All about Antarctica

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 death

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 r

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

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

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

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

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 aviat

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

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 t

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 Anta

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 fa

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 mo

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

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. Thi

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 tha

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 marin

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 mo

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 pla

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 misconce