Tag Archives: Antarctica

My Favorite Job Posting of All-Time. “Long journey on an old wooden boat to the worst place on Earth.”

Nothing highlights the difference between now and 100 years ago quite like this advertisement from Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton: “Long journey on an old wooden boat to the worst place on Earth. The trip is going to be super dangerous and terrible. In fact, you’ll probably die and if you don’t die you will definitely be miserable the entire time.” Imagine scrolling through craiglist and seeing an ad like this in 2022. I feel like the internet would take it down for safety reasons and then the people would get back to their video games and porn. Back then…that sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime. Fuck safety. Nothing beats a little glory and a call to adventure.  The story of “Endurance” and Ernest is one of my absolute favorites. >click to read< 11:22

Countries rush for an upper hand in Antarctica; nations focused on commercial opportunities

untitled-1 antarcticaOn a glacier-filled island with fjords and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica’s first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base, transporting the logs all the way from Siberia. Less than an hour away by snowmobile, Chinese laborers have updated the Great Wall Station, a linchpin in China’s plan to operate five bases on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court, domes to protect satellite stations and sleeping quarters for 150 people.  Not to be outdone, India’s futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stilts using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too. Read the article here 19:08

China fishing plan in Antarctica alarms scientists

Scientists studying the Antarctic’s marine life received some unexpected news this month: China plans to vastly increase fishing for Antarctic krill – small crustaceans that are a critical food for the continent’s penguins and other creatures. China currently harvests about 32,000 metric tons of krill annually from Antarctica’s waters, topped by only Norway and South Korea. Under China’s plans, the world’s most populous country would increase those catches 30 to 60 times, harvesting up to 2 million metric tons yearly. Read the rest here 12:18