- 20 hours ago
Documentary, PBS Nova Antarctica, Earth's Last Frontier-9
NOVA visits Antarctica; this wilderness of ice, larger than the United States and Mexico combined, whose only warm-blooded residents are seals, skuas, penguins and scientists.
NOVA visits Antarctica; this wilderness of ice, larger than the United States and Mexico combined, whose only warm-blooded residents are seals, skuas, penguins and scientists.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Music
00:04Music
00:08Music
00:12Music
00:26An Apollo astronaut once observed during his return to Earth
00:30that there was a great white lantern
00:33shining out over the bottom of the world.
00:39That light was Antarctica,
00:42the huge ice-covered continent
00:44that mankind is just beginning to understand.
00:50Until now, it was the only continent
00:54unthreatened by human progress.
01:04The last frontier is a continent of superlatives.
01:09It is the coldest place on Earth.
01:12Antarctica owns the world record
01:14for the lowest temperature ever recorded,
01:17minus 126 degrees Fahrenheit, below zero.
01:24It's also the windiest place,
01:26with winds of 100 miles per hour not uncommon.
01:31Yet despite these unparalleled conditions,
01:35it supports amazingly abundant forms of life.
01:3998% of Antarctica is covered with ice,
01:53some of it up to two miles thick,
01:56a burden heavy enough
01:58to push a third of the continental land mass
02:01well below sea level.
02:02In surface area,
02:06Antarctica is bigger than the United States.
02:12In winter,
02:13its ice cover extends outward over surrounding oceans,
02:17expanding to an area about the size of all of North America,
02:22plus Greenland and Iceland,
02:24both Eastern and Western Europe,
02:25and a good chunk of the Middle East.
02:30The huge icebergs
02:32that break off Antarctica's hanging cliffs
02:35and float out to sea
02:36usually drift 10 miles a day.
02:40Every summer,
02:41an estimated 1,000 square miles
02:43of Antarctic ice
02:45is lost to icebergs.
02:46We are now learning much about this remote continent
02:51because for the last 25 years,
02:54under a unique treaty,
02:56scientists from around the world
02:58have been coming to Antarctica
02:59to conduct research
03:01to understand her forbidding environment
03:04and to unlock her secrets.
03:16In the last few years,
03:20the world has come to think of Antarctica
03:22as the home of Earth's
03:24last uncharted natural resources.
03:29Sometimes,
03:30introducing this primeval world
03:33to the 20th century
03:35can bring strange consequences
03:37to its inhabitants.
03:42While Antarctica is fast becoming
03:44a curious blend
03:46of the newest
03:46and the oldest things on Earth,
03:49its history
03:49is the stuff of legend.
03:52The idea
03:53that a huge continent
03:55at the bottom of the world
03:56might exist
03:57was first proposed
03:58by ancient Greek astronomers
04:00who, looking at the stars,
04:02named the brightest
04:03of the constellations
04:04Arctos.
04:06So the Greeks called
04:07the North Pole Arctic
04:08and they guessed
04:10that it would have
04:11a southern complement
04:12which they called Antarctica.
04:14Now,
04:16geologists are proving
04:17that Antarctica
04:18has not always been isolated.
04:21It is believed
04:21that Antarctica
04:22was once part of a supercontinent
04:24called Gondwana Land,
04:27made up of Africa,
04:28South America,
04:29Australia,
04:30and India.
04:32According to the theory
04:33of plate tectonics,
04:34these continents
04:36drifted apart
04:37over several millions
04:38of years
04:39with Antarctica
04:40moving south
04:41to the bottom
04:42of the globe,
04:44enormous,
04:45ice-covered,
04:45and surrounded
04:46by the southern bodies
04:47of the Atlantic,
04:48Indian,
04:49and Pacific oceans.
04:50It has been just
04:53200 years
04:53since man ventured
04:55into the waters
04:55surrounding
04:56this frozen continent.
04:58In the late 1700s,
05:00Captain James Cook
05:01was the first explorer
05:02to cross
05:03the Antarctic Circle.
05:05Although he never
05:06sighted land,
05:07Captain Cook
05:08did encounter
05:09pack ice
05:09made of fresh water
05:10and thus deduced
05:11that there should be
05:13a continent
05:13further south.
05:15Cook also reported
05:16on the abundance
05:16of seals,
05:18an observation
05:18that sparked
05:19a wild flurry
05:20of activity
05:21around Antarctica.
05:23The 1800s
05:24brought seal hunters
05:25who in less
05:26than 40 years
05:27virtually wiped out
05:29the seal population.
05:31Then came
05:33the next generation
05:33of hunters,
05:35the whalers.
05:38They came
05:39for the rich products
05:40of the whale,
05:41which went into
05:42soap and cosmetics,
05:44candles and margarine,
05:45and later
05:46into animal feed
05:47and fertilizer.
05:48Soon,
05:56the whales
05:57would go the way
05:58of the seals.
05:59Some species
06:00became almost extinct.
06:03Meanwhile,
06:04throughout the 19th century,
06:07the expeditions continued.
06:09From countries
06:09around the world
06:10came explorers
06:11in search of new lands
06:13and in search
06:14of the South Pole.
06:15in 1910,
06:18a British Royal Navy
06:19captain,
06:20Robert Falcon Scott,
06:22led an expedition
06:23to Antarctica,
06:25official reason
06:25to conduct
06:26scientific research.
06:27village.
06:29But when he found out
06:30that a Norwegian explorer,
06:32Raul Amundsen,
06:33had already arrived
06:34to start a trek
06:35to the South Pole,
06:37Scott was shaken.
06:39Amundsen was Scott's
06:41old rival,
06:42and their simultaneous
06:43arrival started
06:44a race to the Pole.
06:48Scott's preparations
06:49proved tragically
06:50misguided.
06:52He had brought tractors
06:53to lay down
06:54supply depots,
06:55but they broke down
06:57within miles
06:57of leaving base camp.
07:00He'd also brought
07:0123 sled dogs,
07:02but none of his party
07:03knew how to drive them.
07:06In the end,
07:07Scott pinned most
07:09of his hopes
07:09on his ponies.
07:12Amundsen,
07:13on the other hand,
07:14was a seasoned explorer
07:15who had spent years
07:17training with the Eskimos
07:18in the Arctic.
07:20On October 19,
07:221911,
07:24he set off
07:24with a team
07:25of four companions
07:26and 52 sled dogs.
07:29They covered
07:29one-sixth
07:30of the 900 miles
07:31to the Pole
07:32in the first two weeks.
07:35At about this time,
07:38Scott and his team
07:39started.
07:40The ponies,
07:41unsuited for
07:42harsh environment,
07:44soon became
07:45a disappointment.
