Kayaking Antarctica To Explore Climate Change

Antarctica satellite globe copia 2
Back in February I posted about an amazing expedition to explore Patagonia, led by Cristian Donoso, that was conducted mostly by kayak, to investigate the impact of global climate change on the environments there. The team spent months in the backcountry, reaching places that no one else ever had, and achieved a number of firsts along the way.

Well, it seems they’re not resting on their laurels, as they already have plans for late this year and into 2009. Cristian and his crew will be setting off to kayak Antarctica next with same goal in mind, to discover how that continent is changing as the Earth continues to warm. You can read all about their plans at the expeditions official website.

In December of this year, the team will board the Antarctic Dream, and set sail for the frozen continent where they will undertake a 550 mile self supported kayak expedition to the Palmer Archipelago and the Danco Coast. The plan is to observe the impact of climate change on the ice and wildlife that inhabit those areas, and by approaching by kayak, they’ll have little or no impact on the environments that they’ll be visiting. The team hopes to make a documentary of their journey and their findings.

Last week I mentioned that Jon Bowermaster was exploring the African coastline by kayak and that I thought it was a fantastic way to visit a remote region. The same holds true with this expedition as well, and wish Cristian, Roger and anyone else tagging along, the best of luck. I can’t wait to follow this adventure as well.

Kraig Becker