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The Ways and Wildlife of the Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is situated off the coast of Antarctica, at the southernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean. Its coordinates are 75 degrees south and 47 degrees west, encompassing the Argentine, Chilean, and British territories of Antarctica. The severe weather and extensive pack ice have historically made the Weddell Sea challenging to access, but modern icebreaker ships are now enabling explorers to venture into this remote area.
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Birds of the North: 29 Arctic Birds and Seabirds
The Arctic is home to some of the world’s most majestic mammals, both on land and sea. However, the bird life in this region is equally remarkable, showcasing numerous exotic species that are highly prized by bird enthusiasts worldwide.
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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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Port Pastimes: 7 Fun Things to Do in Longyearbyen
Waiting in port for an Arctic expedition cruise to begin might seem a little like waiting for water to boil or coffee to brew or a Seinfeld reunion to materialize: Time seems to defy its own laws, life slows to a crawl, and you begin to wonder if it’s really going to be worth it.
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Deception Island deceptively active
In Antarctica, the South Shetland archipelago is home to Deception Island, a volcanic-rounded island that is 15 km in diameter with a shield volcano. The volcano is mainly basalt-andesite and was one of the first parts of Antarctica to be discovered, probably around 1820 by UK and USA sealers.
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The First Overwintering Hut in Antarctica
In 1899, Carsten Borchgrevink and his nine crewmen became the first to spend the winter in a hut in Antarctica. (Technically, the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-1899 was the first to overwinter there, though this was done on their vessel after it was caught in ice.) Borchgrevink and his men spent the dark winter months isolated in a dirty hut, surrounded by equipment and sled dogs fighting each other outside.
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Polar Diving: A Supreme Underwater Adventure
Most scuba divers are drawn to warm waters and tropical reefs, and it's easy to see why. However, even the most thrilling experiences can become repetitive if done too often.
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The Plants of Antarctica
Surviving in Antarctica is a monumental challenge for any plant. The extreme cold, limited sunlight, scarce moisture, poor soil, and short growing season make it nearly impossible for most flora to thrive. Yet, some plants have adapted to these harsh conditions and have managed to flourish where others cannot.
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International Polar Bear Day
It will come as no surprise to you that we're crazy about polar bears. We have multiple blogs about where to find polar bears, we offer dozens of polar bear trips, and we've even written a short story from a polar bear's point of view. (Yes, we actually did that.) So if you were to say that our love of polar bears borders on obsession, you wouldn't be far off.
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Baleen Whales – The Gentle Giants of the Ocean
They are the largest animals on Earth, yet they thrive on some of the tiniest creatures. These giants can reach lengths of 30 meters (90 feet), but it is the microscopic zooplankton, krill, and small fish that sustain them. These are the baleen whales. Unlike toothed whales, baleen whales lack teeth. Instead, they use plates of baleen in their mouths to trap and consume their tiny prey.
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10 Bountiful Blue Whale Facts
The umbrella term “whale” refers to a wide variety of large marine mammals. To zero in on blue whales, however, we’ll need to unpack this term a bit. The Latin word for whale, cetus, is the root of the whale infraorder, Cetacea, the largest parvorder of which is Mysticeti.
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Greenland: Where the Kayak Was Invented
If you've ever enjoyed kayaking, you owe a debt of gratitude to the ancient Greenlandic Inuit who originally designed them for hunting. The thrilling adventures people now have navigating some of the world's most challenging rapids wouldn't be possible without the Inuit's need for a nimble form of water transportation. While travelers still use kayaks in this region, they are typically not fishing, whaling, or sealing. Consequently, recreational kayaks have been adapted to fit their new role.
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Arctic Icon: 10 Facts about the Polar Bear
Polar bears are to the Arctic what penguins are to Antarctica.
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Harp seals harping on in Greenland
Harp seals are a moderately sized species, typically reaching about 1.6 meters in length and weighing around 130 kilograms. Both males and females are similar in size and weight, with males being only slightly larger. They possess a thick, robust body, a small broad and flat head, short narrow flippers, and a narrow muzzle.
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Taking a polar expedition cruise delivers no shortage of show-stopping highlights, but one of the most exhilarating is lifting off from the ship in a helicopter and taking flight over the incomparable Antarctic wilderness.
Embarking on a polar expedition cruise offers a plethora of breathtaking experiences, but one of the most thrilling is taking off from the ship in a helicopter and soaring over the stunning Antarctic wilderness.
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Of Treacherous Rocks & Audacious Fin Whales
Soon large blows filled our view; small groups of fin whales sped by heading north all the while feeding on concentrations of krill & small fish. Group after group was seen, with many simply feeding in the general area and not heading anywhere in particular. Soon it became evident that we were not simply seeing a few random groups of fins, but a very large concentration spread out over a large area of sea just north and around the islands north of the South Shetlands. Dozens upon dozens of fin whales were feeding, diving around the ship and on the horizon in massive numbers; we must have seen well over fifty fin whales in the general area of Elephant Island, something many of the guides had never seen before.
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Large and in Charge: Antarctica’s Southern Elephant Seals
Southern elephant seals are the largest species of seal on the planet and a highlight among Antarctica cruise wildlife.
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Polar bear encounter in Spitsbergen
I watch the sea ice from the bridge of a ship in one of the fjords of Spitsbergen, an archipelago north of Norway. I observe a perfectly adapted animal moving on the ice, the results of hundreds of thousands of years of ecological fine-tuning. Snowshoe-sized paws distribute weight, fur handles the cold and sunlight to perfection, and an incredible sense of smell samples this monochromatic realm.
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The Dirty Details of Antarctica's Dry Valleys
Situated on the western coast of McMurdo Sound, the McMurdo Dry Valleys represent the largest ice-free region in Antarctica.
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Kayaking In Greenland
Think of Greenland and two images come to mind: