Antarctica has this mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space. It’s like going to the moon.
― Jon Krakauer

Being surrounded by glaciers and icebergs that far surpassed the size of our boat, much less any one of us, certainly is a humbling reminder that we are but a speck of dust in the universe.

Satellite View of Antarctica (NASA Image)

10 Facts about Glaciers

1. Presently, 10% of land on Earth is covered with glacial ice.
2. 85% of the Earth’s glacial ice is located in Antarctica.
3. During the last ice age glaciers covered 32% of global land mass.
4. The Antarctic continent has been covered by an ice sheet for the last 40 million years.
5. Glaciers store about 75% of the world’s fresh water.
6. If all land ice melted, sea level would rise approximately 70 m (230 ft).
7. Antarctica Ice shelves may calve icebergs that are over 80 km long.
8. Almost 90% of an iceberg is below water.
9. Glacial ice crystals can grow the size of baseballs.
10. Glacial ice often appears very blue when it becomes very dense. Years of compression make the ice denser over time, forcing out tiny air pockets between crystals. When ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs all colors in the spectrum and reflects blue, which is what we see.

Source: OneOcean Expeditions

Being in the present moment amidst God’s many wonders was purely breath-taking. A picture is worth 1,000 words. See for yourself 🙂

Kayaking at Neko Island

Interested in reading about my journey from the beginning? Antarctica Expedition Day 1 (click HERE).

We Are All One (click HERE for my final post in the Antarctic blog series)

Published in April 2016.