Chapter – 3 (Vistas)

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH

By: Tishani Doshi

 You read the lesson yesterday and
watched related videos as well.

Today, before we proceed further, let

us revise the lesson.
 Summary
The author started her journey in a
Russian research vessel, ‘Akademic
Shokalskiy’ bound for Antarctica. Her
journey began 13.09 degrees north
of the Equator in Madras. She
travelled over 100 hours in
combination of car, aeroplane and
ship before she set foot on the
Antarctic continent.

Akademic Shokalskiy
The purpose of the visit was to know more
about Antarctica. The author stayed there
for two weeks. It is a place which stores
90 percent of the Earth’s total ice
volumes. It has no trees, billboards or
buildings. The visual scene ranges from
the microscopic to the mighty. Days go on
and on in 24 hour austral summer light.
Silence pervades everywhere. It is broken
only by an avalanche or calving ice-sheet.
Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a
giant southern supercontinent- Gondwana-
did exist. It was centred roughly around
present day Antarctica. There were a
variety of flora and fauna. Humans had not
arrived on the global scene yet. Gondwana
thrived for 500 million years. Then came
the time when the dinosaurs were wiped
out and the age of mammals began. At
that time, the landmass was forced to
separate into countries, shaping the world
much as we know it today.
 Climate change is one of the most
hotly contested environmental
debates of our time. If we want to
study the Earth’s past, present and
future, Antarctica is the place to go
as it holds half-million-year-old
carbon records trapped in its layers if
ice.

Climate Change – Melting Earth

Antarctica has a simple eco-system and
lacks of biodiversity. It is the perfect place
to study how little changes in the
environment can have big repercussions.
Scientists warn that a further depletion of
the ozone layer will affect the lives of the
sea-animals and birds of the region. It will
also affect the global carbon cycle. The
burning of fossil fuels has polluted the
atmosphere. It has created a blanket of
carbon dioxide around the world. It is
increasing the global temperature which is
visible at Antarctica when we see ice bergs
melting away. It shows how minor changes
in the atmosphere can cause huge effect.
The author gives us an example of
phytoplankton to show how small changes in
the atmosphere can be threatening. The
microscopic phytoplankton are single celled
plants. They nourish the entire Southern
Ocean’s food chain. They use the sun’s
energy to assimilate carbon and supply
oxygen. Any further depletion in the ozone
layer may affect this functioning and
indirectly affect the lives of all marine
animals.

Phytoplankton
 When the author returned, she was still
wondering about the beauty of balance in play on
our planet. Walk on the Ocean was the most
thrilling experience of the visit. They were
walking on a meter-thick ice-pack. Seals were
enjoying themselves in the sun on ice. The
narrator was wondering about the beauty of the
place. She wished it would become a warm place
again as it used to be millions of years ago. If it
happens, the results can be catastrophic.

Students of ‘Students on Ice’ program

walking on the ocean.
Kudos to you boys.

I hope that you all have now well

understood the lesson. Let us
proceed with the assignment for the
day.
Short answers type questions.

• Kindly copy each

question in your
English class registers.
• Mind the word limit.
30-40 words only.
• Self written answers
will always gain
appreciation.
• Answers will be shared
in the next blog.
Q.1What are the indications for the future of
mankind?

Q.2 How did Antarctica amaze the writer when she

first saw it?

Q.3 Why is Antarctica the place to go if you want to

study the earth’s past, present and future?

Q.4 What sort of brightness and silence prevailed in

Antarctica during summer?
Q.5 What do you think is the reason behind the
success of the programme, ‘Students on Ice’?

Q.6 “My Antarctic experience was full of such

epiphanies”, says Tishani Doshi. Which
experience does she consider the best and why?

Q.7 What unique opportunities does the Antarctic

environment provide to the scientists?

Q.8 "And for humans, the prognosis is not good".

Explain the situation & observation.
 Until I see you with the next blog,
keep safe, stay inside and continue studying.
God bless you all.