ANTARCTICA w w.s itesa l v e . c o mvg2016.sitesalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/... · In 1774, he sailed deep into the south, incredibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find

NEWS EXPLORER

www.sitesalive.

co

m

Locate a newspaper article that discusses some aspect of climate change. What causes or effects of climate change are identified in the article? What evidence is cited? What actions, if any, are being proposed or might be considered to reduce these effects?

In Captain James Cook’s day, it was thought that there must be a Great Southern Continent that would balance the weight of Europe and the Americas on

the globe. In 1774, he sailed deep into the south, incredibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find it, but without success. The first known landing on Antarc-tica was purportedly by the American sealer Cecilia, at Hughes Bay in 1821.

The continent has lured the great explorers: Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and others. They wished to get to the South Pole. Now this land continent houses researchers of many varieties and nation-alities. In fact the Antarctic Conservation Treaty, which manages the continent, must be deemed a great diplomatic success, as there is to be no mili-tarization of, nor mining on, the continent, it must remain ‘pristine’ for several decades to come.

Important research on climate change has been done in Antarctica by measuring ice thicknesses on land, and whether more or fewer icebergs are breaking off from the continent into the sea. We see this in the Vendée Globe, where, to keep the competitors safe from accidentally running into an iceberg, there has been established an Antarctic Exclusion Zone, where we cannot go. Satellites are taking pictures of icebergs, but they can only see ones that are bigger than 80 meters long. As icebergs move north into warmer water, they break up into sizes unseen by the satellites. Even in our race so far, because of these observations and interpretations by experts, our AEZ has been expanded 5 times.

From various expeditions to Antarctica, one sees fabulous photos and videos that ‘take you there’. But I would like to see it and feel it and hear it for myself! Just as I make plans on the boat for the coming days, it’s time to make a plan to see Antarc-tica in the coming years. When one has a curiosity, it must be pursued.

By Rich Wilson, Skipper Great American IV

I write this just as Rich has begun rounding the southern tip of Africa at 40 degrees and 27 minutes south and has begun some of the most arduous

sailing, highest wind speeds and biggest waves he expects to encounter. He has entered the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which rings the Antarctic con-tinent and essentially passes through all the major oceans. For racing sailors like Rich, sailing into the strongest current in the world has obvious benefits as it will carry him very quickly. For centuries, how-ever, this current and its extreme conditions proved a formidable barrier for ships sailing south.

During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries – the age of exploration – theories about a vast southern continent were based in notions that land on the earth’s surface somehow had to be balanced, and since there was so much land in the northern hemisphere, there had to be an equivalent amount of land to the south. Some of this imagined land even appeared ringing the bottom of world maps, labeled Terra Australis Nondum Cognita, Unknown South Land. They had never seen it, but they felt sure it must be there.

Although their theories were wrong, the land at the bottom of the world does, in fact, exist. Captain James Cook encountered a vast field of icebergs during his second voyage in the 1770s and his offi-cial on-board artist drew sketches and ultimately an

engraving of it to illustrate the voyage account. By 1840, several expeditions claimed to have sighted the Antarctic mainland. A fabulous print by the French expeditionary artist Louis Le Breton shows men climbing excitedly onto rocks from small boats with penguins standing by watching – the whole scene surrounded by towering icebergs. The hazards of floating ice ringing Antarctica inspired traveling artists for many years following, no doubt in part because their size evoked a sublime sense of nature and its dangers, and were more overtly dramatic than the relentlessly barren snowfields inland. Antarctica is a magnet for artists to this day, many of who revel in disproving our notions of it being a barren and colorless environment. Since the 1950s, the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program of the National Science Foundation has sponsored

the work of more than 100 artists who desired to visit Ant-arctica in the course of their work.

Next Week:Climate Change

Follow online at: sitesalive.comTeam of Experts • Q&A • Ship’s LogPhotos • Podcasts • Videos • Essays

WEEK

6ANTARCTICA Position: -41.1511, 32.5833Time: 2016-12-08 11:44:00 UTC

By Daniel FinamorePolar Art

NIE 6 COLOR 4.889 x 9.75.indd 1 12/8/2016 9:51:44 AM

NEWS EXPLORER

www.sitesalive.

co

m


In Captain James Cook’s day, it was thought that there must be a Great Southern Continent that would bal-ance the weight of Europe and the Americas on the globe. In 1774, he sailed deep into the south, incred-

ibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find it, but without success. The first known landing on Antarctica was purportedly by the American sealer Cecilia, at Hughes Bay in 1821.

The continent has lured the great explorers: Scott, Amund-sen, Shackleton and others. They wished to get to the South Pole. Now this land continent houses researchers of many varieties and nationalities. In fact the Antarctic Conservation Treaty, which manages the continent, must be deemed a great diplomatic success, as there is to be no militarization of, nor mining on, the continent, it must remain ‘pristine’ for several decades to come.

