“Here where we sail, the ice sheet is most stable.” We thought. Or rather: the scientists thought that, and we believed it was true. A small misconception.
Antarctica resembles a Dutch doughnut (oliebol), with a strange protrusion on one side. Coincidentally, that points directly towards the tip of Tierra del Fuego. Underwater, the Andes naturally continue, thus connecting South America with Antarctica.
We sailed around to the west of that protrusion, the Antarctic Peninsula. Among islands, glaciers, and countless icebergs. The other side of the peninsula is said to be much more dangerous. If ships get stuck in the ice near Antarctica, it’s often on that eastern side, not on ‘our’ side.
But now it turns out that ‘our’ western side is melting and (therefore) calving much faster than the eastern side. There’s a good chance that the next ship to get stuck in the Antarctic pack ice will be sailing west of the peninsula… Perhaps a good idea to shift our sailing area slightly eastward? And (especially that!) for all of us to ensure that this melting comes to a halt?
http://www.faqt.nl/recent/zuidpoolijs-neemt-dramatisch-af/
