Let’s talk about climate change

A few days ago they presented some shocking images about the irreversible melting of the ice sheet in Western Antarctica. Here you have a video about it:

  

 As it happens, experts say that it is officially irreversible. The time range is very low, in particular if we compare it with geological times. Numbers are around 100 years. Perhaps not now, but one or two generations after us will have the problem of the change in the coastlines due to the rise of the sea level. 

The climate is changing irreversibly. The news about the irreversible melting of the ice in Antarctica is only an example of the latest discoveries about climate change in the world. And the only thing we can do now is to prepare for that change. We could try to slow down the process, but it is too late to think about stopping it. Not only we will have a rise in the sea level, but the Antarctic ice melted in the sea will probably change the current oceanic streams, thus changing the climate globally. 

In related news, for those who still don´t know, we should prepare for a strong El Niño this year. People from NGOs are already warning about the consequences of this fact, and it is in their highest priority to prepare for that. Consequences include wetter than normal season in East Africa, and drier than normal season in south-central Africa. The continuous warming of the Earth will probably cause stronger ENSO phases, causing extreme floods and famine. 

And while scientists are more or less agreeing about the fact that it is actually happening (although there are still some that deny it) and the point where they have more arguments is in the man´s influence in the change, we find that governments are still adamant about changing their politics to fight this imminent change in the climate.

I was surprised when I read that Canadian weather forecasters are forbidden from talk about climate change. It´s true that meteorological time and spatial scales are lower than climate scales, but I don´t see a reason why they are not allowed to discuss climate change in their channel. The Canadian government seems to be clearly against informing people about climate change. And I guess it´s not the only country where this topic is taboo. 

I think we should be allowed to freely discuss environmental issues, with well informed people and well intended politicians.

Visit to the Amundsen-Scott polar station

Check out this video to see the Amundsen-Scott station in the South Pole. This guy changed his profession from photographer to cook in order to be able to go there.  I would love to visit this place. What about you?

Via Microsiervos :)

Antarctica

I always wanted to go to Antarctica. I don't even remember when I decided that I wanted to go there. I just wanted to go at least once in my lifetime. I guess I read too many books about explorers lost in the heart of Africa, or Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. These explorers and travellers that went to unknown places. I also wanted to have the feeling of being in an untouched and unchartered place. It is this kind of silly dreams, that you think you would never fulfil. But, because of my work, and a little bit of luck, I could make my dream come true. 

And I actually found more that what I expected. I'm not going to go into details. I only want to point out some facts I wasn't aware of before going there. First of all, you are in a place isolated from the world. You are not even in any country. Your passport says that you are out of the world. Yes, I wanted to have that feeling, but I didn't understand what it would mean before going there. The point is that you depend only on the people that it's there. For anything. If something happens there, you are the people who have to solve it. And nobody is going to go away if things get bad. So you do an effort to be helpful to the community, and not to be grumpy, or impolite. You try to make it easy for the other people, because you are going to share a little space and a few resources for a few months. You feel this detachment from normal life (you don't need money, for example), but you feel a strong sense of community. And, I have to say, I was very lucky because I found really good people there. We were most of the time laughing and sharing our experiences. 

And we shared this "Antarctic spirit" with the people who visited the island. Deception island is a very touristic place, and a lot of boats go there. They would land and would ask for something, like some food, or whatever they needed. And you would give it willingly, because you knew that nobody else could help them. 

It is a place where you give your best, doing something you love (seismological research, in my case) and you see that if the entire world had this sense of community everything would be better. This responsibility of being honest and helpful. 

Before going, I was afraid that I would say "Tu l'as voulu, Georges Dandin", like Conrad's main character. But it wasn't like that. I found much more than I was looking for. So, pursue your dreams. Sometimes they are even better than you thought.