Curiously Polar

The Barents Sea is a shallow basin of the Arctic Ocean. It is located north of the shores of northern Europe and it is the stretch of water one can admire from North Cape. It is notoriously difficult to cross because of the weather and the currents that often create unfavorable conditions for navigation, but it is also a very important area for ship traffic, fishing and oil and gas exploitation.

[Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute medical advice] Winter and darkness have effects on people everywhere but living in the polar areas exposes the population to more extreme conditions with the drastic reduction or absence of sun exposure. The effects of not being exposed to a constant or nearly constant day/night cycle may cause winter depression/blues also called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD that result in disruption of circadian rhythm with sleeping trouble, low energy and low immune function.

It is not well known what are the physiological bases of SAD, but it may be caused by low serotonin levels. Also the melatonin cycle plays a role in regulating the biological clock and is influenced by changes in daylight. Another factor that may contribute to the insurgence of the syndrome is [vitamin D](

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-red-light-district/201501/vitamin-d-and-seasonal-affective-disorder-symptoms) deficiency, which is due to low of UVB radiation exposure as the human body cannot produce it endogenously. In order to boost vitamin D one may want to resort to a targeted diet (including fatty fish, mushrooms, eggs) or treatment with special SAD Lamps. Some mammals are better adapted than others to living in the low light conditions in the Arctic: Video

The Treaty recognising the sovereignty of Norway over the Archipelago of Spitsbergen or Svalbard Treaty was signed in Paris on 9 February 1920, as part of the Versailles peace negotiations at the end of World War I. It came into effect by law in Norway on 14 August 1925 as "Treaty between Norway, the USA, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland and the British Overseas Dominions and Sweden with regard to Svalbard". The main points in the Treaty state that: Svalbard is a part of Norway; Tax and revenue exacted may only benefit Svalbard; The environment of Svalbard must be protected; There should not be any discrimination against citizens and companies from the signatory countries for residence and and access as well as running acitivities; Svalbard may not be used for military purposes. Presently the Svalbard Treaty has 43 registred parties: Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, India, Iceland, Italy, Japan, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the USA, Venezuela, Austria.

Some 280-20 million years ago there were forests in what is now Antarctica. The climate then was hotter than it is today and Antarctica was part of the supercontinent Gondwana, but it Antarctica was already above the Antarctic circle and these plants experienced total darkness for a part of the winter. During 4-5 months they were probably able to reduce their metabolism and hibernate. The Permian mass extinction, supposedly caused by high temperatures, changes in the carbon cycle, increase in atmospheric methane and volcanic eruptions, probably was also the cause of the disappearance of this forest together with 95% of all other terrestrial species and 70% of marine species on the planet.

The sun is presently returning to the Arctic marking the end of the polar night. In Tromsø the day of the sun (soldagen in Norwegian), 21 January, is marked by informal celebrations where children and employees enjoy sweet buns colored yellow with tumeric called solboller. But remember that the actual return of the sun depends on the definition of twilight and on the ground relief.

In this Christmas episode we would like to start by wishing all listeners and subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We also try, admittedly with limited effect, to sort out some of the confusion around Santa Claus, his residence and whereabouts as well as some of the peculiarities of his reindeer and his mailboxes in Longyearbyen (Svalbard), in Nuuk (Greenland) and Rovaniemi (Finland).

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on December 1, 1959. Its goal is to ensure "in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue for ever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord." The treaty entered into force in 1961 and currently has 53 parties. According to the treaty Antarctica is a scientific preserve and military activity is banned. The headquarters of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat are located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Within the treaty there are two important conventions: CCAS= Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals and CCAMLR= Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Conquering the South Pole was probably the last great feat of the age of exploration. It is located in one of the most remote and inhospitable locations on earth. The nearest sea is 1,300 km away and it sits on top of a 2,700 m thick icy plateau. But Antarctica was also one of the last places to be discovered and investigated and the main events could be outlined as: 1820 Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on the Vostok and Mikhail Lazarev on the Mirny are the first to report about Antarctica. 1821 John Davis and his crew are the first humans to set foot on Antarctica, but for a very short time. 1839-42 Charles Wilkes commands the U.S.Exploring Expedition that surveys large stretches of the coast of Antarctica. 1839-43 James Clark Ross commands an expedition that aims at determining the position of the magnetic South Pole, but from his circumnavigation and attempts to force the sea ice, it is determined that the continent is inaccessible by ship. 1901-04 During the Discovery Expedition, Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson reach 82°17′S on dog sleigh on 30 December 1902. Jan 9 1909 during the Nimrod Expedition Ernest Shackleton, Jameson Adams, Frank Wild and Eric Marshall reach 88°23'S, just 180 km from the South Pole, before having to turn back. 14 December 1911 Roald Amundsen, Olav Bjaaland, Oscar Wisting and Sverre Hassel are the first humans to reach the South Pole. 17 January 1912 During the Terra Nova Expedition Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Lawrence Oates, Henry Robertson Bowers and Edgard Evans also reach Pole but perish on the way back to the base. 1914 Ernest Shackleton endeavors a trans-Antarctic expedition but his ship Endurance is crushed by the ice and the resulting journey is a fight for survival. 1929 Richard E. Byrd with Bernt Balchen at the commands fly an airplane over the South Pole. 1956-57 during the International Geophysical Year the Amundsen-Scott base is established at the South Pole. 1989 Victoria Murden and Shirley Metz are the first women to reach the South Pole taking an overland route. 1989 Reinhold Messner and Arvid Fuchs are the first to reach the South Pole without animal or motor help. 2011 Christian Eide is the fastest and reaches the South Pole in 24 days. Announcement: New Photography-Podcast with Chris: The Future of Photography

Exploration of the Arctic is nothing new as humans have been curious about what lies north of the Arctic Circle for at least 2000 years. But it is only since the mid 1800's that purpose organized expeditions have aimed at reaching the North Pole. We summarize here some of the main names in this race and promise to examine a choice of them in separate episodes. William Edward Parry - Charles Francis Hall - George DeLong - Fridtjof Nansen - Salomon A. André - Amedeo di Savoia - Frederick Cook - Robert Peary - Richard Byrd & Floyd Bennet - Airship Norge - Airship Italia - USS Nautilus

Polar areas are often covered with snow for a large part of the year and there snowmobiles can take the place of cars, small trucks and motorbikes. The evolution of the snowmobile begins with the adaptation of existing vehicles, like the Ford model T, to slide on the snow with skis under the front wheels. The invention of an adaptable caterpillar track, the Kégresse track allowed better traction than wheels and was the logical step towards the modern Ski-Doo and similar brands like the minimal Larven. Future development of the concept include higher power, increased safety, greater comfort and a quieter and less polluting engine.