Volume 20, 1970 - The Arctic Circle - Home

l+?.t,he i.cc cap Lo a srnall, two-man sl,ation nalTred l-orr;1n'i1.s. Thi-rty feetbelovi thc surface of tlie snow, lwo men are li_ving for one yearst,t.:drring such phenomena as the lbrJ:hts maglretic field and recordingthre effects of sun spots. Lorigurire is so rlamed because it passesa raain aerial lai-ci on tire snow f o a }enqth of 2I miles.Tntrestigations on fire propagation of energy partic;Ies i-nLo thefrolar cap are reievarrt to an r:nderstanding of t,ire character of tliernagneLi.c regir,re in this regiori, where Liie field lines extent in apoorl.r1 cefined nanner far into space.I ha.d tlie opportunity on further field trips fo see someoi' fi:e triolocicai investigafioris in proqress. At Cape Hoyds, ala rge colony of Adelie Pens-ui-ns was under conti nuous obse rvationir.rr a sncup of int,ernational biologists. 'lhese inferesting birdswe e hj. ghllf phof o rleni c , and qui-te unaf raj-d of nan . on the ottierhand i,he)r Inrere very suspicious of the skua, a hrird wtiich, i-f theopportunity occurs, rnrill steal flre penguins I eggs. At thisco1-ony, Ltre fernales vrere siftinri on t,heir egrs, whi-le on fhe iceson-re dj stance a.ula\/ the rrales were cuL seekinq susfenance, or atarry rate they vrere walkine out, in their custornanr sinqle file to.i holcr in tlre ice, wirj.ch I preeumed was t,heir local fish-market.:it Ca.pe i'or',,,sr tiie cabl.n buil'. b:f Shackleton can be visited. Ifounrl fhe cabin arid its inter:.or mosL fascinatinq. IL had beenrestcred b'r' Lhe liew Zealanci goverrrrnent, and the interior arrangedas it r,,ras j-n L9O9. Canned food, L9o9-variet;r, w&s in evidence,loge,'t lie;r with a ccpy of the Lonclon illustrated l'lews dated [th,itilv, 190ii. 'Jwenty miles away, at Cape ljvans, Scof t t s hut buiItfor hir la.st, ill-f;rted expeciition has also been restored. Hereone cari see Lhe stables built crrt,si-de the cabj.n for the poniesl andbaies of hay and bags of oats are sfill weli preserved ilfter allthese l€ars.I visited an inferesting researCh prrcject on the behaviourof tlie 'riieddell 3ea1" A television camera and a h..Tdropholre ha,d beenintrc:dricecl inLo tlie v;aLer and ol-servers were at watch ori a screensone 5A Jrarrls avray. Tiij-s stnrck me as a clear case of voyeurism,tire unj versiti es o f tire world havin,l clearly penetrated j-nto thebedroonrs of tirese arnusir,g animals. I vrss infonncd thaf thisparticula r sea.l colony cont,ained f50 seals of which )C were pupsard only 9 were bulls. Olcier bulls are appa.renLly chased awayby tlie younqer and nore virile merrli)crs of the colony" Ry attachinga srnall electronic gadget to the flippers, observers have notedthat Llie hteddel seal can dlve to unprececiented depths of 2rOO0feet and carr v.'ander many hunclreds of rniles.What i,'.ras rJuite obvious from my short uisit to A,ntarcbicawas tlie complete ease and freedom in v,rtiich scientists from rranynations worked fogether in harmony and unnersfandi-nq. The p&instakinginvestiqations carried out, by fhe scientists at the various