Highlights from a vintage Explore Conference #rgs_explore

Just coming down from a vintage year at the annual expedition planning conference that is Explore at the Royal Geographical Society. Lots of great expeditions, speakers and two standing ovations in the main lecture theatre. Fantastic.

Here are some personal highlights in no particular order (I missed lots, I know, so please feel free to add comments on what I should have seen, who I should have spoke to, etc.)

1. Janapar film screening

Much praise to Tom Allen for having the courage to put his emotions and journey on the big screen for all to see. Delighted that this private screening was a part of Explore. Do sign up to hear more about the next part of this adventure – bringing the film to festivals and the public.

2. Atlantic Rising

A wonderful, humorous and thought-provoking talk from the Atlantic Rising crew, recipients of the Land Rover Go Beyond Bursary. Great that they had the platform they deserve and fantastic to see a continuing educational legacy on their new website.

3. foldedsheet

It’s simple, elegant and packs a huge communications punch. I hope you had the chance to meet Luce and see the examples of her work. Here’s an example of Al Humphreys’ latest book using foldedsheet…

4. Pangaea Expedition

I was sorry to miss Emily’s talk but managed to catch up afterwards to hear more about this fantastic oceans expedition project. They are looking at oceans plastic at the moment and hope to be able to work with them in the future.

5. The fact that this happens at all

Massive thanks to Shane, Amy and all the team at Geography Outdoors at the RGS. It’s an annual highlight, meeting with old friends, making new ones and finding out that exploration in the UK and beyond is in rude health. A huge achievement!!

Oh and I’ll never think about hippos in the same way…

‘Ghost mountains’ found under 4,000m of Arctic ice

Scientists believe to have explained the mystery behind the formation of the extraordinary Gamburtsev mountain range which is part of the Antarctic Landmass. The Gumburtsev range looks very similar to the Alps is 800km long – and is hidden under 4,000m of ice. Models show an unbelievable insight into geologic history and were ‘uncovered’ using aircraft radar, listening to seismic waves, conducting gravity and magnetic surveys, through the cooperation of seven nations.

In order to fully understand how such a remarkable process can occur it is necessary to understand both tectonic and climate processes; the key processes to recognise are rifting and uplift.

Researchers hope that they can drill out the oldest ancient ice sample to date, possibly over 1 million years old- a tough challenge as water has frozen in layers over the base of the ice sheet disrupting the ancient ice.

Fly through the Gumburtsevs with the BBC here!

Putting an end to unnecessary overflow release

Yesterday the BBC reported that the actual number of discharge pipes in England and Wales is about 31,000 rather than the previously thought 22,000. This is because other categories of pipes exist, such as pumping stations, which were not taken into account before now.

This information came from the Marine Conservation Society who is working towards improving the management and mapping of the overflow pipes. While the MCS does believe that these pipes are necessary, they also see the need to ensure that they are only used in emergency situations and for more water companies to invest in the sewer network.

According to the Environment Agency £8bn has already been devoted towards bettering the sewage system and 98% of bathing waters in England and Wales now meet the safety regulations. Yet with this being said there is still apparently much more work to be done. Some outlets still release more than the allowed sewage per year and one was even reported to have released sewage for 1,000 hours in 2010 during the bathing season. This release of sewage into the waters where kids and families swim leads to more issues such as stomach aches and ear infections.

The Environment Agency helped acquire £4bn more for improvements to continue until 2015.

First leg of journey complete!

Congratulations to Sarah Outen for reaching Tokyo and completing the first leg of her journey of London2London!

Since leaving Tower Bridge 7.5 months ago Sarah has peddled and paddled 18,700km across the world and has overcome all the obstacles placed in front of her. She heads for home from Gulliver in Spring 2012 when she will do it all again.

To see more of her inspirational journey visit her blog. Also check out her resource page full of activity sheets and and lesson plans produced by Sarah and Digital Explorer!

Freezer training

Amelia Hempleman-Adams, daughter of explorer David Hempleman-Adams, is currently training to be the youngest person to ski to the South Pole at the age of only 16. A big part of this training consists of getting acclimated to the extreme weather she will experience on her journey. To do this she is spending time in a supermarket freezer at a temperature of -27 degrees Celsius, yet the temperatures at the pole can  reach as low as -60 degrees.

