Vistas Chapter 3 A Journey To The End Of The Earth

Six hundred and fifty million years ago there was no life except a giant southern super-continent named Gondwana. Things were quite different and the climate was much warmer. It had a variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. Finally it broke into separate countries as they exist today. It was the time when dinosaurs were wiped out and the mammals got under way. Thus Gondwana centred around roughly the present day Antarctica.

In case we visit Antarctica, we can realise where we have come from and where we could possibly be leading. It is to understand the significance of Cardilleran folds and pre-Cambrian granite shields, ozone and carbon, evolution and extinction. Thus, geological phenomena help us to know about the history of mankind. Due to geological changes, India pushed northward and formed the Himalayas. South America drifted off to join North America. The melting of polar ice caps can tell us where possibly we are heading to.

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M. Imp.

Human civilisations have been around for a paltry 12,000 years. People have dominated over nature and thereby villages, towns, cities and mega-cities have cropped up. The resources are limited but our human population has increased rapidly. So we are battling with other species for the limited resources. Hence a great depletion of resources is underway. Further the burning of fossil fuels and pollution have created a blanket of carbon-dioxide around the world. Thus, our tenacy on this earth is shortening day by day.

There is a long controversy over the environmental changes. The global temperature is increasing. The ice-caps and the glaciers are melting. There is every likelihood of overflooding in the ocean. On the earth and in between the nature, we are bent upon decaying the ecological balance through deforestation. Many species of forest have become extinct. Thus there is a great danger of human survival. Our future is quite bleak and the scientists are warning us about all these dangers and changes in the environment. If this goes on at a rapid speed, the day is not far when the nature will swallow the human beings.

Six hundred and fifty million years ago, there existed a southern super-continent named Gondwana. There was no life and Gondwana centred roughly around present-day Antarctica. At that time things are quite different and the human beings had not arrived on the global scene. There the climate was much warmer and there was only a variety of flora and fauna.

There was a time when India and Antarctica were the part of same landmass. The human beings had arrived on the earth billions of year later. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. Finally it broke into separate countries as they exist today. It was the stage when dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals had started. India pushed northwards and the Himalayas were formed. South America drifted off to join North America. It opened up the Drake Passage and created a cold circumpolar current. It turned Antarctica frigid, desolate and at the bottom of the world. Thus the study of Antarctica helps us in knowing the geological history of the world.

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Geoff Green is a considerable Canadian explorer who aims at organising “Students on Ice” programme by taking high school students to the ends of the world. He thinks it most essential to provide the students with inspiring educational opportunities to know more about the Antarctica. Through this they will generate a new understanding and respect for our planet. Earlier Geoff Green had organized programme with celebrities and rich people which gave him back only in a limited way. Since the students are young minds and full of adventurous activities they can learn, act and absorb much by visiting the Antarctica. They can see through their own eyes glaciers retreating and ice-shelves collapsing. They can realise the future dangers, catastrophic effect of climatic changes and the global warming.

The Antarctica provides the young students a perfect place to study the varied changes occuring in the environment. These little changes can have significant consequences. The students can see those grasses of the sea that flourish, nourish and sustain the entire Sourthern Ocean’s food chain. Thus the programme provides a lively study of changes and the realities going on the Antarctica.

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This maxim is very much significant as it warns us to maintain the ecological balance in nature. It specifies the need of caring the small things so that the big things may take care of themselves. The Antarctica has quite a simple eco-system but it lacks in bio-diversity. It is the most suitable place to study how small changes in the environment can have fatal consequences. With deforestation, different kinds of rare species have become extinct and the ecological balance is under disturbance. The danger of global warming starts from small things like burning of fossil fuels. Our ozone layer in the atmosphere is under threat. Thus the neglect of small things results in terrible danger.

The author points out small phytoplanktons. These are single celled tiny plants. They nourish and sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. These plants use solar energy and assimilate carbon. They synthesise organic compounds and this process is called photosynthesis. The scientists are warning us that the further depletion of the ozone layer will affect the activities of phyto-planktons. The holes in the ozone layer will affect the lives of the all marine life. Thus the entire global carbon cycle will collapse. Accordingly there is an urgent need to check the depletion of resources. The writer is appropriate in his statement, “Take care of small things and the big things will take care of themselves.”

