| Revisiting South Georgia (6) - Newmeyer Glacier & Grytviken |
 |
 |
 |
|
Newmeyer Glacier & Grytviken - Blog 6
As we motored toward the fissured face of the glacier we came upon hundreds of Antarctic Terns fishing the open waters around the bergy bits. I had observed the Terns two years ago engaged in the same concentrated effort. They flitted. They dived. They chattered. The face area of the Neumeyer is a very lively place.
How would I feel if the Earth were “cooling,” snow and cold getting more severe over the decades and glaciers growing ? mile every two years? Technically such growth would be nearly impossible and therefore much scarier to me personally. What would the message be if the Arctic ice cap was growing and thickening, never ice-free and polar bears could go anywhere they elected? Would I feel happy to see the ice shelves around Antarctica
This past decade has been a dramatic period of what looks to be a lot of changes in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. I started out the decade wanting to observe ice in all of its many forms so that my new, at that time, color field, abstract paintings of ice might include a broader spectrum of color and shape. Within a single expedition Penguins and their fellow Antarctica citizens ignited a long dormant part of my spirit. The color field painting continues but the Southern Ocean and Antarctica populations occupy a greater and greater amount of my time and creative efforts.
We left the Neumeyer Glacier face and went up another fjord, Mercer Bay, to see the face of the Geikie Glacier that Jerome stated was in equal headlong retreat up its narrower and steeper fjord.
The weather grew colder as we came into King Edward Cove where Grytviken is located. The customs official saw the Golden Fleece and came out to greet us. It turned out that we were the first yacht of the season to check in. After all of the formalities we took the short walk to the South Georgia Museum and Bookshop and a visit with the new staff.
Something New In Grytviken: After several years of construction to rebuild an old retention dam and install a new hydro-electric generator it was dedicated and put into operation this year, 2009. This makes it possible for the nine or ten year-around-residents and summer project people to have many of the benefits of modern life without a dependence on burning diesel fuel to provide very expensive electricity for heat, hot water and night living. While we were in the museum and bookstore the weather got really bad and we had to return quickly to the Golden Fleece in fear it might become impossible. The cabin of the Golden Fleece is warm and hospitable at such extreme times and we set about the evening meal. The Fleece’s meals center on Falkland Island fare and this includes, lamb, upland goose, reindeer and some beef. The vegetable cold storage is limited so fresh fruit and vegetables are in abundance at the beginning of the trip but slack off fairly quickly if you are out for three or four weeks. There are no food stores or corner groceries to my knowledge once you cross the Polar Front, formerly called the Polar Convergence. However, Jerome can always be counted on for a surprise or two—like a hand made chocolate mousse with a dash of this and pound or two of chocolate.
Links: Revisiting South Georgia: Previous Blog : Blog 5 < > Next Blog : Blog 7
|
The bits were not so densely packed as to prevent our movement and the surface was calm. It was cold and open stretches of the Bay were reflective of the sky and surrounding landscapes. It was a very beautiful morning. We motored slowly toward the Neumeyer Glacier. Two years ago I was in the very same place, but the face of the Neumeyer was now over ? mile further up the fjord. It had receded greatly in past 23 months! See the GPS map system taken in the wheelhouse on the bridge of the Golden Fleece. Note the blue line, which shows the face of the glacier two years ago, and the red line for the face this year.
There is a more full description of the Neumeyer Glacier and its descriptive life found on this website, “Circumnavigating South Georgia—Neumeyer Glacier—Blog 15,” which outlined my first circumnavigation of South Georgia in 2007. 
Besides the birds, the glacier itself is cracking, groaning and shrugging off bits of its historical substance as it retreats up the fjord. I have mixed feelings about the temperature of the health of South Georgia and Earth that a thermometer of this type transmits by its behavior. 
extending further into the sea and ice cap growing thicker as the average temperature slowly dropped over time? Another way of saying this is, “What if the direction of massive change was opposite of what is concerning us at this time?” Would it be any less the cause for study and “worry?” 
I had never been in this stretch of Cumberland West Bay so I took Jerome’s comments as accurate that the Geikie had shrunk more rapidly than the Neumeyer. The sky clouded over and as we headed for Grytviken in Cumberland East Bay a cold rain began to fall. We were going into Grytviken to check in with the customs agent and provide them with our itinerary. 
I was a little surprised when they declined to handle my new DVD on South Georgia and told me that they were only selling items made in England or produced by the BBC! In the past the Bookshop had sold my book and was quite international but with new staff always comes new policy.
A level, calm boat at night seems to be a luxury and I turned in early in order to maximize some continuous sleep. I can be quite accustomed to rough sailing sleeping but it is in naps rather than eight hours straight through. 