07:45A month
07:47into their trek,
07:48the last one
07:49had to be shot.
07:51Some two weeks
07:52and 200 miles
07:54behind Amundsen,
07:55the effort began
07:56to tell
07:57on Scott
07:58and his men.
07:59On December 13,
08:011911,
08:02Scott writes,
08:03A most
08:04damnably
08:05dismal day.
08:07Ironically,
08:09Amundsen's
08:09original goal
08:10had been
08:11the North Pole.
08:12Having been
08:13beaten to it,
08:14he had turned south.
08:15On December 14,
08:17he and his party
08:19achieved their goal.
08:21They became
08:22the first men
08:23to set foot
08:24on the South Pole.
08:27Scott,
08:27meanwhile,
08:28pressed on.
08:29He made a last-minute
08:30change,
08:31adding a fifth man
08:32for the final dash.
08:34It was a decision
08:35he would regret.
08:36It meant
08:37hauling extra food,
08:39and in a tent
08:40designed for four,
08:41cooking,
08:42or even
08:43drying socks,
08:43took longer.
08:46On January 17,
08:481912,
08:50they arrived
08:50at the Pole
08:51only to find
08:52Amundsen's tent
08:53and the Norwegian flag.
08:56Scott wrote
08:57in his diary,
08:58This told us
08:59the whole story.
09:01The Norwegians
09:02have frustrated us
09:03and are first
09:04at the Pole.
09:05It's a terrible
09:07disappointment,
09:07and I'm very
09:09sorry for my
09:10loyal companions.
09:12Days later,
09:13disappointment
09:14turned to tragedy.
09:15All were to die.
09:17The last three,
09:19barely 11 miles
09:20from a supply depot.
09:22But the lure
09:23of Antarctica
09:24continued to inspire
09:26heroic deeds.
09:29With Amundsen's
09:30and Scott's achievement
09:31just two years before,
09:33another Briton,
09:34Ernest Shackleton,
09:36determined to try
09:37for the Grand Crossing,
09:38straight across
09:39the continent
09:40via the Pole,
09:41a dangerous trip
09:42across and through
09:44Antarctic ice.
09:48So in 1914,
09:51he forced his ship,
09:52the Endurance,
09:53further into the ice
09:54of West Antarctica,
09:56wondering whether
09:57Antarctica would
09:58surrender the fame
09:59he sought so dearly.
10:07It did,
10:12but not quite as expected.
10:15The Endurance
10:16became trapped,
10:17and nothing
10:18anybody could do
10:19would get it out again.
10:20Shackleton ordered the ship
10:36unloaded
10:37and an emergency
10:38camp made.
10:39finally,
10:49they decided
10:50to turn back,
10:51and there followed
10:53a truly incredible journey.
10:55First,
10:57500 miles
10:58of drifting
10:59and sledding
11:00over the broken
11:01pack ice,
11:02and then,
11:03aboard lifeboats,
11:05they survived
11:06an 800-mile voyage
11:07in seas like this.
11:11Their failed attempt
11:13was valiant.
11:15Not one man
11:16was lost.
11:17Shackleton
11:18received a hero's welcome.
11:24By 1915,
11:27the South Pole
11:28had been reached
11:28by Amundsen
11:29and then Scott,
11:31while Shackleton's
11:32scheme to traverse
11:33the continent
11:33had failed.
11:35Transportation
11:35was the major problem
11:37for this generation
11:38of Antarctic explorers,
11:40but a solution
11:41was on the way.
11:43Fifteen years later,
11:44in 1929,
11:46American Richard Byrd
11:47would add
11:48the next dimension
11:49to Antarctic exploration,
11:52the airplane.
11:56Byrd wrote later
11:57in his autobiography,
11:58At the same time
12:00I was learning
12:01to fly,
12:02the airplane
12:02was on the verge
12:03of becoming a tool
12:04which mankind
12:05could fit to his hand.
12:08My ambition
12:09was to test
12:10this tool
12:10to the utmost.
12:20The pole,
12:21he said,
12:22lies at the center
12:23of a limitless plane,
12:25and that is
12:26almost all
12:27there is to say
12:28about it.
12:30It is the effort
12:31of getting there
12:32that counts.
12:35Compared to
12:36what had gone before,
12:38Byrd's achievement
12:39seemed almost effortless,
12:41but just as heroic.
12:42One man
12:48who accompanied Byrd
12:50was geologist
12:50Lawrence Gould.
12:53The first
12:54Byrd Antarctic expedition
12:55was the first
12:56American expedition
12:58ever to land
12:59in Antarctica.
13:02And it was
13:03also a critical one
13:05because it introduced
13:06into Antarctic
13:07exploration
13:08techniques
13:10and technology
13:11that had never
13:12been used before.
13:14As history shows,
13:16Commander Byrd,
13:17or now Admiral Byrd,
13:19after his first expedition,
13:21got so excited
13:22about Antarctica
13:23that he devoted
13:24the rest of his life
13:25to it.
13:27What he did
13:27on the succeeding
13:28expeditions
13:29was a natural
13:31succession
13:31of what we did
13:32on the first one.
13:33An increase
13:34in the scope
13:35of the scientific program,
13:37emphasis upon
13:38more things,
13:39a great deal
13:40of added mapping,
13:41a great deal
13:42of oceanography,
13:43seismology,
13:44and almost
13:45any science
13:46you want to think of.
13:47Indeed,
13:48what he did then
13:49was a kind
13:51of a preparation
13:52for the great
13:53exploration
13:54going on now.
13:56Right up
13:57to the 50s,
13:58explorers
13:59from a dozen countries
14:00were staking out
14:01or renewing
14:02their claims
14:02to pieces
14:03of the continent.
14:05Five nations
14:06claimed portions
14:07of eastern Antarctica.
14:09There wasn't
14:10much controversy
14:10here.
14:13Western Antarctica
14:13was a different matter.
14:16Here,
14:17claims overlapped.
14:19The United Kingdom,
14:21Chile,
14:22and Argentina
14:23became locked
14:25in sovereignty disputes
14:26about which parts
14:28of the pie
14:28belonged to whom.
14:30In 1957-58,
14:43the International
14:44Geophysical Year,
14:45IGY for short,
14:47took place.
14:48Despite the Antarctic
14:50sovereignty disputes
14:51and east-west tensions
14:52of the 1950s,
14:54the IGY
14:55was a brilliantly
14:56successful international
14:57cooperative effort,
14:58bringing together
14:59scientists from
15:00around the world
15:01to achieve
15:01a common goal,
15:03understanding
15:04Antarctica.
15:09Although
15:09Antarctica
15:10was not the only
15:11target of IGY
15:12research,
15:13it was
15:14one of the most
15:15important,
15:16since almost
15:17nothing was known
15:17about this huge
15:18continent until
15:19well into the
15:2020th century.
