Journey to the End of the Earth

- TishaniDoshi

1. How Tishani Doshi reached Antarctica- She travelled for over hundred
hours first by car, then an aeroplane and finally a Russian ship named
Akademik Shokanskiy. She had to cross nine time zones, six checkpoints, three
bodies of water and at least as many ecospheres.

2. Her first emotions upon reaching Antarctica- Her first emotion on facing
Antarctica’s expansive white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon was of
relief as she had travelled over hundred hours through land, air and water
after crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water and at
least as many ecospheres. It was followed by profound wonder at its
immensity, its isolation and at how there could ever have been a time when
India and Antarctica were a part of the same landmass.

3. Gondwana- It was a huge amalgamated super continent in the South that

circled around the present day Antarctica six hundred and fifty million years
ago. Humans hadn’t arrived on the Earth and the climate was much warmer,
hosting a huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for more than 500
million years and around the time dinosaurs became extinct and the age of
mammal was underway, it was forced to separate into countries, shaping the
globe much as it is now.

4. Importance of Antarctica in understanding the past of the Earth-It is

important to understand where we have come from and where we are
headed. It is important to understand the significance of Cordilleral folds and
pre-Cambrian granite shields; ozone and carbon; and evolution and extinction.
Gondwana, a super continent in the South that circled around the present day
Antarctica six hundred and fifty million years ago, thrived for more than 500
million years and around the time dinosaurs became extinct and the age of
mammal was underway, it was forced to separate into countries, shaping the
globe much as it is now. India pushed northwards and formed the Himalaya,
South America drifted off and joined North America and Antarctica remained
at the bottom of the Earth, frigid and desolate.

Antarctica is the only place on Earth that has never sustained a human
population and therefore, remains pristine. It holds in its ice-cores half-million-
year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice.
5.Chilling prospect- For a South Indian, coming to a place that holds ninety per
cent of Earth’s total ice volume was a mind boggling and chilling prospect. It
had chilling effects not only on the metabolism and blood circulation, but also
on the imagination as she was awestruck with amazement.

6. Ping pong ball-Tishani was awestruck by the expanse of white ice

everywhere around her. It was in complete contrast to a usual city, devoid of
any human markers like trees, billboards and buildings. Thus she compares the
snowy surroundings to the whiteness and smoothness of a ping pong ball.

7. Human impact/ Prognosis for humans/ Importance of Antarctica in

understanding the future of the Earth- Humans have been for around 12000
years on this Earth which is barely a few seconds on the geological clock. But
even in this short span of time, we have managed to create quite a ruckus by
etching our dominance over nature with our villages, cities and mega cities.
The rapid increase of human population has left us battling with other species
for limited resources and the unmitigated burning of fossil fuels has created a
blanket of carbon dioxide around the world, which is leading to global
warming.
Ever increasing human population, depleting ozone layer, increasing carbon
dioxide and global temperature, melting ice caps and shields predict a very
grim future for the humans.

8. Antarctica a crucial element in the debate-Antarctica is the only place on

Earth that has never sustained a human population and therefore, remains
pristine. It holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in
its layers of ice. Thus, if we want to study the past, present and future of the
Earth, Antarctica is the place to go. It is the best place to understand the
affects of environmental changes as it has a simple ecosystem and lacks
biodiversity. When we see the glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, we
realise that the threat of global warming is very real.

9. Students on Ice programme and its success- The author was in Antarctica
on an expedition with ‘Students on Ice’, a programme that takes students to
the Antarctica which helps in inspiring them to work towards our planet. The
initiative was introduced by Geoff Green who got tired of arranging these trips
for celebrities, retired and curiosity seekers who could give back in a very
limited way. He wanted the young students to have a life changing experience
at an age when they are ready to learn, absorb and most importantly, act.
The programme has been immensely successful in implementing its vision
because it is impossible for people to go to Antarctica and not get affected by
seeing the real scenario. It is very easy to sit at home and talk about the
environmental issues, but actually seeing glaciers retreating and ice shelves
collapsing, it gives us a glimpse into the future. It tells us that the threat of
global warming is real.
Geoff Green took high school students on an expedition to the end of the
Earth, Antarctica to make them realize the impact that human activities could
have on nature. He wanted the ‘future policy – makers’ to experience how
difficult it would be to sustain life with the rising temperatures. He wanted
them to see the melting ice shelves so that they could estimate the trouble
that mankind was headed to and take corrective measures.

10. Antarctica the place to understand the past, present and future of the
Earth
A visit to Antarctica enables us to understand the earth's present, past and
future. It gives us an idea as to where we have come from and where we could
possibly be heading. We come to know that six hundred and fifty million years
ago, a giant amalgamated subcontinent - Gondwana existed. Things were quite
different then. Humans hadn't arrived on the earth and the climate was much
warmer. Gondwana thrived for five hundred million years. Then around the
time dinosaurs were wiped out the age of mammals was underway, the
landmass got divided into countries, shaping the globe much we know at
present.

Antarctica also gives a warning about how the future could be. The global
warming is resulting in constant melting and collapsing of ice masses, if we
continue interfering with working of nature. Climate change is one of the most
hotly contested environmental debates of our time. The West Antarctic ice sheet
might melt entirely, the Gulf Stream ocean current might be disrupted and it
might be the end of the world.

Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate because it holds in its ice-cores

half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. If we want to
study and examine the Earth's past, present and future, Antarctica, undoubtedly
is the place to visit.

11. Little changes can have big repercussion/

Great metaphor for existence in the parable of the phytoplankton/
Take care of the small things and big things will fall into place-
Antarctica has limited biodiversity and thus, has a simple ecosystem. As a
result, little changes in its environment can have drastic effects. For instance,
the microscopic phytoplankton, the grasses of the sea that sustain the entire
Southern Ocean’s food chain, are single celled plants that use the Sun’s energy
to assimilate carbon and synthesise organic compounds through
photosynthesis. It has been recently concluded by scientists that a further
depletion in the ozone layer can affect the activities of these single-celled
plants and affect the marine life and birds of the region, and the global carbon
cycle. Thus, in this case, the saying comes true, “Take care of the small things
and the big things will fall into place.”
12. Epiphanies/
Nothing sort of revelation/
Everything does indeed connect – Doshi’s Antarctic experience was full of
epiphanies, but the best occurred just short of the Antarctic Circle at 65.55
degrees south. The ship she was traveling on, Shokalskiy, got stuck in a thick
white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island which was
preventing them from going any further. The Captain decided they were going
to turn around and head back north, so he instructed everyone to climb down
the gangplank and walk on the ocean. The author along with others was
walking on a stark white ice that seemed to spread out forever. Underneath
their feet was a metre-thick ice, and underneath that, was 180 metres of living,
breathing, salt water. In the periphery Crabeater seals were stretching and
sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs do under the shade of a
banyan tree in her home town. It was nothing short of a revelation and she felt
that everything did indeed connect.
13. A lot can happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes-
Gondwana flourished with a huge variety of flora and fauna for five hundred
million years and then it was forced to break into pieces to create India, South
America and Antarctica. The visit to Antarctica helps us to understand the
significance of Cordilleral folds and pre- Cambrian granite shields, ozone and
carbon, evolution and extinction. It is mind boggling to think that all this
happened in a million years.

Human civilization has been on this earth for a mere 12000 years, which is
barely a few seconds as compared to the existence of the earth. But it has
managed to cause a lot of ruckus within this short amount of time. The fast
retreating glaciers and collapsing ice shelves predict a very bleak future for the
mankind.
Thus, every little step that we take on daily basis to revert the damage we have
caused to the earth is important. Every day matters.