![]() ![]() It has to be said, it’s not very easy to get to Antarctica. We were given authorized boots and had to go through a boot disinfection procedure every time we disembarked or boarded our vessel. Traveling responsibly is even more critical when visiting Antarctica since tourist boots can act as vectors for disease transmission-something we’re aware of now more than ever! This raised an imminent biological alarm for the authorities in New Zealand, and I was quite rightly quizzed about where I, and the shoes I was wearing, had been. Since those were pre-pandemic days, I had been traveling through Germany (where UP42 is based), New Zealand, Qatar, and Mexico (my home country) in the period of a month. The immigration examinations ensure that no pests have been brought into the region. There, it became apparent the kind of precautions in place to protect Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem. He is Science Team Leader at Landcare Research-and I wanted to support his research on the impacts of human activities on the Antarctic environment.Ī few weeks before my trip, I was in New Zealand for the FOSS4G Oceania Conference. So, I reached out to Fraser Morgan, a researcher from the FOSS4G community_. I knew I wanted to do something more than tourism when I visited the planet’s southern tip. 50% of all marine mammals live or are found passing through Antarctica.Antarctica has one of the largest biomasses on Earth, with an estimated 100-500 million tonnes of krill in the Southern Ocean, which is why. ![]() It is seasonally surrounded by up to 20,000,000 square kilometers (larger than Russia) of sea ice, which forms every winter and melts away to just 3,000,000 (roughly Argentina, mainly in the Weddell Sea) every summer Around 90% of all ice on Earth is found in Antarctica.Antarctica is the driest continent, with an icy desert and very little rainfall throughout the year.Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth, with wind speeds of over 350 kilometers per hour. ![]() In winter (March-September), there is an Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights. Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean with a latitude of 60° S.Most of Antarctica is covered by ice that is over 1.6 kilometers thick.Antarctica is considered a continent and is the southernmost continent on Earth.Antarctica is larger than Europe and almost double the size of Australia.The word Antarctica comes from the Greek term “Antarktike”, meaning the opposite of Arctic or north. ![]() In this blog post, just over a year later, I’ll take you on my voyage to the end of the world through my experiences, photos, and learnings, as well as share why protecting the fragile region, is critical, now more than ever.īut first, since I took this trip 12 months ago, here are 12 quick facts about Antarctica: This idea stayed with me for years until last December 2019, when the dream became a reality and reality became a dream. The first time I heard that it was possible to visit Antarctica was when I watched the documentary by the genius filmmaker Werner Herzog, Encounters At the End of the World. In my free time, my love of exploration has taken me to places like Everest Base Camp, Revillagigedo Archipelago, and last year when we were still able to travel Antarctica. As part of UP42’s Partnership team, I speak to organizations looking to reach new markets and enable fascinating geospatial solutions to solve Earth’s challenges. ![]()
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