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Antarctic ice: beautiful and unpredictable Antarctic ice: beautiful and unpredictable
(35 minutes later)
The Aurora Australis has been sailing through the Southern Ocean since the middle of last week and, at some point over the weekend, we left behind the last of the ice. It has been part of the daily scenery of our expedition for more than a month, ever since we crossed into the Antarctic Circle.The Aurora Australis has been sailing through the Southern Ocean since the middle of last week and, at some point over the weekend, we left behind the last of the ice. It has been part of the daily scenery of our expedition for more than a month, ever since we crossed into the Antarctic Circle.
Ice flows and covers the land, shapes the continent's coastlines, controls its environment, barricades its entrances and stores its ancient history. Our introduction to Antarctic ice was the thick slabs of white pack ice on the surface of the Southern Ocean, a few degrees south of the Antarctic convergence. This is a boundary where the cold polar waters meet the more clement waters of the tropics. South of this meeting point, the surface of the ocean is cold enough to support the ice without it melting.Ice flows and covers the land, shapes the continent's coastlines, controls its environment, barricades its entrances and stores its ancient history. Our introduction to Antarctic ice was the thick slabs of white pack ice on the surface of the Southern Ocean, a few degrees south of the Antarctic convergence. This is a boundary where the cold polar waters meet the more clement waters of the tropics. South of this meeting point, the surface of the ocean is cold enough to support the ice without it melting.
We woke up one morning in mid-December to a slow-moving Akademik Shokalskiy, picking its way around the biggest of the ice floes and smashing its way through the smaller ones. From deck we saw an eerie, calm landscape, all the more noticeable after so many days of rolling through rough seas. Each ice floe was a snow-topped nation bounded by dark zig-zags of water. Wherever we could see the underwater sections of a floe, it glowed aquamarine. We woke up one morning in mid-December to a slow-moving Akademik Shokalskiy, picking its way around the biggest of the ice floes and smashing its way through the smaller ones. From the deck we saw an eerie, calm landscape, all the more noticeable after so many days of rolling through rough seas. Each ice floe was a snow-topped nation bounded by dark zig-zags of water. Wherever we could see the underwater sections of a floe, it glowed aquamarine.
Further south, the floes got bigger, more three-dimensional and boulder-like on the surface. On a foggy morning, we saw our first iceberg. More than 100 miles from the Antarctic coast, this enormous citadel of ice was the first bit of the continent proper, appearing from the mist next to our ship like a developing photograph.Further south, the floes got bigger, more three-dimensional and boulder-like on the surface. On a foggy morning, we saw our first iceberg. More than 100 miles from the Antarctic coast, this enormous citadel of ice was the first bit of the continent proper, appearing from the mist next to our ship like a developing photograph.
Created over tens of thousands of years from snow falling onto the continental landmass, these massive chunks of ice flow over land towards the Antarctic coast, snap off and float into the sea. Locked within each one is a history of the Earth's climate – bubbles of atmosphere trapped between snowflakes falling over all those years – older than any human civilisation. Each iceberg is destined to wander the ocean's currents, gradually melting, releasing its ancient air and mixing its secrets into the vast maelstrom of other stories within the Southern Ocean.Created over tens of thousands of years from snow falling onto the continental landmass, these massive chunks of ice flow over land towards the Antarctic coast, snap off and float into the sea. Locked within each one is a history of the Earth's climate – bubbles of atmosphere trapped between snowflakes falling over all those years – older than any human civilisation. Each iceberg is destined to wander the ocean's currents, gradually melting, releasing its ancient air and mixing its secrets into the vast maelstrom of other stories within the Southern Ocean.
