The Southern Ocean

There is a tremendous amount of information that has written about Antarctica for those wanting to do some heavy reading. Much of the information I will be sharing is from a few different sources including my personal experience, pictures from our expedition, personal research on specific subject matters and the Antarctic Primer provided to each member of the expedition.

"The Southern Ocean consists of a broad band of generally turbulent water surrounding the continent of Antarctica. The northern limit of this ocean is at about 40 degrees South latitude. Westerly winds and the associated West Wind Drift, or Antarctic Circumpolar Current, are outstanding features of the Southern Ocean. They cause massive amounts of water to move constantly from west to east all around Antarctica. This involves water from the surface down to about 3,000 meters (9,900 feet) stretching over a distance of some 24,000 kilometers (14,200 miles).

It has been estimated that on average some 130 million cubic meters of water per second are continuously on the move, four times that of the Gulf Stream, and 400 times that of the Mississippi.

A ship sailing south to Antarctica will encounter a sharp drop in temperature between 49 degrees and 55 degrees South latitude. At that point one can usually detect subtle changes in both the ocean and the atmosphere. If the weather is calm there may be a sudden fog bank, a line of turbulence, and/or concentrations of feeding seabirds. This delineates the Antarctic Convergence, a zone that surrounds the continent." (AP pg.15)

On the expedition, it was communicated when we were heading into the Antarctic Convergence. We experienced a definite drop in temperature and associated fog which can be associated with a change in atmospheric conditions.

A few of us commented on the change we could see and feel regarding the changes in the atmospheric pressure and climate change. I commented in an earlier blog on how the foggy conditions also contributed to the mystic that surrounds Antarctica.

Obviously, one of the dangers of the Southern Ocean are the large icebergs.

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!

Drake Passage Video (TEST)

This posting is a test for the Meridian School District. The District has specific requirements for the use of video. I used Zamzar to covert video to a wmv file and then embedded it in the blog. It's great to learn of a website I had never used before. I'm still amazed at the technology in the world. I wonder which student in the Meridian School District or State of Idaho will develop the next important invention we can't live without.

Bernadette, thanks for all your help! Let's hope this works.