15:22So during
15:23the IGY,
15:24scientists undertook
15:25extensive research
15:26efforts in Antarctica,
15:27collecting data
15:29from meteorological
15:29and seismic
15:30experiments,
15:32studies of the
15:32upper atmosphere
15:33and the deepest
15:34ice cover.
15:36Perhaps the most
15:37important immediate
15:38discovery was
15:39that it would take
15:40decades to thoroughly
15:41investigate the
15:42Antarctic continent
15:43because its ecosystem
15:45was surprisingly
15:46more complex
15:46than first thought.
15:49So,
15:50in the wake
15:50of the International
15:51Geophysical Year,
15:53a dozen countries
15:54established year-round
15:55research bases
15:56on Antarctica,
15:58places where
15:59scientists could
16:00begin to conduct
16:01continuing studies
16:02of the continent.
16:04Throughout the
16:05Antarctic summers,
16:07these bases would
16:08brim with
16:08international scientists
16:10often swelling the
16:11population to a
16:12thousand or more.
16:13water,
16:13not whatever you
16:14like.
16:15Nice treat.
16:16Nice treat.
16:17Come,
16:18it's good.
16:19Just use it.
16:21It's your turn.
16:22It's your turn.
16:22Compared to the
16:24living conditions of
16:25Scott and Amundsen,
16:26the Antarctic
16:27explorers of the
16:28modern era live
16:29in splendor,
16:30although not quite
16:31all of the
16:31comforts of home,
16:32like privacy,
16:34are available.
16:36Morning.
16:37Good day.
16:37However,
16:41when winter comes,
16:42the character of
16:43Antarctic research
16:44changes dramatically.
16:47Scientific manpower
16:48is reduced to a
16:49skeleton crew,
16:50almost completely
16:51isolated from the
16:52rest of the world.
16:54The IGY and the
16:56establishment of
16:57year-round research
16:58bases led to the
16:59historic signing of
17:01the Antarctic Treaty
17:02in 1961.
17:04One IGY scientist
17:05is Dr. James Zumber.
17:08Treaties usually are
17:10made by nations
17:13having a common
17:14interest in some
17:16part of the world
17:16for defensive
17:18or economic reasons.
17:20The Antarctic Treaty
17:21grew out of a
17:22scientific cooperation
17:24among nations that
17:25have vastly different
17:28ideological philosophies,
17:30different kinds of
17:31governments,
17:32different,
17:33are in different
17:34parts of the world.
17:35And the uniqueness
17:39of the treaty is
17:40that not only did
17:40it occur at the
17:44height of the Cold
17:44War between the
17:45two superpowers,
17:47but that it has been
17:48sustained and
17:49functioning well
17:50for 25 years.
17:52Under this treaty,
17:54nations engaged
17:55in Cold War
17:56elsewhere on the
17:56planet agreed to
17:58share scientific data.
18:00And those nations
18:01who had staked out
18:02Antarctic land
18:03claims agreed to put
18:05aside their sovereignty
18:06disputes for 30 years
18:08so that science
18:10could rule supreme
18:11in Antarctica.
18:13The 12 treaty signatories,
18:15U.S. and U.S.S.R. included,
18:17would share the decision-making
18:19power.
18:20Membership would be
18:21determined not by ownership
18:23but by adherence
18:24to the principles
18:25of the treaty.
18:27Those nations
18:29who are willing
18:31to adhere
18:32to the principles
18:33of the treaty
18:34that are well
18:35enunciated,
18:36such as no
18:37nuclear testing,
18:39no nuclear waste
18:40disposal,
18:42that Antarctica
18:43will be free
18:44and open,
18:44you don't need
18:45a passport to go
18:46to Antarctica
18:46or a visa,
18:47that all the information
18:50gathered,
18:51scientific and otherwise,
18:52will be equally shared
18:53with all others.
18:56If you're willing
18:56to do that,
18:57you can sign
18:58the treaty documents
18:59and become a member
19:00of the treaty party.
19:02While any U.N.
19:03member nation
19:04can sign the treaty,
19:05this does not
19:06automatically confer
19:07full decision-making status.
19:10From the International
19:11Institute for Environment
19:12and Development,
19:13Lee Kimble.
19:14Only if you are doing
19:16major scientific research
19:17activities down there
19:18can you take part
19:19in decision-making
19:20under the treaty.
19:21And since the treaty
19:22was first negotiated,
19:23there have been
19:24four countries added
19:25to the original 12.
19:27Those are Poland,
19:28West Germany,
19:29and this year,
19:30Brazil and India.
19:31So you have to really
19:32demonstrate that you're
19:33doing a lot of
19:34research work down there
19:36by either a scientific station
19:37or a major research expedition.
19:40Nearly all
19:41Antarctic research
19:42is international
19:43to the extent
19:44that data
19:44is freely shared.
19:47Most national activities
19:48are coordinated
19:48by SCAR,
19:50the Scientific Committee
19:51on Antarctic Research,
19:53an international body
19:55established in 1958.
19:58American geologist
19:59James Zumberg
20:00is SCAR's
20:01current president.
20:03SCAR was designed
20:04right after the IGY
20:06to provide some,
20:08a scientific forum
20:09that would lead
20:11to the continuity
20:11of the work
20:12begun in the IGY
20:14and also coordinate
20:17scientific work
20:18in Antarctica.
20:20You see,
20:20Antarctic research
20:21is very, very expensive.
20:23For example,
20:24in the United States,
20:24for every dollar
20:25we spend on science,
20:28we spend eight
20:29or nine dollars
20:30on logistics,
20:32that is,
20:32ships and airplanes
20:33and fuel
20:34and bases
20:35and food
20:35and all of the
20:36backup infrastructure
20:38that it takes
20:38to send
20:39an expedition to Antarctica.
20:41So if you can collaborate
20:42and get many scientists
20:44on a single expedition,
20:46you'll be more efficient
20:47in the use
20:48of your funds.
20:50One of SCAR's
20:51largest cooperative efforts
20:53is the International
20:54Antarctic Glaciological Project.
20:59Begun in 1971
21:00and involving six nations,
21:03its objective
21:04was to study
21:05and determine
21:05the dynamics
21:06of the East Antarctic
21:08ice sheet.
21:10New Zealand geologist
21:11Peter Barrett.
21:13We're drilling
21:14to find out
21:15the age
21:15of the East Antarctic
21:16ice sheet.
21:18We're actually drilling
21:19offshore
21:20to do this
21:21because the glaciers
21:23in Antarctica
21:24have been eroding
21:26and scraping away
21:27at the continent
21:27for millions of years now
21:29and have left
21:31no record of this
21:32except offshore.
