Sims Island

Ashley Karitis, Video Chronicler

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  • Daily Expedition Reports
  • 03 Feb 2022

Sims Island, 2/3/2022, National Geographic Endurance

  • Aboard the National Geographic Endurance
  • Antarctica

Today our captain took National Geographic Endurance farther south than ever before–to Sims Island and the Stange Ice Shelf (73°16'57" S 78°32'15" W). Remarkably, the island was four nautical miles farther north than the Admiralty charts indicated, giving us a sense of how poorly known this area is. We are among the very few humans who have ever stepped foot on this island, which is believed to be the most southerly point on the planet where plants and bryophytes can grow. A truly adventurous expedition day!

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Conor Ryan, Naturalist

Conor Ryan is a congenital ecologist. His career began in the late 1980s, when he developed a keen interest in intertidal ecology, undertaking almost daily field trips to the seashore across from his home in Cobh, Ireland. Though he logged significan...

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Video by

Ashley Karitis, Video Chronicler

Ashley was raised in Central Oregon where she spent her childhood ski racing, riding horses, playing classical piano, and working summer jobs on a dude ranch. She then attended the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in ...

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