ANTARCTICA THE INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

ANDCLIMATE CHANGE

BY

SHARADINDU MUKERJIDIRECTOR

ANTARCTICA DIVISIONGEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA

WHY DO SOME MEN DESIRE WITH SUCH URGENCY TO DO SUCH THINGS,

REGARDLESS OF CONSEQUENCES,VOLUNTARILY,CONSCRIPTED BY NO ONE BUT THEMSELVES

NO ONE KNOWS

- SCOTT

500 MILLION YEARS AGO THE FAR SEPARATED CONTINENTS OF TODAY WERE ACTUALLY JOINED TOGETHER

AROUND 200 MILLION YEARS AGO THEY STARTED BREAKING OFF AND DRIFT AWAY FROM EACH OTHER

THE PROCESS IS CONTINUING EVEN TODAY

THE LANDMASS OF ANTARCTICA IS SURROUNDED BY “SOUTHERN OCEAN” WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A MIXTURE OF WATERS OF INDIAN, PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC OCEANS.

THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO POLAR REGIONS OF EARTH.

THE NORTH POLAR REGION – ARCTIC – IS AN OCEAN SURROUNDED BY CONTINENTS WHILE SOUTH POLAR REGION – ANTARCTICA – IS A CONTINENT SURROUNDED BY OCEAN.

WHY ANTARCTICA ?

• INDIA AND ANTARCTICA ARE LONG SEPARATED NEIGHBOURS

• THAT IS A MAJOR REASON WHY WE GO TO ANTARCTICA

• ANTARCTICA ALSO PROVIDES THE MOST PRISTINE LOCATION ON THE SURFACE OF PLANET EARTH FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDIES IN THE FIELDS OF EARTH SCIENCE, ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE, PHYSICAL SCIENCE, MEDICAL SCIENCE, ETC.

AREAS OF INDIAN ACTIVITY

MAITRI

LARSEMANN HILLS

WEDDELL SEA

ADMIRALTY BAY

LOOKING FOR THE LEAD CHANNEL

IN THE POLYNYA

POLYNYA IS AN OPEN STRETCH OF WATER

BETWEEN

PACK ICE AND ICE SHELF

Tabular Iceberg

MV THULELAND REACHING FAST ICE - DECEMBER 1985

ADELIE PENGUINS WELCOMING US

ICE SHELF

FAST ICE

SHIP ALONG THE SHELF EDGE

INDIA BAY

DAKSHIN GANGOTRI STATION AS SEEN IN JANUARY 1986

THE LOUNGE AT DAKSHIN GANGOTRI~ 40 FEET BELOW SURFACE

DAKSHIN GANGOTRI STATION IN 1990

…….and in 2003

AERIAL VIEW OF SCHIRMACHER OASIS

Maitri Stn.

Shelf ice

Cap ice

N

A CLOSER LOOK

MAITRI STATION COMPLEX

WOHLTHAT MOUNTAINS PHOTOGRAPHED FROM A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 100 KM

FIELD WORK IN ORVIN MOUNTAINS

JANUARY 1999

A COMPARISON

THE TENT USED IN 1983 AND THAT IN 1992

ENVIRONMENT ASPECTS

• It is but obvious that with man encroaching into the pristine world of Antarctica, the environment of this nearly pollution free continent is threatened from many angles.

• The major threats come from the human waste generated everyday and the waste that is generated by human activity in the permanent stations – in the form of tonnes of garbage every year.

• Shipping in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica as well as flying activities over the entire region add to the menace.

• BUT THE WORK HAS TO GO ON………THEREFORE,

CARRYING GARBAGE ON SLEDGE FOR DISPOSALDAKSHIN GANGOTRI, WINTER 1986

GARBAGE BURNING IN OPENMAITRI, WINTER 1992

MAITRI STATION, WINTER 2005

THE KLARGESTER ROOM

THE KLARGESTER SYSTEM

THE NEW TOILET MODULE INTRODUCED IN WINTER, 2008

THE NEW TOILET SYSTEM

PRISTINE ANTARCTICA

• IT IS VERY VITAL THAT ANYONE WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPLORATION WORK IN ANTARCTICA RELENTLESSLY STRIVES TO SAFEGUARD THE PRISTINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CONTINENT.

