Antarctica
Looking at the other side of The Ice, beneath the bergs and under the pack, is rather like being backstage in a theatre or behind the scenes in a museum. Above the water, in the public spaces, there is much to see and do, but a great deal remains unexplained. We visit teeming colonies where thousands of penguins nest and raise their young in a nearly barren wilderness of rock and ice, and we wonder where they can find enough food for all their chicks. We hike along a windswept beach and come upon a group of elephant seals, huge warm-blooded mammals perfectly at home in the biting wind and freezing spray, and we wonder how they can possibly sustain the metabolic fires that warm them. Further along the beach we may come across thick ropes of kelp, a stranded jellyfish or a weird worm, and we wonder where and how they can live beneath the cold dark waves that pound the shore.
Just like a look behind the scenery of a play, a few moments of exploration in Antarctic seas quickly reveals the answers to all our questions. In perfect contrast to the stark landscape, the seascape is crowded with life of all kinds, beautiful, colorful and rich with complex roles and relationships. Here are the gardens of primary producers, towering blades of kelp and microscopic algae, which underpin all the life of the Antarctic. Many grazers feed on this bounty, predators harvest these in turn and suspension feeders extend arms and tentacles to catch the constant rain of detritus, recycling energy and nutrients, spinning cycles within cycles. And, in their own turn, the penguins and seals, whales and albatross, also partake of this great upwelling of life, crowding the islands and the skies, creating the scenes that make Antarctica famous, and then returning to the sea to begin the cycles again.
When you come to the Antarctic, enjoy the show but don’t forget to take a look backstage!
Looking at the other side of The Ice, beneath the bergs and under the pack, is rather like being backstage in a theatre or behind the scenes in a museum. Above the water, in the public spaces, there is much to see and do, but a great deal remains unexplained. We visit teeming colonies where thousands of penguins nest and raise their young in a nearly barren wilderness of rock and ice, and we wonder where they can find enough food for all their chicks. We hike along a windswept beach and come upon a group of elephant seals, huge warm-blooded mammals perfectly at home in the biting wind and freezing spray, and we wonder how they can possibly sustain the metabolic fires that warm them. Further along the beach we may come across thick ropes of kelp, a stranded jellyfish or a weird worm, and we wonder where and how they can live beneath the cold dark waves that pound the shore.
Just like a look behind the scenery of a play, a few moments of exploration in Antarctic seas quickly reveals the answers to all our questions. In perfect contrast to the stark landscape, the seascape is crowded with life of all kinds, beautiful, colorful and rich with complex roles and relationships. Here are the gardens of primary producers, towering blades of kelp and microscopic algae, which underpin all the life of the Antarctic. Many grazers feed on this bounty, predators harvest these in turn and suspension feeders extend arms and tentacles to catch the constant rain of detritus, recycling energy and nutrients, spinning cycles within cycles. And, in their own turn, the penguins and seals, whales and albatross, also partake of this great upwelling of life, crowding the islands and the skies, creating the scenes that make Antarctica famous, and then returning to the sea to begin the cycles again.
When you come to the Antarctic, enjoy the show but don’t forget to take a look backstage!
