At sea in Drake Passage
Morning: not very warm, not very bright and not much movement from the sea. All in all a good day to reflect, maybe pack a little, eat a bit, take in a lecture or two and perhaps stand out on deck and watch the albatross.
The Drake Passage: for Antarctica it is like the ether that separates Mars from Earth, difficult to cross and difficult to survive on the other side. It is thought, however, that the barrier is changing, becoming “lower,” at least for marine organisms. Other barriers are becoming almost non-existent for terrestrial life in some areas of the continent. Indeed, the only thing keeping alien plants and animals out of the Antarctic Peninsula is constant vigilance by visitors. The ocean will be even more difficult to “defend.”
There are no sharks in Antarctica, neither crabs, nor lobsters, as far as the continental shelf is concerned. There is a “crab-like” creature, a giant isopod pictured here, a relative of the humble pill bug. The giant isopod has crushing mouthparts, but not as strong as some crabs. There are really no schools of fish either, their place taken by squid and krill. A warming of the water, by perhaps as little as two degrees could change that, forever, in human terms. Northern forms and species would overwhelm the unique Antarctic species and we would all be poorer for that.
Food for thought, later on. Be here now as we cross the Polar Front and say, “Goodbye to Antarctica” and “Hello” to South America, both somewhere beyond the horizon, south and north, respectively.
