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Scientific Research on James Ross Island
Remote, isolated, and frozen all year, Antarctica’s rock, ice and living material contains a treasure trove of information on Earth’s history and the evolution of life. So geographically remote that it has no permanent inhabitants and relatively few visitors, Antarctica affects the whole planet through its influence on the climate system and sea level.
Antarctic scenery
But it is these inhospitable conditions that makes Antarctica one the world’s most important places to do scientific research as it is arguably the most untouched region on the planet. Scientists who work there follow three main tenets: only to undertake the kind of science in Antarctica that cannot be done elsewhere in the world; only undertake the highest quality science; and if possible make sure it contributes to solving a global problem.
As Antarctica is a unique and valuable region for many kinds of research, the ENDURANCE KAYAK team felt it was important to use their expedition to try and help the scientific community in anyway they possibly could. As a result, ENDURANCE KAYAK has teamed up with Professor Jane Francis from the Earth Sciences Dept at Leeds University to photograph the south side of James Ross Island to support geological research of the region.
Read about its significance to global climate change here from Professor Jane Francis.
“The geology of James Ross Island is globally important because the rocks and fossils provide us with evidence of past life and environments in the Polar Regions, particularly when the Earth was much warmer under a ‘greenhouse’ climate 80 million years ago.
Antarctic fossil of a leaf
Fossils of trees and dinosaurs from James Ross Island indicate that Antarctica was a lush warm paradise without ice caps – is this the kind of Antarctica that we will see again if the present trend in climate warming continues? Our work on the rocks and fossils of this region will provide an important contribution to predictions of future climates.
Very few geologists have worked on the south and south western rock outcrops because this region has been difficult to access in the past due to ice cover. Thus we know very little about what is present there. Our expedition will supply new information about the rock outcrops there, through photographic surveys of rock exposures and collection of rock samples. In addition, ENDURANCE KAYAK could provide us with valuable information about the present ice conditions and the nature of new rock exposures that we can see on satellite images”.
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