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The polar bear: king of the Arctic food chain
As apex predators, polar bears reign supreme in the Arctic food chain. Only humans pose a threat to this massive and majestic species. But one look at these magnificent creatures explains why so many people embark on Arctic trips hoping to spot a polar bear in its natural habitat.
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Camping in Antarctica: a True Expedition Experience
We often think of camping as a summer activity, filled with warm nights, campfire dinners, and serene mountain lakes. However, there's a whole other world of camping to explore.
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The Seven Best Things to Do in Antarctica
Unless you’re a scientist, there’s no such thing as a means-to-an-end trip to Antarctica.
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Antarctica in Pictures: Photos from 2018
Pictures can never truly capture the essence of an experience, and this is especially true for the breathtaking adventures in Antarctica.
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A visit to the fascinating island of Jan Mayen
After exploring the remote island of Fair Isle, our Atlantic Odyssey voyage once more turned its attentions northwards and left the outer extremities of the UK behind. Our destination was Jan Mayen, a volcanic island situated on the mid-Atlantic ridge just north of 71° (about 550 kilometers north of Iceland and 450 kilometers east of Greenland).
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Navigating by touch through the sea ice
Ships are meant to glide effortlessly through calm waters, but our Greenland expedition vessel Ortelius is shuddering and wiggling as it navigates through the calm yet frozen waters between Svalbard and the islands. We’re on the North Atlantic Odyssey, a journey that starts in continental Europe and concludes near the North Pole in Svalbard. Onboard are 115 enthusiastic passengers. Most of them are currently on the outer decks, cameras in hand, captivated by the sea ice.
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Polar Amore: 14 Wildlife Pics to Warm up Your Valentine’s Day
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8 Whales You Might See During Your Antarctica Cruise
They're powerful, beautiful, and really, really big. Whales are a wonder of the natural world, and one of the best places to see them is Antarctica. In fact, whale watching is one of the most popular and rewarding activities you can enjoy on an Antarctic trip.
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The Eight Great Penguin Species of Antarctica
There are 17 species of penguin on the planet, but the eight you’ll most likely recognize live in Antarctica, its nearby islands, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of South Georgia and the Falklands. These are the core species we tend to see on our expedition cruises.
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Narwhals: the Aquatic Unicorns of the Arctic
Though narwhals are among the rarest whale species encountered during our Arctic expeditions, a journey to the Arctic regions of Greenland and Svalbard always holds the potential for spotting these elusive creatures.
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The disastrous expedition in the Arctic west
In 1902, Otto Sverdrup, captain of the Fram on Nansen’s expedition, led his own Arctic expedition to the north of Canada. Over the period of the expedition, which started in 1898, Sverdrup and his 15-man crew charted over 250,000 square kilometres of the Arctic using the Fram and sledges. During the expedition Ellesmere Island’s west coast was explored and new islands discovered.
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Seven Facts About Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Penguins
Approximately 50 million years ago, Antarctica was detaching from the vast supercontinent of Gondwana, and penguins were emerging as a distinct species. Initially native to warmer regions, they gradually adapted to the cooling climate of Antarctica as they ventured further south.
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“The polar bear will still be there”
For several hours, we had been navigating the pack ice in search of polar bears. Despite numerous binoculars scanning the ice, no bears were visible, and only a few tracks were found. This suggested we might be in an area with fewer bears. Later that morning, we decided to head a few miles east, suspecting a higher bear population there.
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10 Traits of Post-Ice-Age Greenland
Grasses, sedges, and other species of heath were the first arrivals, and are still commonly found in Greenland. Scientists have been able to work out how plants colonised Greenland by examining ancient pollen samples found in deposits at the bottom of lakes: Dwarf birch came to western Greenland around 9,000 years ago, and around 4,500 years ago – roughly the same time humans were first boating onto Greenland shores – green alders were taking up residence there.
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Antarctica’s first Marine Protected Area
In October of this year, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which includes 24 countries such as the United States, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, reached a consensus on a New Zealand/United States proposal to establish a large-scale Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Ross Sea region.
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12 Things to Do in Antarctica
Traveling to Antarctica is unlike traveling to any other place on Earth.
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All About Ice: Glaciers and Icebergs of the Arctic and Antarctica
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Freshwater ecosystems in the Arctic
The Arctic, surprisingly, hosts a rich and varied array of freshwater ecosystems, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, deltas, and wetlands. Some of the world's largest rivers and deltas, such as the Lena, Ob, and Yenisei, are found in this region.
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Arctic Flowers, Trees, and Other Plant Life
When many people think of the Arctic, they probably imagine a stark white wasteland devoid of anything except snow, glaciers, and the occasional far-wandering polar bear.
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Churches in Antarctica
'Below 40 degrees South there is no law; below 50 degrees South, there is no God', goes the old adage. When faced with a storm in the turbulent and freezing waters of the Drake Passage, one might think so.