This is the official logo for the U.S. Antarctic Program
which is managed by the Office of Polar Programs
at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Special Report From Jeremy Schmidt:
Antarctica is its own continent, devoted in all its magnificent vastness to being, under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty, a place of peace, scientific endeavor, and protection of nature.
The treaty is a remarkable document. First adopted in 1959, it followed from the success of a global effort called the International Geophysical Year (IGY), which spanned 18 months from July 1957 through 1958. That in itself was remarkable. At the height of the Cold War, scientists from 67 countries conducted earth-science research across a range of disciplines, and shared their data through a network of World Data Centers.
That spirit of scientific cooperation is reflected in the Antarctic Treaty. Its original signers were 12 nations that had pursued science in Antarctica during the IGY (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union.) Since then, the number of signatories has grown to 52. The treaty’s 14 articles stipulate that the entire continent, all land and ice shelves from 60 degrees latitude to the pole, “shall be used for peaceful purposes only.” Military activities are prohibited, scientific research is encouraged, and results are to be shared and made available to everyone.
USAP Field Research Sites & Vessel Research,
Report of the U.S. Antarctic Program Blue Ribbon Panel, online at: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo26025/antarctica_07232012.pdf
Notable in the treaty is some delicate language related to national claims of sovereignty — in essence suspending any existing claims, prohibiting new claims while the treaty is in effect, and stating that activities conducted under the treaty could not be used “for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty.”
Antarctica, says the Antarctica Treaty, belongs to the entire world equally, and to no one specifically.
The Treaty did not address some matters critical to protection of the continent’s pristine nature. Those agreements would follow. They include landmark documents such as the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Together, all these agreements comprise the broad-ranging Antarctic Treaty System.
The rules are strict. The object is that humans should have minimal impact, and only transitory presence. Protocols guard against disturbance of plants and animals; require that all waste be carried away from Antarctica; forbid mining and other exploitative actions; govern the behavior of increasing numbers of tourists and recreational visitors; and much more.
Which brings us to Weddell seals, and the research done by the Weddell Seal Population Study. Every aspect of our field work is done in compliance with the Antarctic Treaty System, with the overall object of having a minimal impact on our subjects, the seals, and the environment in which they live. The field team operates under the strict terms of a permits issued by the Antarctic Conservation Act and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries and with as light a touch as possible.
Video made from a Live Photo by Sophie Rotella.
Obtained under NMFS Permit No. 26375.
Tagging a new pup takes only a few seconds. Then (let’s use a female as our example) for the rest of her observed life, as long as she turns up again in the study area with her tags intact, her contact with a team member involves no touching. A two-legged creature walks up to where she lies resting on the ice, peers at her hind flippers, records her tag number in a notebook or tablet, and leaves her in peace. If she has a new pup, the team members leave them both alone for 24 hours and then, as quickly and lightly as possible, tag the young pup, hoping to see it again still alive several years in the future.
Weddell seals live all around the Antarctic coast, wherever conditions are favorable. Being wild animals, they are free from any limitations related to international boundaries; and thanks to the cooperative spirit of the Antarctic Treaty, so is the scientific research that benefits both them and us!
- Jeremy Schmidt
Project Multimedia Specialist and Author
Erebus Bay, Antarctica Weddell Seal Population Study