While Amelia is toughing it out in the freezer she still realizes the reality that it is no match for the actual weather she will experience on her expedition. She even states herself, “you can’t prepare yourself enough for those temperatures and that wind”.

This type of training should sound familiar to those teachers who took part in our training weekends!

Check out the BBC coverage of Amelia here!

Journey to Makkah

As large and prominent as the Muslim world is, significant Islamic events can sometimes be overlooked by some Westerners. Fortunately, without having to look too hard, anyone can find news on what’s current in Islam. Lane Turner’s recent collection of photographs on this year’s Hajj and Eid-al-Adha events depicts Muslims from around the world observing and honouring one of the most important times in the Muslim lunar calendar.

Every year millions of Muslims make the Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This November was no different, with hours of praying and walking around the Kaaba of the Grand Mosque followed by other rituals, like Jamarat and the Eid-Al-Adha feast. Living in places as varied as Thailand, Palestine, Indonesia, Yemen, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Russia, Bangladesh, Romania, Iraq, Libya, China, India, Nigeria, Kashmir, Iran and Afghanistan, both men and women came together to prepare for and celebrate Eid-al-Adha during October and  November.

Starting on the 26th of January 2012, the “Haj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” exhibit will be open to the public at the British Museum. According to Roger Harrison’s article, it will run until the 15th of April and will explore the Hajj in both historical and modern times. The exhibit consists of three main parts that help to give visitors an in depth understanding of Hajj and Islam.

One section focuses on the journey to Makkah from various directions: Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It covers many of the struggles pilgrims faced on their way to Makkah in the past and people that were essential to getting large groups of pilgrims to their destination, like Harun Rashid and Thomas Cook. The second section looks at Hajj in modern times, addressing all of the rituals a pilgrim goes through and covering the effort it takes to manage millions of Muslims arriving at Makkah annually. The final section concentrates on Makkah itself and why it is so significant to Islam. It depicts Makkah in the past and present through artefacts, a film on the rituals involved with the Hajj and the works of artists.

Hopefully all the attention on Hajj will inspire people to look at the significance of Islam in our world and foster cultural understanding.

One more reason to keep learning about the oceans

This weekend the BBC reported on a yet another connection between land and sea in an article by Mark Kinver.

Scientists now recognize the relationship  between sea surface temperature changes of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the occurrence of forest fires in the Amazon. Sea surface temperature also appear to play a role in the regulation of precipitation in this area.

They established a correlation between the two  through the use of the Oceanic Nino Index and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, both used to determine cool and warm events in the oceans. The scientists were then able to produce models used to predict fires up to 5 months in advance. Predicting the future of forest fires proves so important as it allows time to develop policies emphasizing the management of fires to conserve important resources.

So as we keep seeing, the oceans play a very significant role in many natural occurences that affect us all.

Wonders of Arctic & Antarctic springs

The BBC’s Frozen Planet explores the many extraordinary events of the Arctic and Antarctic, many of which have never been seen before.

The second episode, Spring,  provides a first hand look at the amazing transformation of the frozen landscape to a tundra full of life. As the sun’s strength increase  millions of tonnes of frozen water melt and new life begins to emerge. Life like Penguins, polar bears, and Arctic wolves take over the land at each pole, while sea slugs, swimming snails,seals and fish that appear to be covered in hundreds of dancing lights find a home in the sea.

One of the many astounding creatures shown in Frozen Planet is the woolybear caterpillar, which does not build its cocoon until 14 years old. The woolybear only has a short amount of time each spring to eat enough to get it through the winter until the cold creeps in, so it finds a home under a rock for the winter. The caterpillar’s heart actually stops during this time and becomes frozen until the sun reappears four months later and it begins guzzling all it can again before the next winter when the cycle repeats. It is not until at least a decade that the caterpillar makes the ultimate transformation into a moth.

See the life of the woolybear caterpillar and other amazing creatures on Frozen Planet.