Antarctica
South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula

Experiencing the so-called “Seventh Continent” poses regular challenges to one’s sense of scale and time. Geologic ice in the form of tabular icebergs detached from ice shelves developed over deep time and a January summer sun that never sets in the southern hemisphere. Though less diverse than the temperate and tropical regions, Antarctic waters – only recently and officially designated as the Southern Ocean – are bountiful ecosystems of life fueled by plankton and krill. Far from a wasteland in white, in Antarctica one intuitively feels that the interdependent processes of Earth’s biosphere, particularly those systems related to ocean currents and climate, come closest to making complete sense.