This morning, Jumper woke us up by saying “wakey, wakey” over the PA system. He told everyone to get ready and head outside to see the Lemaire Channel before breakfast. The water was really beautiful when the sun was rising. After seeing the channel, Team Shackleton ate breakfast as a group. I ate fried potatoes with ketchup, which I also ate yesterday and the day before.
Today was our first zodiac cruise! To board the zodiacs, we walked down to the bottom deck of the ship to the loading zone at the stern. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a disinfectant solution which we had to step into. The zodiacs toured around the Iceberg Graveyard, which, as its name suggests, has lots of ice bergs. The tops of the icebergs were white, but the bottoms and cracks in the sides were a range of colors: mint, teal, turquoise, and blue. They’re blue because as snow lands on top of the ice over thousands of years, the ice becomes compressed. The density of the ice causes it to reflect blue light and absorb all other colors of light.
Today was our first zodiac cruise! To board the zodiacs, we walked down to the bottom deck of the ship to the loading zone at the stern. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a disinfectant solution which we had to step into. The zodiacs toured around the Iceberg Graveyard, which, as its name suggests, has lots of ice bergs. The tops of the icebergs were white, but the bottoms and cracks in the sides were a range of colors: mint, teal, turquoise, and blue. They’re blue because as snow lands on top of the ice over thousands of years, the ice becomes compressed. The density of the ice causes it to reflect blue light and absorb all other colors of light.
However, icebergs weren’t the only things I saw in the Iceberg Graveyard - there was also lots of wildlife. I saw several of crabeater seals (their name is misleading because they actually eat krill, not crabs). There was a group of Gentoo penguins porpoising through the water (swimming in and out, like dolphins). Additionally, my zodiac saw a small group of humpback whales! First, we saw their spouts in the distance, but as we approached them we could see their backs. Just as my zodiac was leaving to go back to the ship, we saw a fluke!
In the afternoon, we landed at Port Charcot, where our teams practiced rope skills. First, we used water knots, carabiners, and alpine butterfly knots to create a “daisy chain” (every team member was connected to the rope). The Quark staff taught us how to self-arrest if a team member fell - we had to drop down onto our elbows and toes. After some practice, we climbed up a steep hill, and I almost fell a couple of times.
At the top of the mountain at Port Charcot, there was an old wooden boat. There was supposed to be a historical lecture, but I think it was cancelled. My friend Manon and I had a snowball fight with the Canadians, Mik and James. Mik and James were much better at making and throwing snowballs, but I ended up hitting them with the last snowball as they were getting their photo taken. I started walking back down the mountain before they could get me back. If there’s another snowball fight, I’ll probably get creamed!
In the afternoon, we landed at Port Charcot, where our teams practiced rope skills. First, we used water knots, carabiners, and alpine butterfly knots to create a “daisy chain” (every team member was connected to the rope). The Quark staff taught us how to self-arrest if a team member fell - we had to drop down onto our elbows and toes. After some practice, we climbed up a steep hill, and I almost fell a couple of times.
At the top of the mountain at Port Charcot, there was an old wooden boat. There was supposed to be a historical lecture, but I think it was cancelled. My friend Manon and I had a snowball fight with the Canadians, Mik and James. Mik and James were much better at making and throwing snowballs, but I ended up hitting them with the last snowball as they were getting their photo taken. I started walking back down the mountain before they could get me back. If there’s another snowball fight, I’ll probably get creamed!
In the evening, Rob talked to everyone before team meetings. He told us that to preserve Antarctica, we must “listen to it and love it.” He encouraged us to use and collaborate with the other expedition members to help us become stronger leaders. My half of Team Shackleton met to start an activity called “Sweet Spot,” which Matthias gave us. His leadership program is different than most others because it teaches us to become better leaders by concentrating on our current strengths, rather than telling us to imitate the qualities of other leaders. Tonight, each member of my team talked about an activity that we do, and the other team members identified our strengths.
After Team Time, David Hone presented on climate science. He pointed out that the climate has always changed, but for a reason. When the earth’s equilibrium is disrupted, the planet is pushed to a warmer or cooler stage. High CO2 levels in the atmosphere are correlated with high temperature. CO2 in the atmosphere is a positive feedback loop: more CO2 increases the temperature, which causes more CO2 to rise from the ocean, etc. David also noted that people who claim to disprove climate change cherry-pick their data and don’t compare like with like. For example, they might compare the temperature data from a less recent El Niño year with a more recent La Niña year to show that the earth is cooling. However, they ignore the general upward trend and the increase in temperature from one El Niño year to the next. David also talked about rising sea levels and the increase in extreme weather.
After Team Time, David Hone presented on climate science. He pointed out that the climate has always changed, but for a reason. When the earth’s equilibrium is disrupted, the planet is pushed to a warmer or cooler stage. High CO2 levels in the atmosphere are correlated with high temperature. CO2 in the atmosphere is a positive feedback loop: more CO2 increases the temperature, which causes more CO2 to rise from the ocean, etc. David also noted that people who claim to disprove climate change cherry-pick their data and don’t compare like with like. For example, they might compare the temperature data from a less recent El Niño year with a more recent La Niña year to show that the earth is cooling. However, they ignore the general upward trend and the increase in temperature from one El Niño year to the next. David also talked about rising sea levels and the increase in extreme weather.