Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Back To Antarctica: Jon Bowmermaster Reports From The Drake Passage!
A quick glance at the calendar tells you that it is December, which means that a number of things happen this time of year. Of course we all worry about holiday shopping, while we dust off or snowboards, and prepare for the start of winter. But for National Geographic Explorer in Residence Jon Bowermaster, it can mean only one thing - it's time to go back to Antarctica!
Over the past two decades, Jon has made this journey a number of times, including every year for the past ten. So it should come as no surprise that his latest dispatch on his blog comes to us from The Drake Passage, a windy, tumultuous stretch of water off of Cape Horn, at the southernmost tip of South America. This is the first day of his 2009 Antarctic adventure, and at least for now, the seas remain calm. If all goes as planned, tomorrow Jon and his crew, will be setting foot on the Antarctic Peninsula for the first time this year.
Over the past few years, Jon has journeyed to the frozen continent to study the effects of climate change on the environment there. He has witnessed some dramatic changes throughout the region, and chronicled them in his film Terra Antarctica. This year, we can once again expect interesting and thought provoking dispatches from the bottom of the world, as Jon gets the opportunity to return to that amazing place. Over the next few weeks, expect frequent updates as he travels throughout the region, sharing his travels through blog posts, photos and video. For us poor, desk-bound souls, it is the closest we'll get to the place, at least for this year.