Читать книгу Polar Exploration. A practical handbook for North and South Pole expeditions онлайн

13 страница из 66

Icebergs on their journey to nowhere

Witnessing the incredible serenity and beauty of the polar environment should engender a great respect for this fragile region; but there are still expeditions that have left behind sleds, fuel and equipment behind, littering the wilderness, just to save time. This will only pave the way for worse behaviour by future explorers who will then feel they have even less time to achieve their goals.

There is no place for this kind of behaviour: it is time to accept our responsibilities. Life is too short to be on a manhunt for those who don't, but as we plan our own future expeditions we should be confident that ethical respect for that arctic purity is free.

Hoping to see you out there!

Dixie Dansercoer

1 INTRODUCTION

‘Tropical’ waters in an icy setting. Antarctica is magical.

The Polar Regions

The Earth has two poles, and they are very different. Our planet's extremities are kept cold because the sun's rays hit the surface at an angle, unlike the lands around the Equator, where they collide with the Earth's surface directly and more forcefully. The white expanse of the ice-caps also deflects more than 80 per cent of the heat in these rays, while the darker landmasses, or oceans, absorb it.