Antarctica - a place we hear about and so few of us have a chance to visit! How lucky was I! My husband and I, along with 4 close friends, just arrived back in Florida after cruising on a passenger ship to the Antarctica Peninsula, the Falkland Islands, and the Shetland Islands among other amazing places. Ask me about ice sheets and glaciers! Ask me about the wildlife!
     Fortunately, there was a team of science experts on our ship who have lived, explored, and researched Antarctica. They lectured twice daily and were always available, even when we walked on deck to learn more about what we were seeing.
     They described the Antarctica Treaty which was signed by twelve nations in 1959 to preserve the area for peaceful purposes, scientific research, and collaboration. In subsequent years, these nations also agreed to preserve the wildlife, the fauna and flora, and the marine resources.   Previously, many expeditions occurred in the region, with many claiming and possessing the region they discovered; such as Russia, Britain, Sweden, France, and Japan.  I learned about the race between Scott and Amundsen and how Shackleton led four expeditions.
     I, by no means, consider myself an expert on Antarctica; this was an eye-opening experience quite different from anything I have ever discerned.   As a Floridian, I have learned all about the Everglades and taught it– now I was confronted with a totally different understanding of a part of the world I did not know. This is what I learned: 
     Antarctica, the southernmost point in the world at 60 degrees latitude and beyond, comes from the Greek language, antarktikos, which means “opposite to the Arctic”. In turn, Arctic comes from the Greek word arktikos, which means “of the bear,” in reference to the northern constellation called Osa Menor, in which is the Polar Star, marking the North Pole.
     To get to Antarctica, you must cross the Drake Passage considered to be one of the most treacherous voyages for ships due to  the westerly wind and current flow that occurs counterclockwise. This area is a body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean. Needless to say, it was indeed a rough few days but well worth the seasickness, the swaying of the ship, and the fear of not surviving!
Glaciers:
How can one talk about Antarctica without mentioning the many glaciers, ice sheets, and icebergs I saw!  It was beyond remarkable!  It was everything one would expect and more.  We traveled into the most remote areas; bays and inlets that are considered impossible to reach.  Our ship maneuvered through vast ice sheets and icebergs that you can only envisage in your imagination.  All the while, day and night, we were thinking about the Titanic.
     There are various types of glaciers: (1) glaciers that extend in continuous sheets, moving outward in all directions, (2) mountain glaciers that are confined within a path that directs the ice movement, (3) piedmont glaciers or ice shelves that spread out on level ground or on the ocean at the foot of glaciated regions.
     As our expert explained in layman’s terms in a visual tactile presentation, glaciers can be solid pieces of ice or, as in semi-arid areas, they can be rock glaciers mixed with rocks and debris (half ice, half rock) or another type mixed with ice, rock, and sand.  The latter being a complicated structure.  Each roots water in different ways and will change through time.  The problem that causes glaciers to lose mass is obvious; warm air and not enough snow or rain.
     What does this mean for the future?  Around 10% of the world’s land surface is currently covered by glaciers, which store around 70% of the Earth’s freshwater. As glaciers retreat in size (scientists have a way of measuring the amount of snow in a glacier, which transfers to how much water is available), sea levels rise and the water supply is challenged.
Wildlife:
In Antarctica you will see Emperor, King, and Gentoo penguins, many species of whales, dolphins, seals, and birds (visit my website https://www.teachingscienceteachers.com for a complete list of the seabirds and marine mammals that we saw or see below).  It should be noted that bears are found in the North Pole rather than the South Pole, even though both Poles have lots of ice and snow.
     How exciting was it to see hundreds of penguins, a waddle, in their natural habitat! Some were learning to enter the water for the first time, fathers were warming their mates’ eggs by balancing them on their feet and covering it with their pouches (for about 65 days), while females left their ‘home’ to enter the ocean, some for 62 days to collect food for their chicks. You wonder how they find their way back! Or how the male during this fasting time is able to feed the chick if it hatches before the female returns?
     Sometimes the eggs of the young babies do not survive and, upon returning from the sea, the female panics because she can’t find her chick. Consequently, she proceeds to find any chick and tries to take it as her own. It’s not unusual to see females fighting over a chick. Some survive, others do not! Meanwhile, once the female returns, the chick is handed over to her from the male in a lengthy, difficult process (taking as much as 2 days), all the while protecting the chick from the ice in the most careful way.
     We saw it all! In a lecture on fur, fat and feathers, I learned that there are window and elephant seals in Antarctica. Their thick underfur and fat acts as an insulator to repel the water from getting directly onto their skin. Also, southern right whales have a thick layer of blubber with blood vessels that help regulate their body. How thrilling it was the first time to witness so many species of whales jumping in the water and, at other times, spouting water near the surface!  Even viewing a pod of dolphins playing in the waves created by the ship entertained us!
     Once again, I reiterate that I am not an expert on the Antarctic ecosystem.  I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about a continent around the South Pole covered with ice sheets and glaciers.  I learned that this area is 5.5 million square miles and that those ice sheets and glaciers are retreating slowly, which possibly will affect us in the future and impact our daily lives. What I can conclude from my experience was that the scenery was breathtaking and the wildlife extraordinary!
References
Onboard Antarctica Expedition Team: Dr. Shelley MacDonell, Dr. Robyn Mindy, Dr. Colin Miskelly, Alex Moffat-Wood, Camille Seaman.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+sheets+and+glaciers+difference

https://www.google.com/search?q=wildlife+in+Antartcia

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Place-Earth-Amundsens-Exploration/dp/0375754741