Important research on climate change has been done in Antarctica by measuring ice thicknesses on land, and whether more or fewer icebergs are breaking off from the continent into the sea. We see this in the Vendée Globe, where, to keep the competitors safe from acci-dentally running into an iceberg, there has been estab-lished an Antarctic Exclusion Zone, where we cannot go. Satellites are taking pictures of icebergs, but they can only see ones that are bigger than 80 meters long. As icebergs move north into warmer water, they break up into sizes unseen by the satellites. Even in our race so far, because of these observations and interpreta-tions by experts, our AEZ has been expanded 5 times.

From various expeditions to Antarctica, one sees fabulous photos and videos that ‘take you there’. But I would like to see it and feel it and hear it for myself! Just as I make plans on the boat for the coming days, it’s time to make a plan to see Antarctica in the coming years. When one has a curiosity, it must be pursued.

I write this just as Rich has begun rounding the southern tip of Africa at 40 degrees and 27 minutes south and has begun some of the most arduous sailing, highest wind speeds

and biggest waves he expects to encounter. He has entered the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which rings the Antarctic continent and essentially passes through all the major oceans. For racing sailors like Rich, sailing into the strongest current in the world has obvious benefits as it will carry him very quickly. For centuries, however, this current and its extreme conditions proved a formidable barrier for ships sailing south.


Although their theories were wrong, the land at the bot-tom of the world does, in fact, exist. Captain James Cook encountered a vast field of icebergs during his second voyage in the 1770s and his official on-board artist drew sketches and ultimately an engraving of it to illustrate the

voyage account. By 1840, several expeditions claimed to have sighted the Antarctic mainland. A fabulous print by the French expeditionary artist Louis Le Breton shows men climbing excitedly onto rocks from small boats with penguins standing by watching – the whole scene sur-rounded by towering icebergs. The hazards of floating ice ringing Antarctica inspired traveling artists for many years following, no doubt in part because their size evoked a sublime sense of nature and its dangers, and were more overtly dramatic than the relentlessly barren snowfields inland. Antarctica is a magnet for artists to this day, many of who revel in disproving our notions of it being a barren and colorless environment. Since the 1950s, the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program of the National Science Founda-

tion has sponsored the work of more than 100 artists who desired to visit Antarctica in the course of their work.

Locate a newspaper article that discusses some aspect of climate change. What causes or effects of climate change are identified in the article? What evidence is cited? What actions, if any, are being proposed or might be consid-ered to reduce these effects?

WEEK

6ANTARCTICA



Position: -41.1511, 32.5833Time: 2016-12-08 11:44:00 UTC


NIE 6 COLOR 5.75 x 10.indd 1 12/8/2016 9:54:56 AM

NEWS EXPLORERLocate a newspaper article that discuss-es some aspect of climate change. What causes or effects of climate change are identified in the article? What evidence is cited? What actions, if any, are being proposed or might be considered to reduce these effects?

www.sitesalive.

co

m

In Captain James Cook’s day, it was thought that there must be a Great Southern Continent that would balance the weight of Europe and the Americas on the globe. In 1774, he sailed deep

into the south, incredibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find it, but without success. The first known land-ing on Antarctica was purportedly by the American sealer Cecilia, at Hughes Bay in 1821.

The continent has lured the great explorers: Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and others. They wished to get to the South Pole. Now this land continent houses researchers of many varieties and nationali-ties. In fact the Antarctic Conservation Treaty, which manages the continent, must be deemed a great diplomatic success, as there is to be no militariza-tion of, nor mining on, the continent, it must remain ‘pristine’ for several decades to come.

Important research on climate change has been done in Antarctica by measuring ice thicknesses on land, and whether more or fewer icebergs are break-ing off from the continent into the sea. We see this in the Vendée Globe, where, to keep the competi-tors safe from accidentally running into an iceberg, there has been established an Antarctic Exclusion Zone, where we cannot go. Satellites are taking pic-tures of icebergs, but they can only see ones that are bigger than 80 meters long. As icebergs move north into warmer water, they break up into sizes unseen by the satellites. Even in our race so far, because of these observations and interpretations by experts, our AEZ has been expanded 5 times.

From various expeditions to Antarctica, one sees fabulous photos and videos that ‘take you there’. But I would like to see it and feel it and hear it for myself! Just as I make plans on the boat for the com-ing days, it’s time to make a plan to see Antarctica in the coming years. When one has a curiosity, it must be pursued.


I write this just as Rich has begun rounding the southern tip of Africa at 40 degrees and 27 min-utes south and has begun some of the most arduous sailing, high-

est wind speeds and biggest waves he expects to encounter. He has entered the Antarctic Circumpo-lar Current, which rings the Antarctic continent and essentially passes through all the major oceans. For racing sailors like Rich, sailing into the strongest cur-rent in the world has obvious benefits as it will carry him very quickly. For centuries, however, this cur-rent and its extreme conditions proved a formidable barrier for ships sailing south.

During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries – the age of exploration – theories about a vast southern continent were based in notions that land on the earth’s surface somehow had to be balanced, and since there was so much land in the northern hemi-sphere, there had to be an equivalent amount of land to the south. Some of this imagined land even appeared ringing the bottom of world maps, labeled Terra Australis Nondum Cognita, Unknown South Land. They had never seen it, but they felt sure it must be there.

Although their theories were wrong, the land at the bottom of the world does, in fact, exist. Captain James Cook encountered a vast field of icebergs dur-ing his second voyage in the 1770s and his official on-board artist drew sketches and ultimately an engraving of it to illustrate the voyage account. By

1840, several expeditions claimed to have sighted the Antarctic mainland. A fabulous print by the French expeditionary artist Louis Le Breton shows men climbing excitedly onto rocks from small boats with penguins standing by watching – the whole scene surrounded by towering icebergs. The hazards of floating ice ringing Antarctica inspired traveling artists for many years following, no doubt in part because their size evoked a sublime sense of nature and its dangers, and were more overtly dramatic than the relentlessly barren snowfields inland. Antarctica is a magnet for artists to this day, many of who revel in disproving our notions of it being a bar-ren and colorless environment. Since the 1950s, the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program of the National

Science Foundation has sponsored the work of more than 100 artists who desired to visit Antarctica in the course of their work.

WEEK

6ANTARCTICA



Position: -41.1511, 32.5833Time: 2016-12-08 11:44:00 UTC


NIE 6 COLOR 5.20 x 10.indd 1 12/8/2016 9:53:26 AM

NEWS EXPLORER

www.sitesalive.

co

m

Locate a newspaper article that discuss-es some aspect of climate change. What causes or effects of climate change are identified in the article? What evidence is cited? What actions, if any, are being proposed or might be considered to reduce these effects?

In Captain James Cook’s day, it was thought that there must be a Great Southern Continent that would balance the weight of Europe and the Americas on

the globe. In 1774, he sailed deep into the south, incredibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find it, but without success. The first known landing on Antarctica was purportedly by the American sealer Cecilia, at Hughes Bay in 1821.

The continent has lured the great explorers: Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and others. They wished to get to the South Pole. Now this land continent houses researchers of many varieties and nationalities. In fact the Antarctic Conservation Treaty, which manages the continent, must be deemed a great diplomatic suc-cess, as there is to be no militarization of, nor mining on, the continent, it must remain ‘pristine’ for several decades to come.

Important research on climate change has been done in Antarctica by measuring ice thicknesses on land, and whether more or fewer icebergs are breaking off from the continent into the sea. We see this in the Vendée Globe, where, to keep the competitors safe from accidentally running into an iceberg, there has been established an Antarctic Exclusion Zone, where we cannot go. Satellites are taking pictures of icebergs, but they can only see ones that are bigger than 80 meters long. As icebergs move north into warmer water, they break up into sizes unseen by the satellites. Even in our race so far, because of these observations and interpretations by experts, our AEZ has been expanded 5 times.

From various expeditions to Antarctica, one sees fabulous photos and videos that ‘take you there’. But I would like to see it and feel it and hear it for myself! Just as I make plans on the boat for the coming days, it’s time to make a plan to see Antarctica in the coming years. When one has a curiosity, it must be pursued.


I write this just as Rich has begun rounding the southern tip of Africa at 40 degrees and 27 minutes south and has

begun some of the most arduous sailing, highest wind speeds and biggest waves he expects to en-counter. He has entered the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which rings the Antarctic continent and essentially passes through all the major oceans. For racing sailors like Rich, sailing into the stron-gest current in the world has obvious benefits as it will carry him very quickly. For centuries, however, this current and its extreme conditions proved a formidable barrier for ships sailing south.


Although their theories were wrong, the land at the bottom of the world does, in fact, exist. Captain James Cook encountered a vast field of icebergs during his second voyage in the 1770s and his official on-board artist drew sketches

and ultimately an engraving of it to illustrate the voyage account. By 1840, several expeditions claimed to have sighted the Antarctic mainland. A fabulous print by the French expeditionary artist Louis Le Breton shows men climbing excitedly onto rocks from small boats with penguins stand-ing by watching – the whole scene surrounded by towering icebergs. The hazards of floating ice ringing Antarctica inspired traveling artists for many years following, no doubt in part because their size evoked a sublime sense of nature and its dangers, and were more overtly dramatic than the relentlessly barren snowfields inland. Antarctica is a magnet for artists to this day, many of who revel in disproving our notions of it being a barren and colorless environment. Since the 1950s, the Antarctic Artists & Writers Program of the Na-tional Science Foundation has sponsored the work

of more than 100 artists who desired to visit Antarctica in the course of their work.



WEEK

6ANTARCTICA Position: -41.1511, 32.5833Time: 2016-12-08 11:44:00 UTC


NIE 6 COLOR 4.889 x 10.5.indd 1 12/8/2016 9:52:32 AM

Documents

ANTARCTICA w w.s itesa l v e . c o mvg2016.sitesalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/... · In 1774, he sailed deep into the south, incredibly to 71 degrees south, trying to find