A workstation in Antarctica: studying sea ice amid penguins and the Southern Lights

Polar researcher Vishnu Nandan in Antarctica as a part of a British-based venture known as DEFIANT — Drivers and Effects of Fluctuations in sea Ice in the ANTarctic.
| Photo Credit: Special association 

It is not like any workspace in the world. Each day begins off with frigid, brutally record-low temperatures. In the Antarctic, all the things is dependent upon the climate.

“If the weather is good, we head out. Else, we stay in,” says polar researcher Vishnu Nandan, as he settles down reluctantly to the temperate local weather of his hometown Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, after a 40-hour flight from Antarctica. “It is not warm enough here,” he says. “Or maybe by now I have been so used to the cold that this isn’t warm enough,” he provides rapidly, as an afterthought.

Vishnu has simply returned from an eight-month odyssey in the Antarctic. He was certainly one of the two scientists who had been a part of a 25-member staff of the British Antarctic Survey, braving the excessive climate and the polar darkness at the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, West Antarctica as a part of a scientific survey. The analysis is a part of a U.Ok.-based venture known as DEFIANT (Drivers and Effects of Fluctuations in sea Ice in the ANTarctic), which arrange a ground-based radar system to take measurements of sea ice.

A analysis scientist at the University of Calgary and the University of Manitoba in Canada, Vishnu’s experience lies in sea ice (frozen seawater that floats on the ocean floor). His work entails measuring the thickness of sea ice utilizing the ground-based radar-based system and correcting the errors in the measurements of the similar obtained from radar satellites. As a part of the analysis, Vishnu, together with scientist Robbie Mallett, put in a U.S.-made instrument owned by the University of Manitoba on the sea ice to take the measurements.

“The thickness of the sea ice measured using satellite radars is prone to error. We cannot determine how thick the sea ice really is through this method because sea ice keeps drifting and it is not easy to keep track of its movement using satellites. Also, snow forms a layer over the ice. With the presence of snow, we could overestimate the thickness when measurements are taken using satellite radars. This is very crucial, because, we might be under the impression that the sea ice is thicker than it really is. This could impact the policies we come up with to tackle climate change,” says Vishnu.

Climate concern

The Antarctic could be difficult to conduct area measurements of sea ice, says Vishnu, explaining that the snow could be very thick and deep. It floods the ice into the ocean and turns into slushy. “It is more salty, and is not homogeneous when compared to that in the Arctic. So there are combined errors from different sources,” he says. Of the eight months they spent in the Antarctic, he says the staff might take readings on solely 22 days. The remainder of the days, there was no sea ice in the space the place their ground-based radar system was mounted.

This 12 months recorded the worst sea ice ever and the lowest since 1986, he says. The researchers discovered that the sea ice space is nearly a million sq. kilometres lower than the earlier lowest which was in 1986, an actual local weather concern. “The maximum thickness of sea ice measured by us was 44 cm, which is low. It can ideally go up to 1.5 metres or more,” he says.

So why do we’d like the sea ice? “If you don’t have sea ice, a lot of the solar heat gets absorbed by the oceans, instead of being reflected by the sea ice. This will lead to the polar oceans getting warmer and other oceans also getting warmer, causing extreme weather scenarios. Further, the wildlife in the poles also needs sea ice to survive,” he says.

Vishnu says that local weather change could be very evident in the poles. The climate is just not as chilly because it was. This has been noticed each in the Arctic and the Antarctic. It has additionally introduced in plenty of challenges to do science. “I honestly hope that people value more about how climate and environment are changing and protect it in ways they can,” he says.

Ups and downs

He provides that life in the poles could be very rewarding. When not working, the staff can go for climbing, diving into the ocean, and snowboarding or simply ponder life amid penguins and the Southern Lights. But the downsides could be equally nerve-racking, with isolation and the chilly taking a toll on one’s psychological and bodily well being.

“I think isolation and loneliness are perhaps the biggest challenges when you are out in the poles. You are away from your friends and family and that takes a toll on you. I have seen people get injured, or their moods fluctuate. Teamwork is always a challenge here,” says Vishnu, who has spent 1,000-plus days altogether in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

“There is no sun for six months. I have become addicted to darkness, silence, and isolation. But that aside, I am very happy, humbled, and lucky to be able to do this as my profession. Every day is a new challenge and you have to think on your feet, adapt, and be flexible,” he says, including with a chuckle, “And I have an office with a view.”