Gallery: Beautiful Polar Photos Tell a Haunting Story About Climate Change
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Evigheds Fjord, Eternity Glacier. Western Greenland, September 2009. It was named Forever Fjord because it seemed to never end. It is 62 miles long. The glacier itself is a shadow of its former glory. You can now see a large prominence of rock, which was covered by the ice not so long ago.
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When There Is Sunshine. Antarctic Peninsula, February 2010. Antarctica is big, but the sky is bigger. The clouds that cover Antarctica can seem enormous, and when the clouds are lit by the sun, magic can happen. I tend to spend as much time as I can out on deck, always looking, always ready. On this evening my diligence was rewarded.
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Stranded Icebergs Detail II. Cape Bird, Antarctica, December 2006. It was a special treat to be in the Zodiac with fellow photographer John Weller and John Palmer as our pilot. We casually cruised around these “stranded” icebergs (icebergs stuck on the rocky bottoms of the shallow coast) while we kept a safe distance. We had ample opportunity to admire the subtle colors of algae in the ice: pinks, browns, and pale greens.
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Stranded Iceberg. Cape Bird, Antarctica, December 2006. It was Christmas Day. I was feeling a bit melancholy about being so far away from my seven-year-old daughter. As our ship, the I/B Kapitan Klebnikov, approached Ross Island we could smell and hear the Adelie penguin colony long before we could make out their shapes on the shore.
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Terminus, Raudfjord, Svalbard, June 2010.
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The Cloud Makers Detail. Antarctica Sound, February 2010. In the middle of the Antarctic Sound, like some floating ice stone henge, a mass of giant tabular icebergs produced their own clouds.
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Rasmussen Glacier. Scoresbysund, eastern Greenland, August 2006. Not many people on the planet get to spend time on the east side of Greenland. Those who visit Scoresbysund are rarely disappointed. The jaw-dropping vista of the Rasmussen Glacier is epic on any day.
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You Go First. The Ross Sea, Antarctica, December 2006. Orcas were patrolling the sea ice edge. The Adélie penguins seemed to be having a conversation, which I imagined went something like this, “You go first! I went first the last time!”
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Gentoo Penguins at Port Lockroy. Antarctic Peninsula, December 2005. Port Lockroy was established as a British base during World War Two. It was in operation until 1962. The islet that it is situated on is so small that you can walk around it in less than ten minutes. Gentoo penguins nest there. There is no plumbing or heat at the station, which is now a museum.
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Stranded Polar Bear, Lower Savage Islands. Canadian Arctic, August 2008. I had no idea what adept rock climbers polar bears are. I watched as this bear climbed up and up to perch on this rock. On these islands the bears have nothing to do but wait. Sleep and wait and look for bird nests or anything else (including polar bear cubs) that they might be able to eat.
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Siberian Drifters. Svalbard, July 2008. Taking photos of walruses hauled out on a beach can be like photographing a bunch of potatoes. It takes patience and preparedness; they always eventually move, shift, or scratch. If you are patient, you might even get a face-to-face gaze like this one.
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Looking at the Icebergs. The Ross Sea off Franklin Island, Antarctica, December 2006. John Palmer is a medical doctor from Australia. When he is onboard the I/B Kapitan Klebnikov as resident doctor, his duties also include acting as the traffic operator for the ship’s two helicopters. Here, he looks off into the distance where two massive icebergs are about to collide in a strong swell.
