All about Antarctica

Episodes

1. 19

   Part XII The Heroic Age

   The Heroic Age in Antarctica dates from 1899-1922 when the first men to winter over and conduct scientific research and exploration endured many hardships with some deaths. Besides providing the first scientific studies, photography and even poetry emerged from this period. It also can be defined...

   Mar 12, 2023

   12m
2. 18

   Part XIX Antarctica and the Future

   Throughout this podcast, we have traced the history of Antarctica from its geologic origins, its earliest discovery and the first people to set foot there, to the first research stations and into the modern world. Even though Antarctica has been impacted throughout the past 120 years from…

   more
   Mar 11, 2023

   5m
3. 17

   Part XVIII Marine Fisheries and Illegal Fishing

   Fisheries for fin fish and krill began to increase in Antarctica in the late 1960s and 1970s and by 1982 the krill catch rose to a peak of over 520,000 tons removed. This increased harvest caused concern among scientists in Antarctic Treaty nations that fish and krill stocks would be depleted...

   Mar 11, 2023

   7m
4. 16

   Part XVII Anthropogenic Impacts

   Although Antarctica is still the most remote and pristine place on earth, there have been many human-caused impacts to this continent and the marine environment around it. These impacts include pollution from research stations, tourism, and introduced species. In this podcast, I discuss these...

   Mar 11, 2023

   9m
5. 15

   Part XVI Research Stations and Life in the Cold

   Research stations in Antarctica must overcome three obstacles: logistics for how to build and maintain them, climate control for comfortable temperatures, and comfort in general for the personnel including space to spread out, quality of food, health and safety, and some leisure time. In this...

   Mar 11, 2023

   11m
6. 14

   Part XV The Antarctic Treaty

   After the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, Antarctica became a focus of scientific research that continues to this day. In 1958, most of Antarctica was under territorial claims by seven nations, with overlapping claims between Britain, Chile, and Argentina leading to conflicts. The…

   more
   Mar 11, 2023

   10m
7. 13

   Part XIV The International Geophysical Year

   Following Shackleton’s death in 1922 which marked the end of the Heroic Age in Antarctic history, no major expedition occurred to Antarctica until 1928 when a naval aviator, Richard Byrd, ventured south with ambitions to be the first person to fly over the south pole. In this podcast, I provide…

   more
   Mar 11, 2023

   10m
8. 12

   Part XIII Race to the Pole

   As we enter the heart of the Heroic Age in Antarctica, three men become competitors to be the first person to reach the South Pole: Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, and Roald Amundsen. Scott and Shackleton had a falling out after Scott's Discovery expedition when he blamed Shackleton's...

   Mar 11, 2023

   14m
9. 11

   Part XI Discovery of Antarctica

   Antarctica is a huge continent, over 5 million square miles in size. Yet, it was not until the 1820s that humans first set foot upon it, and not until the first half of the 20th century before it was finally confirmed that it really was one large continent under the ice. Why did it take so long…

   more
   Mar 10, 2023

   11m
10. 10

    Part X Penguins and Other Seabirds

    When the topic of penguins is raised, most people tend to think only about Antarctica as their habitat. However, of the 19 living species only five actually occur in Antarctica and of those, only two are endemic there. In this episode I describe the breeding cycle and adaptations of these species...

    Mar 10, 2023

    15m
11. 9

    Part IX Marine Mammals

    Marine mammals in Antarctica can be divided into two major groups: the pinnipeds and the cetaceans. Pinnipeds can be further divided into two groups, true seals in the family Phocidae and sea lions in the family Otariidae, while cetaceans are either toothed, or Odontocetes, or baleen whales, the...

    Mar 10, 2023

    13m
12. 8

    Part VIII Antarctic Lakes

    Although only about 2% of Antarctica is exposed as ice-free land, there are hundreds of lakes found there that vary from freshwater to saline. There are even hundreds more that are below the ice sheets that have been hidden and isolated there for millions of years. In this episode, I review the...

    Mar 10, 2023

    10m
13. 7

    Part VII Terrestrial Ecology

    Fully terrestrial life in Antarctica is extremely limited with only two flowering plants and no vertebrates (no polar bears!). Penguins and seals come ashore to breed or molt, but these are marine vertebrates. In this episode, I explore the plant and animal life in terrestrial environments in...

    Mar 10, 2023

    12m
14. 6

    Part VI Marine Ecology

    In Part IV of this podcast, I described how sea ice forms and traps marine algae that can grow in the ice before it’s released back into the ocean when the ice melts. This process drives marine productivity in Antarctica starting with krill, a small crustacean that is a keystone species there. In...

    Mar 10, 2023

    9m
15. 5

    Part V Ice Cores and Atmospheric Science

    Although the giant ice sheets that cover Antarctica formed by 14 million years ago, constant movement and replacement of this ice means that none of it today is older than about 1 million years. Air bubbles trapped in this ice when it formed provide a record of our atmosphere in the past. In this...

    Mar 10, 2023

    11m
16. 4

    Part IV Sea ice and Polynyas

    Sea ice is a major feature of Antarctica and has considerable influence on ocean currents and marine ecology. In this episode I describe how sea ice forms and traps marine algae that stimulates the marine food web when the ice melts. Thus, sea ice provides a direct link between the physical and...

    Mar 10, 2023

    8m
17. 3

    Part III Ice Sheet Origins and Modern Climate

    How did the Antarctic continent become covered with an ice sheet that is up to 4 km thick? In this episode I explain how this ice sheet developed and its influence on modern climate there. I also describe the origin of the giant floating ice shelves in Antarctica and how katabatic winds help make...

    Mar 10, 2023

    10m
18. 2

    Part II Antarctic Origins

    In this episode, I describe the geologic origins of the Antarctic continent and how it changed and developed over millions of years to become the coldest and windiest place on earth that it is today. The concepts of plate tectonics and continental drift are presented and play a key role in…

    more
    Mar 10, 2023

    10m
19. 1

    Part I Introduction to Antarctica

    In this episode I introduce myself and the research I've been conducting in Antarctica since 1991, then provide a brief introduction to Antarctica with facts and misconceptions about this frozen continent.

    Mar 10, 2023

    10m