The author presents a detailed account of his experiences about his visit to Antarctica. It has helped him in studying as well as understanding about the present, past and future of the earth. About 650 million years ago, there was a southern super-continent named Gondwana. India and the Antarctica were the parts of the same landmass. There was no life except huge variety of flora and fauna. According to him Antarctica is the only place on the earth that has never sustained human life and therefore, it is pure. It holds in it ice-core, half million year old carbon record and thus provides clues of our past, present and future. The complete absence of any evidence of human life made him feel that there had been no sense of human perspective.

On the Antarctica, he got an opportunity to walk on the frozen sea and he saw ice-berg, seals and miles of snow all round. He felt the grasp of knowing where we have come from and where we could possibly be heading. The study suggested our future possibilities. He felt the need of making changes in our present life style and practices. There is an urgent need to check on the rising of global temperature. Antarctica apprised him about the repercussions of environmental changes and the need of studying future climate changes. We must feel the need of maintaining the future world.

The author boarded a Russian vessel “The Akademik Shokalskiy” along with some youth students to understand the planet earth. The journey began 13.09 degrees North of the Equator in Madras. The party had to travel over 100 hours in car, aeroplane and ship. Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest subcontinent in the world.

About six hundred and fifty million years ago, there existed a giant amalgamated southern super-continent Gondwana. At that time there was no human life except a huge variety of flora and fauna. With the passage of time this landmass was forced to separate into continents shaping the globe as we know it today. India pushing northwards jamming against Asia to form the Himalayas. South America drifted off to join North America and opened up the Drake Passage to create a cold current.

Human civilisation is just 12,000 years old. People have dominated over nature with villages, towns, cities and mega-cities. Human population has increased and there is the depletion of natural resources. The burning of fossil-fuels has created a blanket of carbon-dioxide around the world and the global temperature is on increase. The atmosphere is becoming polluted day by day. Thus our survival is in danger.

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We have learnt that millions of years ago, the earth was a mass of land. It was called a super-continent, Gondwana and had warm environment. No human being existed on the earth at that time but a huge variety of flora and fauna existed. Slowly the landmass started pushing apart giving rise to continents and water bodies. It happened when the dinosaurs were wiped out and the times of the mammals had started. With the passage of time the globe took the shape which we can see at present.

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Since our population is increasing at a rat race so man has created villages, towns, cities and mega-cities. It is to make settlements for human beings. In a way he has destroyed the nature and the fossil fuels. The burning of gases and other fuel have created chances of global warming. This it will be a complicated problem for the survival of the humanity.

Gondwana is the huge landmass – a super-continent, the undivided earth, which existed millions of years ago. Gondwana was centred roughly around present day Antarctica. It had no human life but only flora and fauna. It existed for five hundred million years ago and then started drifting away slowly, giving rise to different landmasses called continents and different water bodies called oceans, etc.

The earth was a great landmass millions of years ago, which was not divided into continents. When it started pushing apart, various landmasses and water bodies got formed. During this process, South America drifted to join North America. It opened up the Drake Passage to give rise to a cold circumpolar current which described the region called Antarctica and pushed it to the globe and made it pretty cold and unproteetive.

The visual range in Antarctica varies from microscopic organisms to large organisms and great icebergs. Microscopic phyto-planktons to huge blue whales are found in Antarctica. Icebergs here are as big as a country. The largest ice-berg is the size of Belgium. Not much of the flora and fauna flourish in this land of ice.

The most hotly debated topic of our time is the environment. Our environment is changing due to our interference in the working of nature. The questions which arose during these debates are: Will the ice melt at the Antarctica? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disturbed? Will an end come to our world? These questions give us the account of the dangers we will have to face in the future if the adverse processes like global warming, etc. continue for some more years to come.

Antarctica is very much unique as well as specific than other parts of the globe. It is completely devoid of human markers and more than 90 per cent of the earth’s total ice-volumes are stored on this sub-continent. In the beginning there was no life except flora and fauna. There are neither trees nor buildings. So we lose all earthly sense of perspective and time there. There is a day of 24 hours.

Antarctica is the most appropriate place to understand and study the earth’s present, past and future. In the beginning it was a giant super continent that forced to form different countries. It had no human population except ice-caves half million years old carbon records. Thus Antarctica tells us of the present state. It can tell us the earth’s past. The receding glaciers and falling ice-shelves can give us an indication of the future.

