Chimu adventures’ Miles Buesst describes the wonders of camping at the end of the world-Antarctica.

You are unlikely to get much sleep if you go camping whilst on an Antarctic Expedition in early February: sunset is at around 11.30pm and sunrise at 4.30am, and you certainly don’t want to miss either of them, I can assure you. Sleeping seems rather a waste of your precious time overnighting on the Continent of Antarctica, as, by staying awake, you can listen to the rumble of glaciers calving in the distance; watch the stars of the Southern Hemisphere without any light pollution whatsoever; or perhaps hear the sound of a humpback whale releasing air from its blowhole.

I had the privilege of experiencing all these phenomena while on the 11-day Antarctic Peninsula cruise on the M/V Plancius. A group of 15 passengers, of five nationalities, was taken by our intrepid guide, Jim, whose no-nonsense good humour inspired complete confidence.

Most people were keen to sleep in the open air, if the weather was favourable, but we still had to set up our three-man, igloo tents, in case the fickle Antarctic weather turned nasty. This took the best part of an hour, as we were all overexcited … as well as ham-fisted and clueless! Arranging one’s bedding was no simple matter either: there were two

Antarctica Sunset

sleeping bags and a liner to go one inside the other, and then place on two sleeping mats (one of which had to be inflated). Finally, all this was placed inside a snow-proof ‘bivvy bag’. Getting into this lot and zipping up was no easy matter, by the way, and needed a contortionist’s flexibility, combined with a trapeze artist’s strength (neither of which I have)!

Jim had recommended sleeping naked (with a hat on), as the warmth inside the bag was created by body heat. However, I’m afraid to say that I was too sissy for this, and slept wearing three tops, long johns and socks … as well as my woolly hat, of course. (I certainly didn’t regret that decision when the sunrise woke us up at 5am, and I had to emerge from my cocoon to minus 5 degree Celsius temperatures.)

Before going to sleep however, there was still time and light to investigate our surroundings, on a small hill overlooking Wordie House, an early British research station that has now been designated as a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty System. It was not all peace and tranquillity, mind you: we were sharing the campsite with a flock of skuas, an aggressive, territorial seabird, known to attack the heads of humans, putting one in mind of Hitchcock’s The Birds. Having seen one of these birds killing and ripping apart a baby penguin earlier in the day, I was sufficiently scared and walked around waving my hat above my head to deter attack.

Tags: Antarctic adventure, Antarctic expedition tours, Antarctic wildlife, Antarctica Cruises, Antarctica expedition cruises, Antarctica journeys, Antarctica tours, Antartic journey, Travel to Antarctica

Antarctica, larger than Europe or, makes up one-tenth of earth’s land mass. However, this continent is far from hospitable, with sustain winds reaching 192 mph and temperatures as low as negative 89 degrees Celsius. The continent is fully surrounded by water, specifically the Southern Ocean. It is this kind of rough terrain that has attracted many to travel to Antarctica on Antarctic expeditions. 

Penguins in Antarctica

Abundant wildlife – whales, seals, penguins, various aquatic life, and birds – are at home here in the world’s purest and most nutrient-rich waters.Masses of micro forage and krill inhabit under the huge ice shelves.Krill is the primary diet of baleen whales, seals and penguins, and is even used in Japan as a food source for humans.

Because of the extreme weather conditions prevalent in Antartica, all animals must learn to adapt in order to survive. The yearly rainfall is a mere 200 mm on the coast (less as you travel inland), and it is maintains the highest average elevation among the 7 continents.Seals and penguins are among the animals living in Antarctica who have adapted to the cold, and some plant forms of tundra vegetation and algae have also adapted to the cold.

One unique characteristic of Antarctica makes if quite important. A higher molecular density exists within the atmosphere at the poles. The greenhouse effect is more evident as a result of these intensified levels. The planet’s surface heats more quickly at the poles as the sun’s power is consumed more readily.

The Earth’s atmosphere composition is approximately 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. There are also minute amounts of carvbon dioxide and methane. The gases and water vapour are warmed by soaking up the earth back radiation. This phenomenon is referred to as the greenhouse effect.

Furthermore, due to the ’slingshot effect’ present at the Earth’s equator, the polar areas accumulate methane and carbon dioxide gases at a far greater rate than any other place on Earth.The increase in temperature caused by the greenhouse effect is four or five times that of warmer places; therefore, Antarctica is very significant for scientific research, specifically on the greenhouse effect.

The ice sheet that covers Antarctica is nearly 3 miles thick.It was created by the compaction of snow over millions of years.Excavators have discovered a great deal of information on prehistoric eras by drilling and examining core samples and their atomic isotopes and prehistoric air bubbles.

The infamous hole in the ozone layer is caused by fluorocarbons released from refrigerants into the atmosphere interacting with ozone.Overtime, this molecule has stripped away layers of the ozone.The resulting heat has produced the breaking and destruction of various ice sections.

The ice moves North and melts as it reaches warmer waters.This melting increases the volume of the oceans and causes the sea level to rise.As the icecap shrinks, so do the spawning grounds of the krill, which ultimately effects the food supply of the other Antarctic animals.

It is estimated that the seas would rise over 180 feet if all the Antarctic ice melted. Essentially, this would make New York seem like Venice, with water reaching the 20th floor of the skyscrapers.Countries at a lower altitude, such as Bangladesh, could be completely swallowed up and destroyed.

Most people who have been on an Antarctic expedition tour will tell you of the breathtaking beauty of the continent. Animals are not shy about the presence of humans.It is an inspiring sight to view the mixture of animal innocence and nature’s beauty.

Hope remains that current and future civilizations will value Antarctica enough to protect and conserve its perfect brilliance.  Many nations have joined together and made advancements toward increasing sustainability and preserving the natural environment.

Tags: Antarctic adventure, Antarctic expedition tours, Antarctic wildlife, Antarctica Cruises, Antarctica expedition cruises, Antarctica journeys, Antarctica tours, Antartic journey, Travel to Antarctica