“We are changing the peninsula from a polar region to a sub-Antarctic region very quickly.” – Ari Friedlaender, lead whale scientist.
Since 1979, there are 85 less days each year of sea ice on the Antarctic Peninsula and 87% of the glaciers are retreating as ocean temperatures continue to rise. These changes have had giant impacts on krill, a small shrimp-like crustacean dependent on sea ice and the keystone of the Antarctic ecosystem.
From acoustic monitoring to crossbow biopsies, researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz use a variety of technologies to document how marine mammals are impacted by the changing environment. To study whale populations, the team often employs a custom designed drone featuring photogrammetry equipment allowing them to study the health of animals from the air.
Gentoo penguins have managed to adapt to warmer temperatures, however the changes have caused a sharp decline in the Adelie penguin population – who swim closer to shore – and with the loss of sea ice, have been less successful venturing into open ocean in search of krill.
Our ship carries 146 passengers, houses a gym and sauna, and the ability to upgrade to the Shackleton Suites equipped with a separate lounge and superior linens. While crossing the Drake one of the crew members gives a presentation in the bar on Shackleton’s life and expeditions. After the demise of his ship and in order to save the lives of his crew, he survived a harrowing 800-mile trek across open ocean in a small lifeboat amidst hurricane-force winds. After the presentation, guests gather in the dining room for a four course à la carte meal, and I am left with a sense of loss, false adventure, ingenuine fruition.
“A whale tells you about the emergent properties of the ocean that have to work together to make it productive. You need to have the right amount of nutrients, the right amount of sunlight, the right temperature of water, the right depth of water, all of these things have to work in concert to produce just a little bit of life, and if there is enough life to sustain the biggest animal on the planet, a whale represents a structure and a functioning ecosystem. So, to me, they are a good proxy for where you have stability in an ecosystem.” – Ari Friedlaender, whale scientist.
Ari Friedlaender has been traveling to the region for more than 20 years.
Researchers often employ a video-recording, motion-sensor tag that is able to stay on the whales for up to 24 hours before suction cups pop it off, allowing scientists to identify individual eating patterns and better understand critical feeding areas.
Antarctic whales are still recovering from commercial whaling in the 20th century, when two million whales were harvested to near extinction. Today, scientists have identified levels of microplastics, flame retardants, heavy metals and persistent organic compounds in whales found in the Antarctic environment.
“I feel Antarctica is a place that as much as we have already done to it, it should be allowed to heal. It should be a place that lives on its own, outside of our influence as much as possible.” – Ari Friedlaender, whale scientist.
Logan Pallin, whale scientist, holds a biopsy sample of a dwarf minke whale, collected with a crossbow and modified darts designed to prevent injury to the whales. The biopsies provide information on the genetic identity and population of each animal, gender, reproductive state, pregnancy rate, diet, and amount of human made compounds and contaminants that accumulate in them. Pallin’s work has documented a baby boom in the humpback whale population, with 63% pregnant each year, a statistic scientists are worried will decrease with the changing environment.
The Antarctic ice sheet is on average a mile thick and is nearly three miles in places. It contains 90% of all ice on Earth and would raise worldwide ocean levels by more than 200 feet if it were to melt entirely. Some scientists are exploring the idea of building a wall or buttress around vulnerable ice shelfs to keep the ice and water in place when it begins to melt.
More than 40,000 tourists visit Antarctica each year. Over the next 5 years the industry is expected to grow by 40 percent.
Ari Friedlaender, whale scientist, views tourism in Antarctica “as a double-edged sword.” Tourism vessels are a cost-efficient way for scientists to extend their research in the field and can provide educational opportunities for the public, however more tourists will create disturbances and additional stresses on the ecosystem. “The more people you have down here the more likely there will be a human caused issue.”
“I think that we are at risk of being hypocritical in arguing for the world to change the way it behaves and yet we are on a ship that is responsible for quite a significant carbon footprint; we’ve flown here on jets, and there is a sort of irony in coming here.” – Jonathan Chester, historian and polar guide.
“The melting of Antarctic glaciers would most directly impact the global community through sea level rise, which impacts all coastal communities, especially small island communities and low-lying areas. Many of these populations are the least responsible for climate change and are vulnerable because they don’t have the resources to respond or prepare for these changes.” – Kate Cullen, glaciologist.
After James Cook was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica in 1772 he returned with tales of an enormous seal population, which led to a massive sealing industry in the South Shetland Islands. The fur seal population was virtually wiped out. Today, the fur seal has managed to successfully recover only to face declining krill numbers linked to climate change.
The blue hue marks the age of the ice – created from decades of snowfall and enormous amounts of pressure that squeeze out all the air bubbles to form an incredibly dense and brilliantly blue frozen mass.
“I think that global warming is definitely the most detrimental component of seal population decline.” – Caroline Casey, marine mammal specialist.
Antarctica is the only land mass on the planet that is not governed by a sovereign state. The Antarctic Treaty was established in 1959, which designated the entirety of Antarctica as a reserve dedicated to peace and science. In order to have a stake in the continent countries must maintain a research station. The Ukrainian, Vernadsky station was the first to discover the ozone depletion thirty years ago.
As one of the older stations on Antarctica, Vernadsky has studied long-term temperature trends that show global warming.
Clare Dudeney, studying the Antarctic landscape through a painter’s lens, visited Vernadsky station for the first time, where her father had worked as a scientist studying the upper atmosphere.
Over the past 50 years, annual air temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased by 5°F, an astonishing five times the global average.
Brandon Southall, senior scientist, University of California, Santa Cruz, studies behavioral responses of marine mammals to various human sounds in the ocean. He has dedicated his life to providing science to support management and conservation efforts.
The World Wildlife Fund, using the scientist’s findings, is working to create marine protected areas around Antarctica. They have set a goal of protecting 30% of the surrounding Antarctic oceans by 2030.
“We are a global community and our behaviors at home have long-term effects in Antarctica. Our actions, which increase carbon dioxides and impact the environment, are influencing the animals, their habitat and the potential for growth of the ecosystems." – Ari Friedlaender, whale scientist.
Tremors from Antarctica
Humans only set foot on the White Continent less than two hundred years ago. For millennia, it’s beasts and windswept shores knew nothing of mankind, a frozen time-capsule clinging to the bottom of our planet. Yet today, Antarctica has come to know our species well. We have pillaged her waters, conquered her most hidden corners, and now we’ve unleashed a rapidly warming world upon her.
In the Spring of 2019 I found myself sailing from the southern tip of South America with a group of scientists, journalists, and a few eager tourists, aboard a ship bound for the Antarctic Peninsula – home of the fastest warming temperatures on the planet. Drawn by the opportunity to bear witness to such rapid ecological change, I was also intrigued by the rapidly growing eco-tourism industry in the region and the emerging trend of climate scientists now turning to tour operators as a way to extend their time in the field as it becomes easier to get tourists to the Antarctic than scientists. Conflicted about my own footprint – and the footprint of my fellow passengers – required to document it, I ultimately felt compelled to join a journey bringing all of us face to face with the gravest consequences of human behavior in history. This collection of photographs strives to explore not only the terrifying beauty of a place on the front lines of the climate crisis but the aching irony of our species’ desire to witness the first tremors of our own self-destruction.
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