21:38The importance
21:39of the drilling
21:40to me
21:41really relates
21:41to the history
21:43of the Antarctic
21:44ice sheet,
21:44which is a feature
21:45that dominates
21:47world climate.
21:49The current
21:50estimate
21:51is that
21:52Antarctica's
21:52ice sheet
21:53is 15 million
21:54years old,
21:55just one-half
21:56of one percent
21:57of the Earth's
21:58total history.
22:00In those
22:0115 million years
22:03that this ice
22:03has accumulated,
22:05it has recorded
22:06the history
22:06of world climate.
22:11Trapped in layer
22:13upon layer
22:13of ice
22:14are undisturbed
22:16records of pollution,
22:17volcanic dust,
22:18and other
22:19atmospheric particles.
22:22By analyzing
22:23their contents,
22:24scientists are hoping
22:25to pinpoint
22:26not only the age
22:28of the continental
22:28ice sheet,
22:30but also whether
22:31it is getting larger
22:32or smaller
22:33and why.
22:35At the University
22:36of Maine,
22:37George Denton
22:38is studying
22:38the relationship
22:39between the Antarctic
22:40ice sheets
22:41and world climate.
22:42The fundamental
22:45scientific problem
22:46that we're attacking
22:47is the cause
22:48of ice ages.
22:49And the particular
22:50problem within
22:51this overall
22:52search is to
22:54discover why
22:55large ice sheets
22:56come and go
22:57in the past.
22:59One of the exciting
23:00things that we've
23:00discovered is
23:01that regional
23:02climatic changes
23:03in portions of the
23:04northern hemisphere
23:05have a widespread
23:06global effect.
23:07A slight
23:08climatic warming
23:09causes melting
23:09of the northern
23:10hemisphere glaciers.
23:11Water pours
23:12into the sea
23:13and the worldwide
23:14sea level rises.
23:15In Antarctica,
23:17this causes
23:18the ice shelves
23:18to lift off
23:20the underlying
23:20bedrock.
23:22This is just like
23:23loosening a cork
23:24in a bottle.
23:25It allows
23:26more ice
23:27to flow seaward
23:28and this continues
23:29until a new
23:31equilibrium
23:31is achieved.
23:33This equilibrium,
23:34however,
23:35may be upset
23:36by a new
23:37phenomenon,
23:38the so-called
23:39greenhouse effect,
23:40in which
23:41increased levels
23:42of carbon dioxide
23:43in the atmosphere
23:44cause the Earth's
23:46temperature to rise,
23:47generating
23:48potentially dangerous
23:49climatic consequences.
23:52Industrialization
23:53has almost
23:54doubled the amount
23:55of carbon dioxide
23:55present in the atmosphere
23:57only a century ago,
23:59and global temperature
24:00has been rising.
24:03Some scientists
24:03contend
24:04that this warming
24:05trend will continue
24:06and it will melt
24:08the polar ice caps
24:09causing
24:10disastrous floods.
24:13Paradoxically,
24:14this warming
24:15could also cause
24:16the next ice age.
24:20Antarctica
24:21plays a central role
24:23in world weather.
24:25This great continent
24:26is our planet's
24:26most powerful
24:27weather machine
24:28because of its
24:29extreme ice age
24:30temperatures.
24:34And today's
24:35sophisticated equipment
24:36makes it easy
24:37for us to see
24:38the workings
24:38of this great
24:39weather factory.
24:44Daily satellite
24:45photographs
24:46show how the
24:47rotation of the Earth
24:48causes polar winds
24:49to twist into a ring
24:50of spiraling cyclones.
24:53The prevailing winds
24:54over the continent
24:55and the impact
24:56of cyclonic storms
24:57which form over
24:58the southern oceans
24:59and move clockwise
25:00around the continent
25:01are the great forces
25:02of this circulation system.
25:05They are what make
25:06Antarctica both
25:07the windiest
25:08and the coldest
25:09place on Earth.
25:12The world record
25:13low temperature
25:14of 126 below zero
25:16was recorded here
25:17at Russia's
25:18Vostok Station.
25:20The temperature
25:21never rises above
25:22the freezing mark
25:23in Antarctica
25:24even in the summer.
25:26While the sun shines
25:27at the South Pole
25:28for about as many
25:29hours each year
25:30as it does
25:30at the equator
25:31there is almost
25:32no warmth
25:33in the Antarctic sun
25:34because it stays
25:35so low on the horizon
25:37even in midsummer
25:38and the mirror surface
25:40of the ice
25:40reflects much
25:42of what little heat
25:43there is
25:43back into the sky.
25:46The seasons
25:46are simple
25:47five months
25:48of winter darkness
25:49and five months
25:50of summer sun
25:51with twilight
25:52in between.
25:53By definition
25:54Antarctica
25:55is a desert
25:56because of its
25:57extreme cold
25:58moisture is low
26:00with hardly any
26:01snowfall
26:01only two inches
26:02annually.
26:04The wind
26:04whips this snow
26:05around just like
26:06sand in the Sahara
26:07and gives the
26:08impression of a
26:09blizzard.
26:11The snow
26:12rarely melts
26:12and over the course
26:14of millions of years
26:15it has become
26:16compacted
26:16into the present
26:18ice cap.
26:20Not all of
26:21Antarctica
26:22is ice covered.
26:23Areas like these
26:24are called
26:25the dry valleys
26:26part of the
26:27two percent
26:28exposed earth
26:28on the mainland.
26:30They were scooped
26:31out by the
26:31departure
26:32of enormous glaciers.
26:35Amazingly
26:36only a few hundred
26:37miles from the pole
26:38there is life here.
26:40The sun
26:41manages to melt
26:42water from the glaciers
26:43water
26:44which is the key
26:46to Antarctica's
26:47rare plant life.
26:51Here also
26:55is the onyx
26:57Antarctica's
26:58only river
26:58which flows
26:59only in the summer
27:00because it is fed
27:02by melt water.
27:04In turn
27:05it feeds
27:06an inland lake
27:07Lake Vonda.
27:10Changing levels
27:10of river
27:11and lake
27:12have become
27:12a simple measure
27:13of climatic change
27:15and their water
27:16becomes the
27:17lifeblood
27:17of the three
27:18species of plants
27:19able to withstand
27:21Antarctica's
27:22harsh interior
27:23environment.
27:25Lichens
27:25are the most
27:26abundant vegetation.
27:28It is estimated
27:29that there are
27:29400 species
27:30of lichens
27:3170 species
27:33of moss
27:34and 96 species
27:35of algae
27:36scattered around
27:37the ice-free zones.
27:40One of
27:40Antarctica's
27:41rare land animals
27:42a mite
27:42is known to
27:44tolerate
27:44extremely low
27:45temperatures.
