Sunrise celebration arrives early this far south! I set the alarm for 2:30 am so I could view the pink icecaps of Antarctica. It's like taking the peaks of the Rocky Mountains or the Himalayas and dropping them in the ocean.
Sunrise 2:35 am
Reflections are so clear it's hard to know what is up or what is down. Never has the air been clearer. This is a space to be aware of oneself. Sometimes it takes journeys to distant lands to come back to the home in one's heart. I think that is why we need great wilderness.
After such reflection I am back to bed for the 6:30 am wake up call to visit the spectacular vistas of Neko Harbor. I climb to about 400 feet to overlook a huge calving ice tongue in the ocean. The climb up is so good for cleaning the senses and the palette of the mind.
Portable and highly expressive, watercolor has been the main medium used to experience some of this earth's sacred landscapes for many years. It is handy in this climb, since I have only 2 hours to paint.
The still air makes me calm, a state of mind necessary to comprehend the complicated perspective of the glacier below. In this case I render the shapes in pencil lightly and start the challenge of painting the blue ice. For the next update I will explore the mysteries of depicting blue ice in watercolor. Right now we have a staff meeting, and the radio room is closing in 10 minutes. I'll set the alarm for 2:30 again!
Painting at Neko Harbor, Antarctica
photo by Daisy Gilardini
View of Neko Harbor 10in. x 15in. Watercolor
Ink Pen Sketching the Neumayer Channel
More Information
"To calve" when used in this context refers to an ice mass and means "to separate or become detached." The actual continent of Antarctica is a frozen land mass surrounded by ocean. Antarctic Convergence is the region of the Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica; it's where the cold waters of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current meet the warmer waters of the north. The confluence of cool and less cool waters results in a concentration of marine plant life, because the warmer waters can sustain an abundance of nutrients. The more plentiful the plant life, the more plentiful the animal life.
The sea ice David will be seeing is vital to life on earth, because it helps regulate the climate in two ways. First, sea ice is an effective insulator, decreasing the amount of heat lost from the oceans. Second, sea ice is so white that it reflects solar radiation back into space.
The amount of sea ice varies with the season, a fluctuation that affects the exchange of energy between the ocean and the atmosphere. Sea ice extends outward from the Antarctic continent's edge; in late winter, it more than doubles the ice-covered area. To read about sea ice and its effects on the sustainability of life, as well as on climate change, visit www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casic=5546 and www.cybamuse.com/antarctica/passages.htm.
Neko Harbor is a small bay indenting the Eastern shore of Andvord Bay, 6 miles southeast of Beneden Head, along the western coast of Graham Land.
Latitude: 64° 50' 00.0" S (-64.8333333°)
Longitude: 62° 33' 00.0" W (-62.55°)
It was first seen and roughly charted by the Gerlache Expedition, 1897-99. It was named after a floating whale factory, which operated in the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The name was published by the Scottish geologist David Ferguson in 1921, following his visit to this area in 1913.
Of Neko Harbor, Prisca Campbell of Quark Expeditions, has this to say:
"Neko Harbor is home to a Gentoo Penguin Rookery. Glaciers calving icebergs can cause mini-tsunamis, dislodging zodiacs (inflatable boats) parked on the rocky beach.
When the sun shines the view is stunning; when the fog descends, the harbor is eerie. One can imagine that tall ships with creaking spars would momentarily emerge from the mists.
When one steps ashore, one is truly on the Antarctic continent. There are very few places on the peninsula where people are permitted to step ashore on the continent. Neko is one of them."
Neumayer Channel lies between Wiencke Island and Anvers Island. Glaciers often shatter and pour into its waters.