Human civilizations have been there for about 12,000 years. But on the geological clock, this time comes only for a few seconds. In this short period, man has created much ruckus. He has dominated nature and thereby villages, towns, cities and mega-cities have cropped up.

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Phytoplanktons are the grasses of the sea of the Southern Ocean. These are single celled plants and use the sun’s energy. With the process of photosynthesis, they supply food and oxygen for all the marine life of the sea. But the global warming can affect the activities of these plants and life of all the creatures depending on them. Global warming also causes the melting of the ice-bergs and collapsing of ice-shelves in this region.

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The increase in the temperature of the earth is called the global warming. There is a cover of ozone layer around our atmosphere, that stops the ultra-violet rays of the sun from entering the earth and maintaining the temperature. Due to excessive emissions of poisonous gases and carbondioxide, the ozone layer has started depleting and thus allowing the ultra-violet rays of the sun on the earth. Thus there occurs an increase in the temperature and hence the global warming.

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Geoff Green is a Canadian explorer. He has started a programme of taking the young school students on Ice i.e. to the ends of the world. There they could get inspiring educational opportunities with the help of their experiences, they can develop a new understanding and respect for their own planet. As policy makers they can help save the planet from the present dangers.

The author had a wonderful experience of walking on the ocean. He saw a stark whiteness of thick ice that seemed to be spread out forever. It was a metre thick ice path. Underneath there was 180 metres of living, breathing salt water. In the external boundary, seals were stretching and running themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs.

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For she survival of the world, the understanding about Antarctica is very important. It was a huge super continent called ‘Gondwana” which survived for about 500 million fears. There was a warmer climate. Due to certain geological disturbances, the land mass was forced to separate into countries. These transformed the globe much as we know it today. At the Antarctica one can study cordilleran folds, ozone and carbon, evolution and extinction.

Trishani Doshi set foot on the Antarctic continent. He found it the most appropriate place to understand and study the earth’s present, past and future. It is a giant super continent. It has no human population except ice-caves. Its receding glaciers and falling ice shelves filled him with relief.

The writer saw Antarctica for the first time. He was amazed to see the white stretch of sea under the blue horizon. The place had no human markers. History of mankind is embedded deep into the layers of the sea.

There were sea creatures all around and seals were running on the floes. The sight of collapring ice shelves, breaking of ice-bergs and melting of ice amazed him the most.

The earth was an amalgamated supercontinent in the beginning say about six hundred million years ago. It was called Gondwana. It was the most coldest, windiest and the driest continent in the world. The climate at that time was warm and not suitable for the human life to exist. There were no human markers except a huge variety of flora and fauna. It was the stage when dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals started.

After 500 million years, the landmass was forced to separate into countries as they exist today. Slowly, the climate started changing and drifts started occurring on the surface of the earth. It further deepened to separate various parts of the earth from each other to form countries and continents. With the rapid expansion of huge population, villages, towns, cities and megacities came into existence. Buckling of the crusts against each other gave rise to huge mountains like Himalayas and various water bodies like oceans and rivers. Drifting of American continent gave rise to circumpolar currents, which desolated the polar regions of the earth and making them the coolest places on the earth and thus gave the present shape to the earth.

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The increase in temperature of the earth is called ‘global warming’. Around our atmosphere, there is a cover of an ozone layer that stops the ultra-violet rays of the sun from entering the earth and maintain the temperature. Side by side we have excessive emission of poisonous gases and carbon-dioxide and thereby the ozone layer has started depleting. Consequently, there has been an increase in the temperature of the earth slowly. Even the burning of fossil fuels give rise to carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases. So these gases do not allow the heat from the earth to escape and all these give rise to global warming.

The global warming affects the process of photo-synthesis and disturbs the food chain of animals and birds. It has caused the ice-bergs to melt and collapse in the region. We can save our planet earth by minimising the use of cooling appliances like refrigerators, and air conditioners since the gas that emits out makes holes at the ozone layer and causes rise in the global temperature. We should stop burning of the fossil fuels. It is for us to devise steps to save our planet earth.

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Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world. The author boards a Russian vessel–the Akademik Shokal–skiy from Madras and he crosses nine time zones and six check points, three bodies of water and many ecospheres. There is no human habitation except absolute silence and ice sheets. There is 24 hours southern summer light. Six hundred and fifty million years ago, it was a giant supercontinent, Gondwana that centred around present day Antarctica. For 500 million years, Gondwana flourished. Then the landmass could not remain together and separated like India and North America.