27:46In great contrast
27:50to the poverty
27:50of plant life
27:51Antarctica
27:52supports
27:53a rich marine
27:54and bird life.
27:58An estimated
27:59100 million
28:00or more birds
28:01return to
28:02Antarctica
28:03each summer
28:03to breed
28:04around the
28:05rocky coastline.
28:08Penguins
28:08are by far
28:09the most prevalent
28:10accounting for
28:1185%
28:12of the total
28:13bird population.
28:16penguins
28:18spend about
28:19half their time
28:20at sea
28:20feeding.
28:22Their breeding
28:23colonies can be
28:23exceedingly large
28:25for there are
28:25few sections
28:26of the coast
28:27sufficiently free
28:28of ice
28:28for nesting.
28:30Some rookeries
28:31have been estimated
28:31to contain as many
28:32as a quarter
28:33of a million birds.
28:37There are
28:3717 species
28:38of penguins
28:39in the Antarctic.
28:40The unobstructed
28:50landscape
28:51of Antarctica
28:52makes it ideal
28:53for scientific
28:54observation.
28:55Okay,
29:02there you go.
29:04The Adelis,
29:05the most numerous
29:06of penguins
29:06and the most
29:07studied,
29:08start their breeding
29:09season in October,
29:11the beginning
29:11of Antarctic summer.
29:13The males
29:14come ashore
29:15after a winter
29:15feeding out at sea.
29:17The territorial
29:18instinct in the
29:19Adelis
29:20is very strong.
29:21They will fight
29:22hard to keep
29:23the same nest site
29:24as last year
29:25or try
29:26for a better one.
29:33New breeders
29:34try to muscle in.
29:35Not easy to do
29:36when space
29:37is so limited.
29:39With territorial
29:40claims settled,
29:42the males
29:42start to build
29:43new or repair
29:44the old nests.
29:48Pebble-sized rocks
29:50are the only
29:51available material
29:52and tops of ridges
29:53are the prime sites.
29:55Both are necessary
29:56for drainage
29:57and to stop
29:58the eggs
29:59from rolling away.
30:03Some days later,
30:05the females
30:05come ashore.
30:07For the old couples,
30:08the task now
30:09is to reestablish
30:10last year's partnership.
30:12The Adelis-pair bond
30:19lasts a lifetime,
30:21about 20 years.
30:27After the noise
30:29and scuffle
30:29of mating,
30:30the successful pairs
30:32lay their eggs.
30:33Two of them,
30:34an incubation starts.
30:36The parents
30:45take turns sitting.
30:47For protection,
30:48one parent
30:48always has to be about
30:50while the other
30:51goes to sea
30:51to feed.
30:56All the unsuccessful
30:58birds go back
30:59to sea.
31:00They have to try
31:00again next year.
31:01There are many hazards
31:09which the parents
31:10have to overcome.
31:12A snowfall
31:12at the wrong moment
31:13brings spring floods,
31:16turning the rocky nests
31:17into little islands.
31:18For those feeding at sea,
31:24the need to enter
31:25and leave the water
31:26continually exposes them
31:28to the leopard seal.
31:36Although seals feed
31:37mainly at sea,
31:39a few hang around
31:40penguin colonies
31:41for an occasional meal.
31:48The most common hazard,
31:53however,
31:54is the scua,
31:56an Antarctic relative
31:57of the common gull.
31:59For the scua,
32:01egg raids
32:01on Adelie rookeries
32:03are an alternative
32:04to fishing.
32:10In December,
32:11the eggs hatch
32:12and the parents
32:13announce the event
32:14with raucous fanfare.
32:18As the Antarctic summer
32:25is so short,
32:26the chicks must grow fast.
32:28By the time
32:29they are three
32:30or four weeks old,
32:31they get up to a third
32:32of their weight
32:33at one feed.
32:40The meals are huge,
32:42although infrequent.
32:43To keep up
32:44with this demand,
32:46both parents spend
32:47most of their time
32:48feeding.
32:49That means
32:50occasionally
32:50abandoning their chicks,
32:52leaving them
32:53unprotected.
33:08Professor Ewan Young.
33:11We've got a very
33:12close interaction
33:13between the Adelie penguin
33:14and the Antarctic scua.
33:17And that's a superb interaction
33:18because they're very common,
33:19both of them.
33:20They're very easily seen
33:21so that you can look
33:22at different situations.
33:23without really doing
33:42any counting
33:43or looking at the food required,
33:45everybody thought
33:46that
33:47skewers were entirely
33:49dependent
33:50dependent on penguin
33:51rookeries for their food.
33:52But probably,
33:53by far,
33:54the greater proportion
33:55of them are feeding
33:55on their own
33:56at sea for most
33:57of the year.
33:59It doesn't take
34:00much observation,
34:01really,
34:02to see that they're
34:03not good at being
34:04predators.
34:05They can grab chicks,
34:07all right,
34:07and yank them
34:08out of a colony,
34:08but then they don't know
34:09what to do with it.
34:11The only way
34:11they seem to be able
34:12to kill them
34:13is to keep on
34:13banging the head
34:14down hard.
34:22It is obvious
34:23that scua
34:24are much more skilled
34:26at sea feeding,
34:27where it is easier
34:28to swallow a whole fish
34:30than a floppy chick.
34:31For birds
34:32who have cohabited
34:33these regions
34:34with penguins
34:35for at least
34:366,000 years,
34:37it is a scientific mystery
34:39why they have not
34:40developed into
34:41better penguin predators.
34:44Meanwhile,
34:45the penguin chicks
34:46are learning the ropes
34:47of life in the Antarctic.
34:49In warm conditions,
34:51they lie around
34:52the territory
34:53like heaps
34:53of down and fluff.
34:57In bad weather
34:58and harsh conditions,
35:00the chicks huddle together
35:01very tightly
35:02to keep warm.
35:04Parents have to answer
35:06the ever-growing
35:07feeding demands
35:08and feeding chases
35:09become common
35:10as the end
35:12of the rearing phase nears.
35:22In about mid-February,
35:24instinct drives
35:25the young birds
35:26to face the sea
35:27for the first time.
35:29The breeding cycle
35:34is complete
35:35and just six weeks
35:37from birth,
35:38the penguins
35:38leave their nests
35:40for good.
35:40The Antarctic is also home
35:56to the seal.
35:58Seals have adapted
35:59to the rigors
36:00of southern ocean life
36:01with great success.
36:02The weddell seal
36:08is the most common
36:10and most at home
36:11in Antarctica.
36:12It keeps mainly
36:14to the shore ice.
36:16Although they are
36:16air-breathing animals,
36:18the weddells spend
36:19remarkable periods
36:20underwater.
36:25The weddells regularly
36:26have to gnaw
36:28breathing holes
36:29in the ice
36:29to keep it
36:30from freezing over.