The first time we touched the ice was the day after we saw our first iceberg. Cruising through the ice floes in a small rubber boat, we made landfall (icefall, actually) on a beautifullys till, sunny afternoon. We leapt onto a space that no person had ever been before. Some of us lay down to make snow angels, some threw snowballs, others sat silently with their backs to the ship, boats and everyone else, to survey a scene of pure wilderness. Probably for thousands of miles ahead was no human being, and the ice floes they saw would never be in this pattern ever again.The first time we touched the ice was the day after we saw our first iceberg. Cruising through the ice floes in a small rubber boat, we made landfall (icefall, actually) on a beautifullys till, sunny afternoon. We leapt onto a space that no person had ever been before. Some of us lay down to make snow angels, some threw snowballs, others sat silently with their backs to the ship, boats and everyone else, to survey a scene of pure wilderness. Probably for thousands of miles ahead was no human being, and the ice floes they saw would never be in this pattern ever again.
The final approach to Antarctica was lined with icebergs, from big to enormous, an idyllic ice garden lying in the gateway to the frozen continent. The more of them we saw, the more we saw the differences in what light can do when it is refracted and reflected off the ice. Translucent blues, greens and violets coloured the pure white and silver. “Then there's the shapes,” says Ben Maddison, an Antarctic historian on board the expedition. “Ever since the middle of the 19th century, when the gothic sensibilities started to creep into explorer's accounts – seeing in the shapes of the ice the ruins of civilisation, collapsed buildings, cathedrals, minarets. I always think about that when I'm looking at icebergs as well because I love the way that the ice has always reflected contemporary concerns, culture and perceptions.” The final approach to Antarctica was lined with icebergs, from big to enormous, an idyllic ice garden lying in the gateway to the frozen continent. The more of them we saw, the more we saw the differences in what light can do when it is refracted and reflected off the ice. Translucent blues, greens and violets coloured the pure white and silver.
“Then there's the shapes,” says Ben Maddison, an Antarctic historian on board the expedition. “Ever since the middle of the 19th century, when the gothic sensibilities started to creep into explorer's accounts – seeing in the shapes of the ice the ruins of civilisation, collapsed buildings, cathedrals, minarets. I always think about that when I'm looking at icebergs as well because I love the way that the ice has always reflected contemporary concerns, culture and perceptions.”
Antarctica doubles in size every winter because of sea ice that builds up around it. The closer we got to the land, the more evidence we saw of this continent's near-endless winters. Most of the frozen sea around Antarctica returns to liquid during summer, but some of the ice remains doggedly stuck to the land. This fast ice is complex stuff, a mosaic of ice floes anything from 1 metre to10 metres thick (or more),depending on how old it is and how long it has had to gather snow on top or freeze from underneath. The older ice gets, the more structure it has, the harder it gets, the more gnarled.Antarctica doubles in size every winter because of sea ice that builds up around it. The closer we got to the land, the more evidence we saw of this continent's near-endless winters. Most of the frozen sea around Antarctica returns to liquid during summer, but some of the ice remains doggedly stuck to the land. This fast ice is complex stuff, a mosaic of ice floes anything from 1 metre to10 metres thick (or more),depending on how old it is and how long it has had to gather snow on top or freeze from underneath. The older ice gets, the more structure it has, the harder it gets, the more gnarled.
On the surface, fast ice looks like land stretching to the horizon. Get close, though, and the surface is wrinkled and creased. As they grow on the surface of the water, ice floes will meet and raft up onto one another, creating miniature mountain ranges at their boundaries. In cold or windy areas, many floes become locked together, by pressure, into a semi-permanent feature of Antarctica's ice-scape, extending and altering coastlines for years at a time.On the surface, fast ice looks like land stretching to the horizon. Get close, though, and the surface is wrinkled and creased. As they grow on the surface of the water, ice floes will meet and raft up onto one another, creating miniature mountain ranges at their boundaries. In cold or windy areas, many floes become locked together, by pressure, into a semi-permanent feature of Antarctica's ice-scape, extending and altering coastlines for years at a time.
