Antarctic expedition to showcase at Waterfront

THERE has been a sense for some time that climate change denialists are living on borrowed time. One suspects that clock will tick with new intensity once the results of the Antarctic circumnavigation expedition (ACE) are released, starting on Monday.

The Swiss Polar Institute announced yesterday that scientists would be releasing preliminary results of the three-month expedition on Monday, at the V&A Waterfront.

A showcase of some of the work will be open to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday at the ACE Pavilion on Jetty 2 in front of the Table Bay Hotel. Many a heart will sink at the idea of evidence being found of the dreaded micro-plastic pollution in even the most remote places around Antarctica.

News of air that is cleaner than in the purest man-made environments, “white rooms” in laboratories, will give a reason to breathe out. The groundbreaking research trip, which included nearly 150 scientists representing 73 scientific institutions, will end when the Russian research vessel Akademik Treshnikov sails into Cape Town harbour tomorrow morning.

The scientists filmed and took samples under ice shelves and, as deep as 3 000m, completed 3D mapping of some of the 12 island groups they visited and took the first ice cores from others. They took 18 968 individual samples of any sort on their 30 720km journey, which was completed over three stages.

The expedition included a diverse group of scientists from around the world, the first time such a wide range of disciplines – from biology to climatology to oceanography – had worked together to enhance understanding of Antarctica. The Swiss Polar Institute said a better understanding of the continent is critical, not just for its preservation, but for the whole planet.

The poles, which play a key role in regulating the world’s climate, are affected by climate change more than any other region on Earth. Antarctica is rare on Earth in that it has never been affected by war and remains protected from many of the causes thereof.

The Antarctic Treaty, which has been signed by countries that represent about 80 percent of the world’s population, has ensured that this has continued and will continue for the foreseeable future. According to the Antarctic Treaty, the first version of which came into effect in 1961, the continent is dedicated to peaceful scientific investigation. Exploration for oil and other minerals is banned under the agreement, which also pledges to keep Antarctica demilitarised and nuclear-free. – ANA