36:36At the beginning
36:37of each Antarctic summer,
36:39the weddells give birth.
36:40The weddells give birth.
37:10The newborn pups weigh
37:20about 70 pounds.
37:23They have very little fat
37:24and at first
37:25it is the fur
37:26they are born with
37:27which protects them
37:28from the freezing winds.
37:35They have to put on fat
37:37incredibly quickly
37:38to survive.
37:40In one week
37:41their birth weight
37:42doubles.
37:53By six weeks
37:54when they'll be weaned
37:55it will have gone up
37:57three times.
37:58after a week
38:11the pups begin
38:17to enter the water.
38:18This is the time
38:32when the holes
38:33through the ice
38:34become as important
38:35as the food
38:36they lead to.
38:37The holes
38:38must never be allowed
38:39to freeze over.
38:40Gerald Coyman
38:48of the Scripps
38:49Institute of Oceanography
38:50has been looking
38:51at how weddells dive.
38:54The longest dive
38:55we've measured
38:56by a weddell seal
38:57was 73 minutes.
38:59That's out of a sample
39:00of about 15,000 dyes.
39:02By carefully attaching
39:06depth recorders
39:07with radio telemetry
39:09to adult weddells
39:10Coyman and his colleagues
39:11have found out
39:12just how deep
39:13they go.
39:14Here's the first one.
39:17Beautiful.
39:18Good.
39:19Okay, I got the slack
39:23on there I want.
39:23You can hear it
39:24but it's very weak.
39:25The radio signal
39:27is altered
39:27when the device
39:28is submerged
39:29and they can tell
39:31just how long
39:32the dive is.
39:46The seal
39:47seems to be able
39:48to think ahead
39:49and adapt
39:50its metabolism
39:51and body functions
39:52to cope with the conditions
39:54it's about to face.
39:57When weddell seals dive
39:59they anticipate
40:01the length of the dive
40:03they're going to make
40:04and if they're making
40:06a long dive
40:07the blood is restricted
40:10to the heart,
40:12the brain,
40:13and the lung
40:13and in this way
40:15on the longer dives
40:17they conserve
40:18the oxygen stores
40:19in the blood
40:20for the essential organs.
40:24In addition
40:25to their studies
40:26of seal respiration
40:27the Koyman team
40:28is also investigating
40:30seal communication
40:31and echolocation.
40:36Seals appear
40:37to make about
40:3835 different calls
40:39underwater.
40:41When we analyze them
40:42it appears
40:43that there are properties
40:45within those calls
40:46that could be useful
40:47for echolocation
40:49or sonar.
40:50we do know
40:51that some of these calls
40:53are used
40:54in important
40:54social context.
40:56Females
40:57use them
40:58for protecting
40:59their pups
41:00males use them
41:01for displays
41:03at territorial boundaries
41:04and for defending
41:05those territories.
41:07While we now view
41:08the seal
41:09with fascination
41:10and with awe
41:11a hundred years ago
41:12man hunted seals
41:14for their fur
41:15and blubber.
41:16But in recent years
41:18most species
41:19of seal
41:19found within
41:20the Antarctic region
41:21have not been subjected
41:23to commercial exploitation
41:24and their numbers
41:25are increasing.
41:27The more scientists
41:29study life
41:30in the Antarctic
41:31the more questions
41:32there are
41:33to be answered.
41:34For example
41:35scientists
41:36from the University
41:37of Auckland
41:37are investigating
41:39how fish
41:39survive
41:40the almost
41:41frozen waters
41:41beneath the
41:42Antarctic ice sheet.
41:44John MacDonald.
41:46If the fish
41:47we know at home
41:47were put into
41:48the freezing waters
41:50of the polar seas
41:51they would rapidly
41:52cease to operate.
41:54On the other hand
41:55polar fishes
41:56Antarctic fishes
41:57Antarctic fishes
41:58living under
42:00these permanent
42:00ice cover
42:01have adaptations
42:03which prevent them
42:04from freezing
42:05and enable them
42:07to continue
42:08living.
42:09These adaptations
42:10have been studied
42:11for the past
42:1220 years
42:13and include
42:14such changes
42:15as low temperature
42:17enzymes
42:18and antifreezes
42:20in the blood.
42:21The antifreeze
42:22ingredient
42:22is a natural
42:24glycol protein.
42:26It's a compound
42:27that stops
42:27the molecules
42:28of ice
42:28from developing
42:29into crystals.
42:31Here it is being
42:32injected into
42:33the bloodstream
42:34of a cod
42:35from warmer
42:35New Zealand waters
42:36to see if such
42:38adaptation
42:39is interchangeable.
42:41This glycol protein
42:42is simply
42:44nature's version
42:45of the antifreeze
42:46we put in our cars.
42:48There may be
42:49practical benefits
42:50to this kind
42:51of research.
42:53By understanding
42:54the workings
42:54of this natural
42:55antifreeze
42:56we may find ways
42:57of improving methods
42:59of storing human blood
43:00for hospitals.
43:03So far
43:04this research
43:04has been basic
43:05and not applied.
43:07Its aim
43:07is to understand
43:09not exploit.
43:11Unfortunately
43:11the same
43:12cannot be said
43:13about what humanity
43:15has been doing
43:16to the whale.
43:30The slaughter
43:31of whales
43:31in the southern
43:32oceans
43:33continued
43:33as the industry
43:34developed new
43:35improved methods
43:37of hunting
43:37to escape quotas
43:38that were being
43:39imposed.
43:41By the 1970s
43:43a ban on this
43:44kind of whaling
43:45was established
43:46but not before
43:47some species
43:48were threatened
43:49with extinction.
43:53Back in the heyday
43:54of commercial whaling
43:55the men of the
43:57British ship
43:57Discovery
43:58were conducting
43:58pioneer biological
44:00research
44:01of the Antarctic waters.
44:03Concerned
44:04by the declining
44:05number of whales
44:06they were commissioned
44:07to make a census
44:08and to unravel
44:10the mystery
44:10of how these
44:12giants lived.
44:14While these scientists
44:15followed whalers
44:17to chart whale anatomy
44:18they found
44:19in the bellies
44:20of the whales
44:20a tiny shrimp
44:21like animal
44:22krill.
44:24It is now believed
44:25to be the staple food
44:26of most Antarctic
44:27carnivores.
44:29Not surprisingly
44:31krill has become
44:32the center
44:32of great commercial
44:33interest
44:34and scientists
44:35worry that krill
44:36may soon meet
44:37the same fate
44:38as the whales
44:39once exploitation
44:40began.