Apart from a few rocky outcrops on the shoreline, the landmass itself is encased in ice. Ice cliffs rise up from the sea and lead to snow-covered moraines. Way in the distance behind them are the gently rising ice domes of the polar plateau. These perfectly flat, stark, desolate sheets of ice are several kilometres thick at their apex and stretch for more than 2,500km from the coast to the South Pole.Apart from a few rocky outcrops on the shoreline, the landmass itself is encased in ice. Ice cliffs rise up from the sea and lead to snow-covered moraines. Way in the distance behind them are the gently rising ice domes of the polar plateau. These perfectly flat, stark, desolate sheets of ice are several kilometres thick at their apex and stretch for more than 2,500km from the coast to the South Pole.
Ice is more than just an architectural part of the experience of Antarctica. It is always moving, breaking, melting, re-freezing, flowing. Glaciers can cut through thousands of metres of rock, given time. And the way ice moves and interacts with wind and water around the continent means that it is at the heart of everything that happens to its environment – something we found to our cost just before Christmas.Ice is more than just an architectural part of the experience of Antarctica. It is always moving, breaking, melting, re-freezing, flowing. Glaciers can cut through thousands of metres of rock, given time. And the way ice moves and interacts with wind and water around the continent means that it is at the heart of everything that happens to its environment – something we found to our cost just before Christmas.
Ice floes can seem benevolent in the way they help to calm the seas and serene in the dawnlight as they reflect the golds and oranges of the low sun.But they are active pieces of ice, moving and rearranging themselves at several knots at the behest of the winds and currents. An area of open water can fill with tightly-jammed ice floes within hours. Miles of solid, permanent edge of fast ice can shatter into rapidly separating tiles of ice within the same period. Humans who operate down here are not in charge of what is or is not possible, the ice is.Ice floes can seem benevolent in the way they help to calm the seas and serene in the dawnlight as they reflect the golds and oranges of the low sun.But they are active pieces of ice, moving and rearranging themselves at several knots at the behest of the winds and currents. An area of open water can fill with tightly-jammed ice floes within hours. Miles of solid, permanent edge of fast ice can shatter into rapidly separating tiles of ice within the same period. Humans who operate down here are not in charge of what is or is not possible, the ice is.
In the Xue Long's helicopter, flying over the field of ice that had trapped the Shokalskiy over Christmas and new year, expedition co-leader Greg Mortimer said that, despite his years of experience watching ice on the continent, he was nevertheless floored by the field that had trapped our ship. Huge, old, frozen ice floes had bashed together and, under extreme pressure, forced their edges up into towers. More than 20 miles of this ice had appeared in just a few days.“There was virtually no bit of open water between us and the Aurora Australis,” he said.In the Xue Long's helicopter, flying over the field of ice that had trapped the Shokalskiy over Christmas and new year, expedition co-leader Greg Mortimer said that, despite his years of experience watching ice on the continent, he was nevertheless floored by the field that had trapped our ship. Huge, old, frozen ice floes had bashed together and, under extreme pressure, forced their edges up into towers. More than 20 miles of this ice had appeared in just a few days.“There was virtually no bit of open water between us and the Aurora Australis,” he said.
Still, with the passengers safe and the rescue almost complete, there was a moment to appreciate the beauty of the ice that had encased us. As the last of the helicopter flight made its way from the Shokalskiy to the Aurora Australis, the sun was low in the sky and had started its daily light show, reflecting off the clouds and the ice. “The angle at which the sunlight was hitting the ice just gave an incredibly glowing, lustrous quality,” said Maddison. “I will always appreciate and remember that.”Still, with the passengers safe and the rescue almost complete, there was a moment to appreciate the beauty of the ice that had encased us. As the last of the helicopter flight made its way from the Shokalskiy to the Aurora Australis, the sun was low in the sky and had started its daily light show, reflecting off the clouds and the ice. “The angle at which the sunlight was hitting the ice just gave an incredibly glowing, lustrous quality,” said Maddison. “I will always appreciate and remember that.”