Nearly a hundred photographs portray the landscape, nature and scientific research in regions particularly threatened by global change.
Imposing mountains covered in ice and snow, drifting icebergs, penguins, polar bears and foxes, mosses and micro-organisms that resist the cold, researchers working in extreme conditions, oceanographic ships, Antarctic bases... The free e-book and the itinerant exhibition "Una mirada polar" include more than a hundred photographs that portray the landscape, flora and fauna of the polar areas, as well as the scientific campaigns being carried out in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Promoted by the Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform POLARCSIC with the support of the Fundación General CSIC, the project shows the beauty of these remote regions, as fascinating as unknown, and the important role they play in regulating the planet's climate.
"The drastic changes they are undergoing in response to the rise in global temperature caused by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions are directly affecting the climatic, oceanographic and environmental dynamics both at the poles themselves and at extrapolar latitudes", state the initiative's promoters.
The melting of the Arctic permafrost -the permanently frozen layer of soil -, the acceleration in the formation of icebergs and the decrease in the number of chinstrap penguins are some of the consequences of global warming reflected in "Una mirada polar".
Nature, climate change and research
Both the book and the exhibition consist of three sections. The first, 'The Nature of the Poles', focuses on the flora and fauna of the Arctic and Antarctic. The text explains that, although Arctic biodiversity is very high compared to Antarctic biodiversity, there are areas on the frozen continent that are completely covered with mosses and lichens.
The second section, 'The poles and climate change', deals with the effects of climate change, which affect these areas unevenly. In particular, the text notes that "the Arctic is the most warming region of our planet (2.5°C over the period 1912-2011). This includes the Arctic Ocean water, which is getting warmer, leading to a decrease in ice during the winter, thus limiting its cooling and amplifying the warming process".
The third part, 'Investigating the poles', details how scientific work is carried out in these regions. Oceanographic vessels -such as the Spanish Hespérides and Sarmiento de Gamboa-, polar bases -such as those maintained by the CSIC and the Spanish Army in the Antarctic-, or sample collection tasks in extreme conditions are some of the scenes portrayed.
The book "Una mirada polar" is available for download on the Editorial CSIC website and the loan of the exhibition, made up of 36 DIN A3-size panels, can be requested free of charge on the POLARCSIC website.
The project has been coordinated by Adelina Geyer, Santiago Giralt, both from Geosciences Barcelona-CSIC, and Teresa Madurell, from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), with the collaboration of the Spanish Association of Young Polar Researchers (APECS Spain) and the Science Education and Skills Research Group of the University of Malaga (ENCIC), as well as the support of the Fundación General CSIC through its “Cuenta la ciencia” grants.