Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything. My head is bursting with it. ~Claude Monet
This quote accurately describes my feelings for today. The more I observe, reflect and learn – which itself can be intense because I recognize how little I know and understand about the world. It doesn’t depress me – it both humbles me and inspires me to have a “growth mindset” about people, plants and animals in the world we all inhabit.
After catching an early flight to Ushuaia and landing about 12:15, we boarded busses and had a quick tour of the Terra del Fuego National Park. Ushuaia means “bay that opens to the west” because of the Beagle Channel that separates the mainland Argentina and the southern islands - the name comes from the native people. A prison was built here at the turn of the 20th century and it was thought that no one could escape because of the geography (cold weather, rugged terrain, water surrounding much of the land. No one ever did. The prison lasted 50 years. In the 1980’s there was a boom for industry – some sort of tax break – and it attracted many people to the area. In fact there are currently 80,000 people in the area whereas 40 years there were a few thousand. There really isn’t any manufacturing per say; it’s more of an assembly type industry and then the products are exported.
This quote accurately describes my feelings for today. The more I observe, reflect and learn – which itself can be intense because I recognize how little I know and understand about the world. It doesn’t depress me – it both humbles me and inspires me to have a “growth mindset” about people, plants and animals in the world we all inhabit.
After catching an early flight to Ushuaia and landing about 12:15, we boarded busses and had a quick tour of the Terra del Fuego National Park. Ushuaia means “bay that opens to the west” because of the Beagle Channel that separates the mainland Argentina and the southern islands - the name comes from the native people. A prison was built here at the turn of the 20th century and it was thought that no one could escape because of the geography (cold weather, rugged terrain, water surrounding much of the land. No one ever did. The prison lasted 50 years. In the 1980’s there was a boom for industry – some sort of tax break – and it attracted many people to the area. In fact there are currently 80,000 people in the area whereas 40 years there were a few thousand. There really isn’t any manufacturing per say; it’s more of an assembly type industry and then the products are exported.
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The geography is caused by the last ice age – about 25,000 years ago. This network of ice would have been about 1 km thick so that the upper parts of the mountain are still very jagged and “new” looking because they were not covered in ice, while the bottom halves are rounded and display evidence of glacier activity. The activity carved out U-shaped valleys that are evident when you ponder up at the gorgeous mountains in the backdrop behind Ushuaia.
The temperature is moderately cold due in part to the Beagle Channel and certainly Antarctica has an impact. In the winter, there is 5-6 hours of sunlight while in the summer the area receives approximately 17 hours of sunlight. The average January (summer) temperature is 10°C (52° F) while the average July temperature is -10° C (14° F). Because of the geography and climate, the Terra del Fuego National Park, that was established in 1960, has much less diversity than northern Patagonia. The trees are all broad leaf and indigenous. The animals, however, have are a different story in terms of ecology. The largest animal is a type of fox endemic to the land. Few rodents were present and someone had a brilliant idea to introduce rabbits to the mix and of course now they are very abundant. The rabbits competed with the sheep and so a different type of fox was introduced which unfortunately ate both the rabbits and the sheep. Then beavers were introduced which have no natural predator and they live everywhere. The effect of the beavers has caused the rivers to reroute, create ponds, which kill the trees and essentially ruins the forest as the beaver cuts the trees down. There are a few lichens, fungus and moss – sphagnum moss that grow in the valleys created by the glaciers. The sphagnum moss grows very slowly, accumulates in bogs, which creates acidic soil and low oxygen.
The temperature is moderately cold due in part to the Beagle Channel and certainly Antarctica has an impact. In the winter, there is 5-6 hours of sunlight while in the summer the area receives approximately 17 hours of sunlight. The average January (summer) temperature is 10°C (52° F) while the average July temperature is -10° C (14° F). Because of the geography and climate, the Terra del Fuego National Park, that was established in 1960, has much less diversity than northern Patagonia. The trees are all broad leaf and indigenous. The animals, however, have are a different story in terms of ecology. The largest animal is a type of fox endemic to the land. Few rodents were present and someone had a brilliant idea to introduce rabbits to the mix and of course now they are very abundant. The rabbits competed with the sheep and so a different type of fox was introduced which unfortunately ate both the rabbits and the sheep. Then beavers were introduced which have no natural predator and they live everywhere. The effect of the beavers has caused the rivers to reroute, create ponds, which kill the trees and essentially ruins the forest as the beaver cuts the trees down. There are a few lichens, fungus and moss – sphagnum moss that grow in the valleys created by the glaciers. The sphagnum moss grows very slowly, accumulates in bogs, which creates acidic soil and low oxygen.
After boarding a catamaran for lunch, we made our way through the Beagle Channel which was named after Charles Darwin came through the channel in the early 1800’s. We saw several species of geese, cormorants, and Kelp gulls, albatrosses and heard and saw a few songbirds. I can’t wait for the birds tomorrow – we will not see land at all tomorrow as the Drake Passage is 2000 miles long. Will the passage be Drake the Lake? I hope so!
Upon entering the ship, we met the naturalist, Eric, whom we will be working with and shadowing. He gave us a quick orientation to the ship, we had a mandatory safety drill, at dinner and most people are in bed.
Upon entering the ship, we met the naturalist, Eric, whom we will be working with and shadowing. He gave us a quick orientation to the ship, we had a mandatory safety drill, at dinner and most people are in bed.