Giant iceberg splits from Antarctica

by Kraig Becker on

A giant iceberg, the size of Luxembourg, has broken free from Antarctica and according to scientists could potentially play havoc with weather patterns across the globe for years to come. The massive chunk of ice, more than 985 square-miles in size, broke free from the Mertz Glacier Tongue along the eastern coast of Antarctica on February 12 or 13, and moved out into a region of the Southern Ocean that is vital to the production of cold, salty water that helps circulate important ocean currents.

The new iceberg was created when an older one, labeled as B9B amongst researchers, slammed into an ice shelf, dislodging it from the continent. B9B had broken away back in 1987, and drifted around the region, but had mostly sat dormant until recently. Now, the two pieces of ice have merged to form this one giant berg which could have long lasting implications to global climate.

The newly formed iceberg, which is over 48-miles in length, has already drifted out into a part of the ocean known as a polynya. Polynyas are an area of the Southern Ocean where dense, extremely cold and salty water is produced. That “bottom water”, as it is known, sinks deep into the sea and creates the circulation that moves the various ocean currents around the globe. If the iceberg stays where it is at right now, it could cause a change in those circulations, having an effect on ocean currents worldwide, which will also change jet stream patterns and the movement of weather.

Best case scenario, the iceberg will either move back into the Antarctic coast or drift north into warmer waters, where it won’t cause any problems, but scientists say that isn’t likely. The good news is that it will probably be decades before the effects of the iceberg will be known, and I’m sure by then global warming will have kicked in, and we’ll be happy for the cooling effect this might bring.

“Bus2Antarctica” comes to a successful end – Andrew Evans arrives on his 7th continent

by Scott Carmichael on

On January 9th, National Geographic writer (and Gadling team member) Andrew Evans set off on a trip to reach Antarctica.

Not that many people make this trip, and while the destination itself is still very special, Andrew made his voyage even more exciting by completing the trip using public bus services. Of course, he had to use a boat to complete the final portion since amphibious public transit services are still in their infancy. 1,650 tweets later, he arrived this afternoon and posted the following message:

Just set foot on Antarctica. My 7th continent & the end of my bus journey! http://ow.ly/i/vgQ 68º 16.892′ South

Congratulations to Andrew, and many thanks for the fantastic updates during your journey – reading tweets may not be as exciting as actually traveling with you, but it sure did keep me entertained.

(Image from Bus2Antactica Twitter channel)

New York Times names 31 places to go in 2010

by Katie Hammel on

As the final weeks of 2009 stretch into the first few weeks of 2010, we see a lot of lists predicting the hot destinations for the next year or telling us where we should plan on going in the next 365 days. The New York Times recently put out their list, but unlike some lists that just seem to be composed at random, based on an individual’s personal travel wishlist, this list actually makes a lot of sense.

Rather than just naming the destinations, the NYT gives reasons behind each choice. For instance, Sri Lanka, where nearly 25 years of fighting has recently ended, seems poised to become a much more popular beach destination in the region. It also makes sense that Seoul, which has been named the World Design Capital of 2010 and is set to host hundreds of related events throughout the year, will see more visitors in 2010. The Times also makes the case for visiting Antarctica this year, as new rules governing cruise ship visits may make it more difficult and more expensive in the future.

Other destinations on the list include such destinations as Los Angeles Shanghai, Costa Rica, Istanbul, Colombia, and Nepal. On the list or not, where are you planning on traveling in 2010?

Safe travels to Antarctica, Andrew Evans!

by Grant Martin on

Have you checked in with our colleague, friend and hero Andrew Evans lately? He’s on the Bus(es) to Antarctica right now, a long, slow journey from his home in Washington DC all of the way to the southern tip of the planet Earth. By bus. Or rather, a series of slow, crawling behemoths from which he’ll be blogging, tweeting and reflecting over the course of the next several weeks. Fox 5 in DC picked up the trail late this week, with Andrew in Central America and working on his sexy beard. Take some time to with him well on his Twitter feed at @bus2antarctica or over at National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel Blog.

International female team reaches South Pole

by Kraig Becker on

Back in November, a group of seven women from a variety of countries around the globe set out on a long, and challenging journey. Calling themselves the Kaspersky Commonwealth Expedition, they left Patriot Hills, along the Antarctic coast, and over the course of the next 39 days, traveled more than 550 miles on skis, before arriving at their destination at the geographic South Pole yesterday.

The expedition is described on the team’s website as “5 Continents. 6 Faiths. 7 Languages. 8 Women. 1 daring ambition”. And what a daring ambition it has been. The original eight women come from Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Jamaica and the United Kingdom, each of which are Commonwealth countries. Due to illness, one of the women was forced to withdraw from the team at the last minute, leaving the other seven to continue without her.

The expedition served two purposes. The first was to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth, while the second was a celebration of the achievement of women from around the planet. These ladies hope to serve as role models for young girls back home, showing them that it is possible to for women to do great things. In several cases, these women are first person, man or woman, from their home country to make the journey to the South Pole.

That journey was not an easy one. The ladies had to deal with blizzards, whiteout conditions, vast crevasse fields, and long, demanding days out on the ice, where the temperatures often fell below -20ºF. In order to make the journey, they had to pull their gear and supplies behind them on heavy sleds, while they crossed miles of wide open terrain, often exposed to howling winds and blowing snow.

For now, the team is resting at the research station located at the South Pole, where they are enjoying warm beds and hot meals for the first time in weeks. In the next day or two, they’ll be picked up from the ice by plane, and begin to make the return trip home. But until then, they’re content and happy, with having reached a place on the planet that few people will ever see and accomplishing something that few could ever dream of.