44:41Dr. James Zumberg
44:43what we're trying
44:44to find out
44:45right now
44:45and this is totally
44:47in concert
44:47with the convention
44:48on the conservation
44:49of marine living
44:50resources
44:51is how many
44:53tons of krill
44:54could be extracted
44:56from Antarctica
44:57on a continuing
44:58basis
44:59without destroying
45:00the ability
45:01of the krill
45:02to reproduce
45:03themselves
45:03and replenish
45:04themselves
45:05so that we would
45:06in fact have
45:06a resource
45:07that is self-regenerating
45:09or in the parlance
45:11of the resource
45:12people
45:12a renewable
45:13resource
45:13The Antarctic
45:16Treaty Nations
45:17and the scientists
45:18succeeded in designing
45:20a conservation
45:21mechanism
45:22to regulate
45:22the eventual
45:23exploitation
45:24of krill
45:25and other
45:25Antarctic fish
45:26and to protect
45:28all marine life
45:29They are concerned
45:30that the most
45:31abundant
45:32or what appears
45:34to be the most
45:34abundant
45:35and the most
45:35likely
45:36exploitable
45:37Antarctic marine
45:38resource
45:39krill
45:39will not be
45:41overfished
45:43or at least
45:44will not be
45:45harvested
45:46to the point
45:48that that stock
45:49is depleted
45:50However the convention
45:52on the conservation
45:53of marine living
45:54resources
45:55which went into
45:56force in April
45:571982
45:58does not acknowledge
46:00the interests
46:01of the wider
46:01international community
46:03beyond those
46:04members of the
46:04treaty
46:05or those
46:06technologically
46:06able to exploit
46:08these marine
46:08resources
46:09Another resource
46:12of great interest
46:12in Antarctica
46:13is its potential
46:15mineral wealth
46:16There is growing
46:18speculation
46:19that beneath
46:20the ice
46:20Antarctica conceals
46:22large deposits
46:24of exploitable
46:25minerals
46:25New Zealand
46:27geologist
46:27Peter Barrett
46:28There's been a lot
46:30of interest
46:31from the public
46:32in our drilling
46:33project
46:34I think
46:35chiefly because
46:35people associate
46:36drilling with oil
46:38and gas
46:38and it's certainly
46:40true that oil
46:41companies are
46:42showing a considerable
46:44interest in the
46:45Ross Sea region
46:46that the Antarctic
46:48treaty nations
46:49are very concerned
46:51about the
46:52possibilities for
46:53development
46:54and how it might
46:54be controlled
46:55but this is not
46:57what we're
46:57drilling for
46:58in fact
46:59oil and gas
47:00is not the purpose
47:01of the project
47:03but in spite
47:04of that
47:05it's clear
47:06that if we do
47:07find gas
47:08it's bound
47:09to bring
47:11the day closer
47:12when Antarctica
47:14was exploited
47:14for its mineral
47:15resources
47:16In 1974
47:19the US
47:20Geological Survey
47:21was not optimistic
47:22about the chances
47:23of discovering
47:24worthwhile mineral
47:25deposits
47:26on the Antarctic
47:27continent
47:27Since then
47:29however
47:30geologists
47:31have verified
47:32the existence
47:32of several
47:33minerals
47:34including
47:34copper
47:35iron
47:35zinc
47:36and coal
47:37whether
47:38this evidence
47:38suggests
47:39large
47:40and extremely
47:40valuable
47:41deposits
47:42is not known
47:43As for
47:46oil and gas
47:47some reckon
47:48the continental
47:49shelf
47:49could contain
47:50vast quantities
47:52perhaps
47:53several times
47:54that of
47:54Alaska's
47:548 billion
47:55barrels
47:56but it will
47:57probably be
47:58extremely difficult
47:59and expensive
47:59to extract
48:00Many people
48:02have the idea
48:03that all you
48:04need is a
48:04shovel and a
48:06ship
48:06and you go
48:06down and
48:07shovel the
48:07wealth out
48:08of Antarctica
48:08and load it
48:09on and take
48:09it back
48:09to some port
48:10but the fact
48:11is that
48:11to do the
48:12kind of
48:13exploration
48:13and then
48:14exploitation
48:15would cost
48:16incredible sums
48:17of money
48:17billions of
48:18dollars
48:19before anything
48:20of value
48:21could be
48:23extracted
48:23and there
48:23are very
48:24few
48:24nations
48:25or companies
48:27or consortia
48:28that can
48:29afford that
48:30kind of
48:30exploration
48:31at this
48:31time
48:31In times
48:33of crisis
48:33it is not
48:34cost
48:35but availability
48:36which matters
48:37national security
48:40can often
48:40dictate
48:41that costly
48:41resources
48:42be developed
48:43In 1973
48:45when the
48:46Arab oil
48:46embargo
48:47stunned the
48:47world
48:48by quadrupling
48:48the price
48:49of oil
48:49there was a
48:51great flurry
48:52of interest
48:52in the
48:53mineral potential
48:54of Antarctica
48:55especially
48:55with respect
48:56to
48:57oil and gas
48:59potential
49:00and the
49:02treaty
49:02nations
49:03aware of
49:04this
49:04acutely
49:05aware of
49:05it
49:06you might
49:06say
49:06asked
49:07SCAR
49:08for the
49:08first time
49:09to evaluate
49:10the mineral
49:11potential
49:12of Antarctica
49:12and the
49:13environmental
49:14consequences
49:15if those
49:16minerals
49:17including gas
49:18and oil
49:18might be
49:18exploited
49:19I trust
49:20throughout the
49:2170s
49:22interest
49:23continued
49:23as more
49:24and more
49:25evidence
49:25of minerals
49:26in Antarctica
49:26was uncovered
49:27This meeting
49:29is an important
49:30one for SCAR
49:31and a number
49:32of important
49:32issues are
49:33to be discussed
49:34the future
49:35role and
49:36structure of
49:37SCAR
49:37the SCAR
49:39response to
49:40the rapidly
49:40development
49:40requirements
49:41for
49:42resource
49:43related
49:43research
49:44and in
49:45particular
49:45the potential
49:46environmental
49:48impact
49:48of future
49:49mineral
49:50exploration
49:51and exploitation
49:52If we've
49:54lived through
49:54the era
49:55of pioneer
49:56scientific
49:56exploration
49:57in Antarctica
49:58We're now
49:59approaching
49:59the era
50:00in which
50:00economic
50:01and consequently
50:02political
50:03interests
50:03may tend
50:05to dominate
50:05Antarctic
50:06research
50:07activities
50:08While diplomats
50:09huddle to
50:10speculate on
50:11the future
50:11of Antarctic
50:12minerals
50:12scientists
50:14are coming
50:14to grips
50:15with the
50:15inevitability
50:16of losing
50:16their unique
50:17unspoiled
50:18laboratory
50:19and their
50:20free association
50:21of Antarctica
50:22with pure
50:23science
50:23I think
