The Journey to the End of the Earth

1) How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of mankind?

It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say about 650 million
years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At that time India and
Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm climate and a huge variety of flora and
fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the age of mammals got underway.

2) What kind of indications to save Earth do we get while visiting Antarctica?

Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made her wonder
about the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. She hopes the new generation will understand their planet
better and save it from annihilation. The planet’s ecosystem and its balance that took millions of years to form
can be soon destroyed. Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of the
phytoplankton. The lives of the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. But the school students’
visit to the Antarctica may make human beings handle their planet in a better way.

3) How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience?

By visiting Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can teach the next
generation to understand and value our planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-cores half-million-years old
carbon records which will help us to study climatic changes by global warming.

4) Why is a visit to Antarctica important to realise the effect of global warming?

Antarctica is the perfect place to study the effects that global warming is causing. It is here that one can see the
effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise the water levels in the sea and
the ocean, as a result of which many low-lying regions will be submerged under water.

5) How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change?

Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world which
has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves
half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing fast and is at
present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of these
environmental changes as it has a very simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes
Antarctica warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

6) What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’?

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of the world
and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and
respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when they are ready to
absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future
policy makers and through this programme they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful
effects of global warming.

7) Why is Antarctica and its understanding important for the survival of the world?
Antarctica and its understanding are important for the survival of the world because it helps us to know that the
southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human beings
had not come on the global scene but a huge variety of flora and fauna was present in the supercontinent. It was
after 500 million years that the landmass was forced to separate into countries that exist today. Antarctica’s ice-
cores hold over half-million-year-old carbon records which are crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present
and future.
8) What are the indications for the future of humankind?
A fast and steady rise in human population in proportion to the limited natural resources is exerting pressure on
land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are being burnt and these factors are increasing the global
temperature. Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s existence
on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind.

9) What sort of brightness and silence prevailed in Antarctica dining summer?

The brightness that prevailed in Antarctica was surreal (strange) as the austral summer light remained for 24
hours in the continent. The silence there was ubiquitous (widespread) interrupted only by the occasional
avalanche or calving ice sheet (breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier)

10) How the programme, ‘Students on Ice’ was an attempt to equip future generation with knowledge to save
Earth?
The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take the High School students to the limits of the
world and provide them with inspiring opportunities in education to enable them to understand and respect our
planet. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy-makers and through this
programme they would be able to save this planet from the ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global
warming. Antarctica, with its simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect place to study how little
changes in the environment can have major repercussions. The school students’ impressionable minds can study
and examine the Earth’s past, present and future by their voyage to Antarctica.

11) What are phytoplanktons? How are they important to our ecosystem?
The microscopic phytoplankton are tiny forms of plant life on the sea. They nourish and sustain the entire
southern ocean’s food chain. They are single-celled plants and use the energy of the sun to assimilate carbon
supplying oxygen and synthesize compounds. Depletion of the ozone layer that protects us from the harmful
rays of the sun adversely affects the activities of the phytoplankton. Any further depletion in the ozone layer
will hamper their activity which, in turn, is bound to affect the growth of marine animals and birds and even the
global carbon cycle. Thus, to save the big organisms the small organisms need to be cared for because even
minor changes have huge repercussions.

12) What is the achievement of human beings during the duration of 12000 years?
During these twelve thousand years, man has created villages, towns, cities, and megacities. The population has
increased so much that natural resources have been severely affected.

13) Why does the author of Journey to the End of the Earth state that in 12000 years man has managed to create
a ruckus on this earth?
Humans have been on this Earth for about 12,000 years and have created havoc and ruckus on this Earth. They
have done this by encroaching on nature and establishing cities and megacities. Their increasing population has
depleted natural resources and their callousness towards nature has led to a rise in global temperature.

14) What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice Expedition?
Geoff Green feels that students are the future generation of policy-makers. They should be provided an
opportunity to have this life-changing experience at a young age in order to foster a new understanding and
respect for our planet. It would help them to absorb, learn and act for the benefit of the planet. The youngsters
still have the idealism to save the world and they need to understand that it belongs to them. So, to sensitize
them, it is important to provide them the visible life changing experience.

15) ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of the
statement in the context of the Antarctica environment?
This statement means that if small things are taken care of, big things will take their own care. There are tall
grasses, called phytoplankton, in the southern oceans that use the sun’s energy to assimilate carbon and
synthesize organic compounds by photosynthesis. Marine life and birds in the region sustain themselves on
these tall grasses. Any disturbance in the environment in Antarctica might affect the activities of the
phytoplankton, which, in turn, might affect the existence of the other life forms that depend on them. Small
things like the phytoplankton are important in the food chain.

16) What is the visual experience in Antarctica?

In Antarctica the visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty midgets and mites to blue whales and
icebergs as big as countries. The writer refers to it as walking into a giant ping-pong ball devoid of any human
markers, without trees, billboards, buildings. Days go on in 24 hours austral summer light. A ubiquitous silence,
interrupted only by an occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet consecrates the place.

17) How, according to the author, has mankind etched its dominance over nature?
According to the author, though civilizations have been around for barely a few seconds on the geological
clock, yet they have created a ruckus by their various activities like exploiting the limited resources and careless
burning of fossil fuels. In the short span of existence on the earth, they have already created a blanket of carbon
dioxide and increased the average global temperature.

18) How has Antarctica sustained itself and managed to remain pristine?
Antarctica, on account of being the coldest, windiest and driest continent in the world, has never sustained a
human population and has thus managed to remain pristine. This has prevented man from being able to create
ruckus in this part of the world by his thoughtless exploitation of the natural resources.

19) How is global temperature increasing? What are the immediate fears due to it?
Global temperature is increasing due to the increasing burning of fossil fuels. It has now created a blanket of
carbon dioxide around the world. This has given birth to questions like: Will the West Antarctica ice sheet melt
entirely? Will the Gulf Stream Ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know of? It
may be. It may not be.

20) How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate of climate change?

Antarctica is a crucial element not because it has no human population but because it holds in its ice cores half-
a- million-year-old carbon records. They are trapped in its layers of. ice. It will open up areas of knowledge
about the past, present and future of the earth.

21) The author says that her Antarctica experience was full of such epiphanies. What was that best epiphany
that occurred there?
The Akademik Shokalskiy got wedged into a thick white sheet of ice. The captain decided to turn around and
asked the passengers to walk on the ocean. Underneath their feet they saw 180 metres of living, breathing salt
water. Crab eater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs under a
banyan tree. It was a great epiphany, a revelation.

22) Why does the author feel that the prognosis for the human beings is not healthy?
The world is battling an ever-increasing population, leading to burning of fossil fuels. This has created a blanket
of carbon dioxide around the world thereby increasing global temperatures. All this is hazardous and life
threatening for all flora and fauna. Hence the future of mankind in fact, all life on earth, is bleak. So, the author
is correct in saying that the prognosis for man is not encouraging and healthy.

23) Does the study of the lesson give you a feeling that man is his own great enemy?
In his 12000-year-long stint on the earth so far man has caused untold harm to the planet, its environment and
biodiversity. His activities in the name of development have spelt doom for the flora and fauna and his own
existence is in danger. Man is to blame for all the havoc and ruckus created on earth. Thus, it is quite right that
man is his own great enemy.
24) The author says, ‘It was nothing short of a revelation: everything does connect. ’What does it mean?
Antarctica is a perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions as far as
Antarctica is concerned. Various human activities like exploiting the limited resources and careless burning of
fossil fuel have already created a blanket of carbon dioxide, increased the average global temperatures and
caused the retreating of glaciers, melting of ice caps and collapse of ice shelves as far as Antarctica. Global
warming does not only change the geographical features, but also cause depletion in the ozone layer which will
affect the activities of the phytoplanktons, the tall grasses which support the lives of marine animals and birds
of the region. Hence, the author says everything does connect and all human activities are interlinked with the
geological phenomena, whatever be the geological distance.