DECEPTION ISLAND, Antarctica—Their beady little eyes, squarish torsos and adorable waddling make penguins one of the main attractions for tourists who come to Antarctica. But far from the surface waters where they swim with seals and whales, deep in the oceans and across thousands of miles of frozen continent is another side of Antarctica that is both forbidding and mysterious.
It’s in those places that scientists study the rapid melting of icebergs and global warming, look for clues about humanity’s past that could help us see the future and even find forms of life that survive and thrive in extremely harsh conditions.
The melting of Antarctic glaciers as a consequence of global warming is concerning scientists as this contributes to rising sea levels which will eventually reshape the planet. The rising of sea levels will affect at least a billion people worldwide.
Water is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the oceans. As the ice sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea, 130 billion tons of ice per year for the past decade, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite calculations.
“To understand many aspects in the diversity of animals and plants it’s important to understand when continents disassembled,” said Richard Spikings, a research geologist at the University of Geneva. “So we’re also learning about the real antiquity of the Earth and how [continents] were configured together a billion years ago, half a billion years ago, 300 million years ago,” he said, adding that the insights will help him understand Antarctica’s key role in the jigsaw of ancient super continents.
The southern continent may hold clues to answering humanity’s most basic questions. It is the continent of mystery. Strange, forbidding, and most of all, desolate, the continent was first seen 195 years ago and it is still mostly unexplored.
Scientists come here for cutting-edge research on climate change and myriad of other areas. Others come seeking the thrill of adventure or simply seeking to follow their professions—from chefs to scuba divers—in the challenging conditions of the desolate, but beautiful White continent.
While some tourists climb Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest point at 4,892 meters, others seek a chance to take in the views of other-worldly terrain or enjoy watching the penguins. Their beady little eyes, squarish torsos and adorable waddling make penguins one of the main attractions for tourists who come to Antarctica.
Tourism in Antarctica rose by 10 percent in 2014, compared to the previous year. Over two weeks, an Associated Press team traveled to Antarctica with scientists who were looking for hints of pollution, studying rock formations and analyzing the worrisome melting of the ice along the western side of the continent.
Along the way, the team encountered awe-inspiring glaciers and jagged craters, a Russian orthodox church that doubles as a beacon of light for incoming ships and even spent several days stranded in a nasty patch of fog, the kind of volatile weather that is practically a staple of any Antarctica visit.
This selection of photos provides a window into to some of the animals, landscapes and unique people who live and work in one of the world’s most inhospitable, yet important, places.
Natacha Pisarenko