Deception Island of the South Shetlands
“Isn’t Antarctica supposed to be the driest continent?” someone asked, as we shuttled to and fro amidst a rather sudden squall of freezing wind and rain. The answer, of course, is yes...and no. The continent itself is indeed the driest by far of any of the seven on earth, for it receives less than 5 cm of annual precipitation. However, that figure is skewed by the relatively frequent rain and snowfall that occurs on the western face of the peninsula’s Transantarctic Mountains and outlying islands. For in those locations, the westerly circumpolar winds shed a considerable amount of moisture accumulated over the warm Pacific Ocean before whistling past the remainder of the continent. Up on the ice cap of the interior, virtually no precipitation occurs due to the extreme cold temperatures that freeze the water vapor from the air. In fact, the famed Dry Valleys near the Ross Sea have not felt a drop of rain in well over 2 million years. Of course, these meteorological morsels did nothing to dry our faces and parkas as we leaned into the 25 knot winds while shuffling along the shores of Port Foster...and relishing every minute of it. After all, we didn’t come all this way, with all this gear for sunshine and lollipops. Of course not. We wanted to feel, first-hand, the adventure and extremes of the true Antarctic experience...and then retreat back into the cozy confines of the Endeavourshortly thereafter.
Undaunted, nay, even bolstered by the conditions we pressed on throughout the day, eager to discover for ourselves just what Deception Island might by trying to hide away from prying eyes. And to our surprise and delight, this still-active volcanic island offered up an array of interests, from the unique geology to the rare and endemic algal flora. The somewhat minimal wildlife also made it’s presence known with, among others, a few wayward Weddell seals that perhaps, like us, had come in for a warm wallow in the heated shallows.
True to their nature, these relatively docile pinnipeds seemed not the least bit perturbed by our red-jacketed intrusion, and calmly obliged us a few splendid photo opportunities on a day where such occasions were rare. The adult male pictured above, apparently wanting to make a lasting impression, even serenaded our departure with a few notes of song for which these well-studied creatures are known. Researchers in McMurdo Sound have done much to further our understanding of all seals and their unique physiology through years of studying these attractive and accommodating marine mammals. With any luck, we will get a chance to become more acquainted with these remarkable creatures as our southerly voyage along the peninsula continues.
“Isn’t Antarctica supposed to be the driest continent?” someone asked, as we shuttled to and fro amidst a rather sudden squall of freezing wind and rain. The answer, of course, is yes...and no. The continent itself is indeed the driest by far of any of the seven on earth, for it receives less than 5 cm of annual precipitation. However, that figure is skewed by the relatively frequent rain and snowfall that occurs on the western face of the peninsula’s Transantarctic Mountains and outlying islands. For in those locations, the westerly circumpolar winds shed a considerable amount of moisture accumulated over the warm Pacific Ocean before whistling past the remainder of the continent. Up on the ice cap of the interior, virtually no precipitation occurs due to the extreme cold temperatures that freeze the water vapor from the air. In fact, the famed Dry Valleys near the Ross Sea have not felt a drop of rain in well over 2 million years. Of course, these meteorological morsels did nothing to dry our faces and parkas as we leaned into the 25 knot winds while shuffling along the shores of Port Foster...and relishing every minute of it. After all, we didn’t come all this way, with all this gear for sunshine and lollipops. Of course not. We wanted to feel, first-hand, the adventure and extremes of the true Antarctic experience...and then retreat back into the cozy confines of the Endeavourshortly thereafter.
Undaunted, nay, even bolstered by the conditions we pressed on throughout the day, eager to discover for ourselves just what Deception Island might by trying to hide away from prying eyes. And to our surprise and delight, this still-active volcanic island offered up an array of interests, from the unique geology to the rare and endemic algal flora. The somewhat minimal wildlife also made it’s presence known with, among others, a few wayward Weddell seals that perhaps, like us, had come in for a warm wallow in the heated shallows.
True to their nature, these relatively docile pinnipeds seemed not the least bit perturbed by our red-jacketed intrusion, and calmly obliged us a few splendid photo opportunities on a day where such occasions were rare. The adult male pictured above, apparently wanting to make a lasting impression, even serenaded our departure with a few notes of song for which these well-studied creatures are known. Researchers in McMurdo Sound have done much to further our understanding of all seals and their unique physiology through years of studying these attractive and accommodating marine mammals. With any luck, we will get a chance to become more acquainted with these remarkable creatures as our southerly voyage along the peninsula continues.
