scott station, the Aurora Australis is produced when solar winds carry charged particles – originating from the Sun – from the Earth’s upper atmosphere, where they collide and react with particles in Earth’s magnetosphere.
Published by: Heather | Comments Off
Posted in 2041 News, Antarctica |
August 6th, 2009
An article reprinted last week in the San Francisco Chronicle (originally from TheDailyGreen) suggests that the question among Antarctic climatologists is no longer ‘Is Antarctica melting?” but rather
“How FAST is Antarctica melting?”
A recent study prepared by the US Geologic Survey (USGS) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shows that Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets are retreating and melting more rapidly than previously anticipated, and the Wordie Ice Shelf has disappeared altogether. As darker sea water replaces floating ice and ice shelves, the water absorbs energy that the ice had reflected and speeds the cycle of warming.
The report’s conclusion – that sea-level rise estimates based on a total collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet are less dramatic than previously suggested – does little to temper the suggestion that our planet is experiencing profound effects from global warming much more rapidly than scientists had anticipated. The article ends with a call to action and plea for long-term vision in building our future, “The cost of doing nothing to address global warming is likely to be much larger than the cost of doing something. If we act now, it may or may not take some steam out of the economy, but it will produce clean energy jobs and a more sustainable economy in the long run.”
Published by: Heather | Comments Off
Posted in 2041 News, Antarctica, Climate Change |