50:24it's a feature
50:25of Antarctic
50:26scientists
50:26that they
50:28have acquired
50:28over a
50:30relatively few
50:31years of
50:32work there
50:34a sympathy
50:35for the
50:35Antarctic
50:36environment
50:37which I
50:38would not
50:39really expect
50:40from people
50:41who haven't
50:42worked there
50:42and I think
50:44this makes
50:44Antarctic
50:45scientists
50:46almost unusual
50:47among world
50:49scientists
50:50in other areas
50:51because there is
50:54virtually no other
50:55group of people
50:56that can speak
50:58for the Antarctic
50:59or represent it
51:00it doesn't have
51:01any other population
51:03the knowledge
51:05gained through
51:05the scientific
51:06cooperation
51:07is what has
51:08brought worldwide
51:09attention to
51:10Antarctic resources
51:11global resource
51:13scarcity and
51:14uncertain political
51:14situations everywhere
51:16have reawakened
51:17this interest
51:18in the mineral
51:18wealth
51:19the resource issue
51:21has revived
51:22old territorial
51:23disputes
51:23among treaty
51:24nations
51:25and the desire
51:26to share
51:27this wealth
51:27is rising
51:28in the rest
51:29of the
51:29international
51:30community
51:30to deal
51:32with all
51:33these issues
51:33the treaty
51:34nations
51:35are furiously
51:36working
51:36to design
51:37a legal
51:38framework
51:38just as they
51:40came up
51:40with the
51:41marine
51:41living resources
51:42convention
51:43the treaty
51:44nations
51:44would like
51:45to come up
51:45with an
51:46in-house
51:47mineral solution
51:48these negotiations
51:50have been
51:50intense
51:51and secret
51:52a design
51:53some say
51:54to keep
51:54the issues
51:55and the
51:55resources
51:56out of reach
51:57of countries
51:58not party
51:59to the treaty
51:59lee kimball
52:01there are
52:02complaints
52:03about the
52:03treaty system
52:04that it's
52:04too secret
52:05the meetings
52:05that take
52:06place under
52:06it
52:06the negotiations
52:07there's not
52:08enough information
52:09in the public
52:09domain about
52:10and also
52:11that it's
52:11exclusive
52:12that the
52:12countries
52:13who take
52:13part in
52:14decision making
52:14are a
52:15small number
52:16and that
52:17there ought
52:18to be a
52:18wider
52:19cooperation
52:19down there
52:20there ought
52:20to be
52:21more countries
52:21taking part
52:22in decision
52:22making
52:22the
52:24criticisms
52:25are
52:25accurate
52:26you know
52:26it's a shame
52:27that the
52:27existing treaty
52:28has been
52:28as
52:29secretive
52:30as it
52:31has
52:31and that
52:31has really
52:32raised a lot
52:33of false
52:33assumptions
52:34the treaty
52:36nations are
52:37attempting to
52:38address these
52:39criticisms
52:39for the first
52:41time in
52:41september
52:4283
52:42they invited
52:43the 12
52:44exceeding
52:45nations to
52:45attend their
52:46biannual meeting
52:47as observers
52:48they also
52:49accepted two
52:50new members
52:51brazil and
52:52india
52:52into full
52:53decision making
52:54status
52:55bringing the
52:56total to
52:5616
52:57some critics
52:58however feel
52:59that this
53:00response may
53:00be too
53:01little and
53:01too late
53:02after all
53:031991 is
53:05around the
53:05corner and
53:06the treaty
53:07may no longer
53:08exist after
53:09that
53:09there's a common
53:10misperception
53:11about the
53:11antarctic treaty
53:12that it runs
53:12out in 1991
53:14it doesn't run
53:15out at that
53:15time a
53:17country a full
53:18consultative party
53:18may request a
53:19review of the
53:20treaty but
53:21it's not clear
53:21that a full
53:22consultative party
53:23will request a
53:25review of the
53:25treaty and
53:26the big test
53:27for that is
53:27going to be
53:27the next 10
53:28years where
53:29between now
53:30and 1991
53:31where if the
53:32treaty parties
53:33respond well
53:34to this
53:34increasing public
53:35interest international
53:36community interest
53:37in antarctica
53:38become less
53:39secret try to
53:40deal with the
53:40exclusivity charge
53:42then the treaty
53:42will probably
53:43survive for a
53:44long time
53:44the fear is
53:45that the
53:46response will
53:47be too slow
53:47or inadequate
53:48in which case
53:49there may be
53:50a country that
53:50requests a
53:51review and
53:52I don't know
53:52what the
53:53result would
53:53be I hope
53:53the result
53:54would be as
53:55effective in
53:56preserving the
53:56environment and
53:57world peace as
53:58the present
53:58treaty we
53:58have
53:59I'm forced
54:00to the
54:01conclusion that
54:02exploitation is
54:05likely to take
54:06place in the
54:06foreseeable future
54:08and given that
54:10there are two
54:11areas that I
54:12see that we
54:13should be
54:13concerned about
54:14one is the
54:15biological
54:16environment
54:17not so much
54:18the immediate
54:19impact of
54:20spells but the
54:22gradual increase
54:23in levels of
54:24oil in the
54:24southern ocean
54:25as a consequence
54:26of development
54:26over many years
54:28the other area
54:29is in the
54:30effect on the
54:31Antarctic ice
54:32sheet and on
54:33the climate of
54:33Antarctica the
54:35Antarctic is in
54:37fact quite a
54:38fragile place
54:39the problem I see
54:41the problem I see
54:41arising is that in
54:43the near future we're
54:44likely to have a
54:46hundredfold increase in
54:48human activity in the
54:49Antarctic and this
54:51activity may be of a
54:52very different character
54:53from the scientific
54:54activity that's taken
54:55place I also think they
54:57all want results quickly
54:59because the criterion will
55:02be the economics of the
55:04operation and I see this
55:08as a significant threat
55:10to the Antarctic
55:11environment
55:12while the 20th century
55:15has seen many of
55:16Antarctica's icy secrets
55:17revealed the dawn of the
55:1921st century will
55:21undoubtedly be the most
55:22active period in the
55:24history of the Antarctic
55:25continent
55:26mankind will soon have to
55:29decide whether this final
55:31frontier will remain a
55:33peaceful haven for
55:34international scientists
55:35or meet the same fate as
55:38the rest of the world
55:39habitation followed by
55:42development and
55:43exploitation
56:01especially in the
Recommended
57:15
|
Up next
10:53
1:19
1:54
0:51
0:59
1:19
3:07
0:13
0:30
1:23
42:05
58:32
46:21
25:25
46:04
25:36
21:27
46:04
24:28
Be the first to comment