The Hidden Life of Ice: Dispatches From a Disappearing World by Marco Tedesco & Alberto Flores D'Arcais & Denise Muir & Elizabeth Kolbert

Author:Marco Tedesco & Alberto Flores D'Arcais & Denise Muir & Elizabeth Kolbert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Experiment
Published: 2020-08-17T23:00:00+00:00

chapter 7

A Hole in the Ice

Euphoria bubbles between us the whole way back as we excitedly bounce detail upon detail off each other, as if desperate not to let the incredible event we’d just witnessed slip away from us. We walk side by side, taking turns to lead the group, each time walking with someone new. When I find myself next to Christine, a veteran member of the project, our enthusiasm turns to reminiscing, and we end up laughing over memories of our first expedition together, in the Antarctic, quite a few years earlier.

Dry valleys—literally a row of arid valleys—is one of the few places in the infinite Antarctic expanse not covered in ice. Or not completely ice-laden, to be more precise. We were there with Christine to study a strain of bacteria that can only be found in that part of the world, and it was a truly unique experience. Access to the valleys is protected by an international treaty whereby no single country currently controls, or could ever control, the extreme southern continent. Only a few individuals are granted entry each year and only for scientific research. The landscape is lunar, Martian even, with red rocky peaks poking through ice still partially covered in snow. A violent and insistent wind like no other blows almost every day, eroding the rock and blowing rust-colored detritus over the surrounding land. Where ice meets sea, there’s a brief glimpse of the emerald green of the icy ocean before the white of the sea ice takes over.

I remember we were walking back to base camp when we came across the carcass of what was probably once a seal. Christine explained to me that it was impossible to know how long it had been there, as the low temperatures and dry climate meant decomposition takes much longer. It could’ve been there for tens—hundreds, even—of years. Nevertheless, my most vivid memory of that trip is of the winds. Katabatics, they’re called, formed by air rushing down from higher elevations, like avalanches. The force of gravity gives them a power that can often reach hurricane speeds. During that expedition with Christine, I was in my tent taking a well-deserved nap when I was awakened by what felt, in my sleepy state, like my daughter’s hand brushing my cheek. It was only when I woke up properly that I realized it was the side of the tent billowing in my face. We took refuge double-quick in the only “steady” building we had (the kitchen tent) and waited in there for around ten hours until the wind died down.

No other place in the world has such jaw-dropping landscapes. But such uniqueness means that if you’re privileged and lucky enough to come here to see them, you must also abide by the peremptory orders of the US government, which is “in charge” of that part of Antarctica. I remember the great pains we took to follow all the instructions and keep any impact of our presence on the continent to a minimum.

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