• THE EFFORTS ARE ON IN A CONTINUOUS AND REGULAR MANNER TO SAVE THE TRANQUILITY AND SHEER BEAUTY OF THE LAND…………

FIELD WORK IN THE MOUNTAINS

SKUA FLYING OVER SCHIRMACHER OASIS

TRAPPED AIR BUBBLES IN FROZEN LAKE WATER

FROZEN SEA WAVE AT THE EDGEOF SCHIRMACHER OASIS

AURORA AUSTRALISTHE UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE

THE GLOW BEFORE THE SUNRISE

JUST BEFORE SUNRISEAFTER TWO MONTHS’ DARKNESS

FIRST SUNRISE FOR A FEW SECONDS ON 23 JULY 1992

WEDDELL SEALS ON FAST ICEDECEMBER, 1986

CLIMATE CHANGETHE CLIMATE CHANGE IN SCHIRMACHER OASIS AREA IS REFLECTED IN THE RECESSION OF DAKSHIN GANGOTRI GLACIER

OBS.POINT

2001

20012003 2006

RECESSION OF DAKSHIN GANGOTRI GLACIERAT AN APPROXIMATE RATE OF 0.7M PER YEAR

GPR WORK OVER FROZEN LAKE

INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED SYSTEM FOR SEDIMENT CORING

DRILLING FOR ICE CORES

The mean annual rate of accumulation calculated to ~19 cm per annum in the last 200 years

The mean annual surface temp (MASAT) shows that the beginning of the 19th Century was colder by ~20 C than the present temperatures

Volcanic mega-eruption of 1815 AD (‘Tambora’) has been detected as a clear marker horizon

The nuclear pulse of 1940-1980 AD is yet to be detected in samples from this area

Conclusions of IND-1 Core:

Ice Coring & Drilling

GLOBAL WARMING ! NO DOUBT

BUT ANTARCTIC SCENARIO IS DIFFERENT

OCEAN TEMPERATURE

ARCTIC – A DIFFERENT STORY

PERMAFROST MAKING WAY FOR LAKES/PONDS,NORTHERN EDGE OF ALASKA

PERMAFROST DISAPPEARING

MELTING PERMAFROST IN ARCTIC CIRCLE

POLAR BEAR IS ON THE RUN

NOW WHERE TO GO ?

THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET IS GROWING

GROWLERS IN ADMIRALTY BAY(ANTARCTIC PENINSULA AREA)

DECEMBER 2009

POLISH STATION ARCTOWSKI SURROUNDED BY SNOW - DECEMBER 2009

UNUSUAL SNOW COVER IN ADMIRALTY BAY AREA - DECEMBER 2009

COMANDANTE FERRAZ

THE HUMAN ANGLE AND SOME FACTS

• IT IS KNOWN THAT THE HUMAN CONTRIBUTION TO EARTH’S GREENHOUSE EFFECT IS NEGLIGIBLE AT 0.2% TO 0.3%

• GLOBAL WARMING HAS TAKEN PLACE DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF EARTH’S GEOLOGICAL PAST

• EARTH HAS PASSED THROUGH AT LEAST FIVE MAJOR ICE AGES IN THE PAST – HURONIAN (2.1 TO 2.4 Ga B.P.), CRYOGENIAN (850 TO 630 MY B.P.), ANDEAN-SAHARAN (460 TO 430 MY B.P.), KAROO (360 TO 260 MY B.P.) AND CURRENT (BEGAN 2.58 MY AGO)

• THIS IMPLIES THAT WE ARE STILL IN AN ICE AGE THOUGH PASSING THROUGH AN INTERGLACIAL STAGE

• THERE IS NOTHING TO GET TOO PANICKY ABOUT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• UNDOUBTEDLY THERE IS GLOBAL WARMING BUT THE PHENOMENON MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN THE LIGHT OF MULTIFARIOUS FACTORS CONTROLLING THE GLOBAL CHANGE IN THE CLIMATE

• THE COMMON MAN SHOULD BE EDUCATED ON NATURAL EARTH PROCESSES

• FIELD DATA COLLECTED BY ROOT LEVEL SCIENTISTS AS WELL AS NON-SCIENTISTS SHOULD BE GIVEN DUE COGNIZANCE BY THE LEADERS IN SCIENCE

• IT IS TIME WE EMPHASIZE ON KEEPING OUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE ANTARCTICA

• ONLY THEN……

ONLY THEN

WE CAN LIVE HAPPILY IN THIS WORLD

IT IS IMPORTANT THATWE MARCH TOGETHER TOWARDS A NEW WORLD OF DEEPER UNDERSTANDINGAND……..

FLY HIGH IN THE SKIES OF OUR THOUGHTS

FLY HIGH IN THE SKIES OF OUR THOUGHTS

Thank you for your patience