Antarctica: Phantom of the Past or Canary in the Cage?

Abstract

"A bridge to our future and a window on our past." This was a phrase used by President Clinton to describe Antarctica when he spoke at the International Antarctic Centre recently. It sums up the view that, in essence, Antarctica holds a key to our greater understanding of the Earth's dynamics, and that the past and the future of the continent, and the earth, are intrinsically linked. The "Phantom of the past" and the 'Canary in the cage" are thus both useful metaphors for describing the significance of Antarctica in the global context. Phantom Of the past: The "Phantom of the Past" metaphor refers to Antarctica as a library of information about the evolution Of our planet. The 'books' are covered in dust and we have only read a few pages of the numerous volumes, but they contain a wealth of information, most of which we have yet to fully comprehend. For example, the phantom presents us with information gathered from such research as the Cape Roberts project and deep ice core drilling, which reveal past climatic events from which to gauge current and possible future trends. According to Tim Naish, of the Imstitute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences: "We have moved from a phase of scientific exploration to one of realisation that much of what we are learning about Antarctica and the Southern Ocean has major implications for understanding the past and future of our planet" (Naish, 1999). "A bridge to our future and a window on our past." This was a phrase used by President Clinton to describe Antarctica when he spoke at the International Antarctic Centre recently. It sums up the view that, in essence, Antarctica holds a key to our greater understanding of the Earth's dynamics, and that the past and the future of the continent, and the earth, are intrinsically linked. The "Phantom of the past" and the 'Canary in the cage" are thus both useful metaphors for describing the significance of Antarctica in the global context. Phantom Of the past: The "Phantom of the Past" metaphor refers to Antarctica as a library of information about the evolution Of our planet. The 'books' are covered in dust and we have only read a few pages of the numerous volumes, but they contain a wealth of information, most of which we have yet to fully comprehend. For example, the phantom presents us with information gathered from such research as the Cape Roberts project and deep ice core drilling, which reveal past climatic events from which to gauge current and possible future trends. According to Tim Naish, of the Imstitute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences: "We have moved from a phase of scientific exploration to one of realisation that much of what we are learning about Antarctica and the Southern Ocean has major implications for understanding the past and future of our planet" (Naish, 1999).