ANTARCTICA

My first educational posting will focus on the continent of Antarctica and King George Island of the South Shetland Island chain. Our expedition, departed Ushuaia, Argentina and we traveled by ship through the Drake Passage for 2.5 days. The Drake Passage is considered some of the most dangerous waters to navigate in the world. If you view my postings on the Drake you will understand why.

Our first stop was on King George Island, 684 Nautical miles away from the southern tip of South America. It is located at 62˚23’S 58˚27W between the Drake passage on one side and Bransfield Strait on the other. In 1819, the island was named by British explorer William Smith in honor of King George.


We observed both chinstrap and Gentoo penguins playing on the shore as we landed. Many penguins had migrated north in preparation for the winter months.

King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands off the coast of the Antarctic peninsula. The surface of the island is made up of volcanic rock and 90 percent is covered in Glacier. Since first claimed by Britain, Chile and Argentina have both laid claims to the island. Most countries do not recognize Chile and Argentina's claim and reserve the right to make claims throughout Antarctica.

Many countries have laid claim and established bases on King George Island. This is due to better weather conditions, convenient airstrip accessibility and waters that do not freeze during the winter months.

The famous Russian base of Bellingshausen Station was where we landed our zodiac boats. The base is fairly large and is manned by roughly 22 people throughout the year. While there, we met the only female at the Russian base who was filming a documentary of life at the station. She had planned to be there for an entire year. At Bellingshausen Station, the Russians have also established what is considered one of the southernmost Church's in the world. The Russian Orthodox Trinity Church which was brought piece by piece from Russia.

Other countries who have established bases on King George Island are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China (the base is call the Great Wall and the Chinese members of our expedition were allowed to visit), South Korea, Peru, Poland and Uruguay.

Robert Swan's 2041 organization was the first independent group to establish a private ebase (e-learning) on King George Island. In 2009, this base went live 365 days a year through the use of renewable energy.

By definition (Heritage Dictionary) "Antarctica is a continent lying chiefly within the Antarctic Circle and asymmetrically centered on the South Pole. Some 95 percent of Antarctica is covered by an icecap averaging 1.6 km or 1 mile in thickness. The region was first explored in the early 1800s, and although there are no permanent settlements, many countries have made territorial claims. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959, signed by 12 nations, prohibited military operations on the continent and provided for the interchange of scientific data. "

According to Wikipedia, "Antarctica is the Earth's southern most continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. It is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America and South America.

Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The coldest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89 degrees Celsius or -128 degrees Fahrenheit at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21, July 1983. For comparison, this is 11 degrees colder than subliming dry ice. Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation; the South Pole itself receives less than 10 centimeters or 4 inches per year, on average. Eastern Antarctica is colder than its western counterpart because of its higher elevation. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent, leaving the center cold and dry."

One of the key differences between the Arctic and Antarctic, is that Antarctica is a continent. It is made of 5.4 million miles and is covered by an icecap. The Arctic is not a continent, but a floating icecap. In the winter months, Antarctica swells to 10.2 million square miles.

Check back soon for another educational posting!