2011 Press

A road trip to where there are no roads — McGill students going on an expedition to Antarctica

Published: November 30, 2010
Peggy Curran

Winter break just isn't what it used to be. Like many of their friends, McGill University students Dominque de Groot and Katrina Adams will be heading south for a few weeks this winter.

Instead of basking on a sandy beach, they'll be wrapping up in parkas and rain-gear for an expedition to the bottom of the world, where they'll slather on the sunscreen to test the glaciers and commune with penguins.

Adams, de Groot and four other McGill students have signed up for Students on Ice, a two-week, $11,000 field course that will take them by ship from Ushuaia, Argentina, across the Drake Passage to the icy shores of Antarctica.

"I love nature, I love adventure. I've always been really outdoorsy, and I don't mind the cold -how Canadian!" said de Groot, a 20-year-old from Vancouver majoring in environment. "I've always wanted to go to the Arctic or the Antarctic. What better chance than to go with a team of people who are all interested in the same things and with amazing scientists and researchers."

Now in its 10th year, the non-profit program allows 70 students and 20 researchers from campuses across Canada to venture to the edges of the Earth to conduct research, study the wildlife and ponder the effects of climate change in polar regions.

McGill students will study with Eric Galbraith, an assistant professor of marine biogeochemistry. Galbraith looks at how global ocean currents interact with the rest of the climate system and what this means to marine life. But students will also hear from historians, artists, explorers and other scientists, each with their own perspective on the South Pole.

"We will be doing sampling of the ocean, looking at oxygen content, temperature, salinity and just seeing how it is changing with climate change," said Adams, a 21-year-old biology major from Chelsea, about 10 kilo-metres northwest of Hull. "We will have microscopes and computer programming that will give us profiles of the ocean. We will do most of the work on the ship."

The schedule calls for a combination of lectures and field trips to nearby islands -all contingent on wind, weather and waves. "If there is seasickness, that might not work out too well," de Groot said.

This will be Adams's second trip with Students on Ice. An expedition to the Arctic two years ago shaped her decision to become a marine biologist.

"My dream is to save the whales. I know it sounds a bit cliched, but that's what I want to do. It's hard to describe the feeling I get when I see them, and to be able to work with them would be just amazing."

On her trip north, Adams saw orcas, belugas and a bowhead whale. One day, she hopes to spot a blue whale, that giant of the sea. "To see one would be life-changing, I think."

"I am looking forward to seeing the penguins and the elephant seals," said de Groot, who admits she find the mammoth seals a little intimidating. "I really want to see them, but I'm scared of them."

Funnily enough, there aren't any last-minute deals to Antarctica. McGill students are scrambling to find sponsors to help cover their costs. Once airfare to Argentina is thrown in, the trip rings up at roughly $11,000 per person.

The students sent a package to local businesses explaining their mission and offering tax receipts for donations of $100. So far, the response has been tepid. "With the economic crisis, it's been hard," said Adams.

De Groot has saved most of the money she needs and said she wants this enough to make some sacrifices, even if that means borrowing the rest from relatives or taking out a loan.