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. If the
global temperature keeps on increasing, the
human race may be in peril.
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.