Antarctica is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population. In this respect it is original. It holds half million years old carbon records embedded in its layers of ice. In order to understand the past, present and future of the earth, one should visit Antarctica. Antarctica has simple eco-system. There is lack of biodiversity. It is the perfect place to study how changes in environment can have big repercussions. It is called the end of the earth because no human life exists on it except the scientist to go for research purposes.

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Phytoplanktons are the grasses of the sea of the Southern Ocean. These are single celled plants and use the sun’s energy. With the process of photosynthesis, they supply food and oxygen for all the marine life of the sea. But the global warming can affect the activities of these plants and life of all the creatures depending on them. Global warming also causes the melting of the ice-bergs and collapsing of ice-shelves in the region.

The phytoplanktons convert carbon dioxide and water into food using energy from sunlight. If they fail to do so the temperature of the earth would rise. The ozone layer will get depleted and the ultra-rays would reach the earth. The earth would become unduly warm. Therefore, it is very important for our eco-system.

Our human civilization is not old since it is around 12,000 years old. But in this short span of time we have arranged to create much confusion and chaos in the nature. We have dominated it through our villages, towns, cities, mega-cities, industries and malls. Side by side there is population growth than expected which is battling fast with other species to consume the limited resources. We have been bent upon burning the fossil fuels. It has created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the earth. All this has caused the global temperature to increase.

Consequently, there is a climatic change due to rise in the temperature. By visiting Antarctica, we can note that the west Antarctica ice–sheets have melted entirely. The ice–shelves are collapsing. Earlier the Antarctica has remained untouched and unspoiled by the human beings. Its ecosystem is quite simple and easy. If there is a minute change, it is very much visible. It is our sacred duty to protect our mother earth from despoiling.

A Visit to the End of the World

Antarctica: 10th May 2008 By Priyanka Mittal

It will remain an awe-inspiring event in my life to have a visit to Antarctica in the company of 25 students. The programme was sponsored by M.D. University. The journey began from Chennai by crossing nine time zones, six check points, three bodies of water and at least as many eco-spheres. It was a 100 hours journey. When we reached there the atmosphere was the coldest, driest and windiest. It was a long day of 24 hours. It was learnt that 650 million years ago, there existed a giant southern supercontinent called Gondwana. For 500 million years Gondwana flourished and the landmass was forced to separate into continents. Our country is the part and parcel of this continent. The place was devoid of human markers-no trees, bill-boards and buildings. There were microscopic insects like widges, mites and mighty whales. The ice bergs were as big as countries like Belgium. Antarctica is a perfect place to know how little changes in the environment can have big consequence. Before turning back we wedged into a thick white stretch of frozen ice. It was stark whiteness that seemed to spread out forever. Under our feet was a metre thick ice pack and before that was 180 feet metres of salt water with sea-life. It was a rare-experience.

“Students on Ice” is a very fine programme headed by a Canadian young man named Geoff Green. It is an educational expedition on the Antarctica. In the beginning, he used to involve the celebrities and the retired rich people to take them to the Antarctica and make them aware of the dangers which our future generations are likely to face. It was to show them how the human beings are involved in despoiling the nature but he noticed a great lack of interest as well as response.

Then he took a firm decision of taking the high school students there since these are the future policy-makers to his programme. He named it “Students on Ice”. He took the students to Antarctica to see, understand and examine what is happening due to global warming. There they can see the glaciers retreating and the ice-shelves collapsing. They will not remain untouched on seeing what is happening before their eyes. They will be able to realise the real truth of the grave situation. They will definitely act to save the earth.

The experience of the author was amazing, alluring and mind- boggling. He was amazed to see the white stretch of sea under the blue horizon. It was a little bit odd to see a place without any human markers, but it was also thrilling to know that we were in a place which has the history of the mankind embedded deep into the layers of the ice. It was a great experience to walk on the frozen sea. To know that we were walking on a metre thick snow layers, under which there is a one hundred and eighty metre deep sea. It was an awe-striking experience. The experience was like walking on a ping-pong ball. It was great to see crabeaters and seals around. In the periphery, crabeater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on the floes much like stray dogs sitting under the shade of a banyan tree. The sight of collapsing ice–shields, breaking of ice-bergs and melting of ice was an eye-opener. It made the author and his team aware of the dangers the future times are having in their folds.