Advertisement

News

Awesome Antarctica

The raw and overwhelming beauty of the Antarctic is hard to describe in words. At every turn and moment, you are surrounded by the rocky, sculpted silhouettes of mountains, gleaming glaciers and enormous sheets of ice twisted into intricate geometric patterns. Their beauty is surpassed only by the glaciers’ offspring, 20-metre high iceberg masterpieces of swooping ridges and gently rounded curves. 

This Christmas break, I had the opportunity to study the Great White Continent as a participant of the Students on Ice 2014 Youth Antarctic Expedition. Students on Ice is an educational organization that takes students, educators and scientists from around the world on trips to both the Arctic and Antarctic. 

Using a modern icebreaker as our headquarters, we were able to experience the grandeur and nuances of the Antarctic while immersed in a rigorous educational program of lectures, workshops and hands-on scientific research. I had dreamed of participating in the program since my first year of high school. It was worth the two-year wait. 

But perhaps the most awe-inspiring part of Antarctica was its wildlife, the gigantic whales, gracefully agile albatrosses, seals and adorably clumsy penguins everywhere. I could not believe that such intricate beauty could exist on the planet. 

On shore we studied the continent’s rich ecosystems and geography conducted scientific research in relation to glaciology, oceanography and ecology while admiring the continent’s otherworldly landscapes. 

No day could be defined as typical. It was impossible to distinguish night from day since Antarctica is immersed in 24-hour sunlight during the summer. 

You return from such a remote and unique place with a new perspective. Antarctica teaches a lesson in the evanescence of human life. 

Unfortunately, anthropogenic activities are threatening the Great White Continent’s health and beauty. 

Climate change is destroying the coastline of Antarctica. Some areas have experienced a 3° increase in average temperature over the last 50 years. This shift has accelerated the melting of glaciers, which could have unpredictable effects on the continent’s geography, its surrounding biosphere and the rest of the world’s weather patterns. 

In addition, emerging interest in the harvesting of krill, a small marine plankton, could potentially cause a collapse of the Antarctic food chain. 

It would be a shame to sacrifice something so complex, so majestic and so beautiful to mere ambition. 

Robert Adragna is a 16-year-old Etobicoke high school student.

news@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted