Many people dream of setting foot in Antarctica -- the wintry, isolated locale populated by penguins and seals -- but for someone who has been there twice, like Assoc Prof Suchana Chavanich, the experience is not just fun and games.
"The lowest temperature that has been measured there was -93.2C," said Suchana in a seminar organised last month by Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Science to unveil new findings.
The Antarctic is a place of constant shifts in weather. On some days, snowstorms would hit the area, with a snow blizzard and wind speed that can knock a grown human over. Moving from one building to another requires a person to tie themselves with a rope and navigate with 1m visibility. In the past, some scientists have wandered off-course and were later found dead in the cold, which prompted the security measures that are in place now.
On a good day, where the sky is clear and bright, scientists who temporarily inhabit the South Pole -- and there are thousands of them from all over the world -- would head out to collect available samples for their respective field of study.
Samples of parasites found with an Antarctic rock fish. Photos: Melalin Mahavongtrakul
LIFE IN ANTARCTICA
Sample of an Antarctic rock fish. Photo: Melalin Mahavongtrakul
Suchana, a marine biologist and lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, was named the first Thai female scientist to have explored Antarctica when she joined a team of Japanese scientists to study the effect of climate change on lives and the environment in 2009. For over a month, she stayed at the Syowa Station, Japan's permanent research outpost in the eastern part of Antarctica.
Her second trip to Antarctica was in 2014 with a Chinese research team under the name "Geographical Pole Research Project Under The Royal Initiative Of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn". This time around, she relocated to the Great Wall Station, which rests on the northwestern part of the continent.
Living as a scientist on the South Pole means facing extreme cold on a daily basis -- like conducting field works under -10 to -20C for 10 hours a day. For food, the team lives off freeze-dried meals. They see only the same group of people for weeks, and everyone has to travel around with a buddy. Losing privacy is a bargain to be made for anyone wanting to call the Antarctic their temporary home.
"Eight years ago, it was very difficult to make a call to people at home. Even now, it's still quite difficult. If you get homesick, well, that's quite a problem. Before any of us can go there, we have to undergo a psychological examination to see if we'll be able to withstand the kind of lifestyle that's set out for us in Antarctica," Suchana said.
A thorough health examination is also required for all scientists, and is done not only to protect their well-being, but also to protect the furry inhabitants of Antarctica from being contaminated by outside diseases.
Assoc Prof Suchana Chavanich.
EXPLORING THE CLIMATE ISSUE
If there's one place on Earth where the effect of climate change is most evident, it would be the South Pole, said the marine biologist.
At the mention of climate change, many people will think of global warming. But Suchana said it's not just about the world getting hotter. In some places, it's actually getting colder. In the eastern part of Antarctica, ice sheets are getting thicker each year. However, when she resided in the northwest, ice was melting at an alarming rate.
"The greenhouse effect can be seen all over the world, but it's very discernible in the South Pole. Due to the wind and the planet orbiting, the continent became like a container that everything gets dumped into even though there is no permanent human residences that can emit greenhouse gases there.
"It is an extreme condition. Now, scientists are there to see what's going on, and to see what we can do at home to handle the problem," she said.
Thai scientists began exploring the South Pole in 2004, with marine biologist Assoc Prof Voranop Viyakarn as the country's pioneer researcher. Over the past 13 years, Suchana said about eight scientists have trekked the South Pole and braved the cold under the Thai banner to bring back specimens and knowledge they have gathered to share with fellow Thais.
Seals have become another creature affected by climate change.
Last month, Suchana presented her findings together with three other Thai scientists who have explored Antarctica. She brought along her marine samples, which consisted of a lifeless, yellowed Antarctic rock fish submerged in a clear liquid, as well as two Petri dishes with parasites on them.
It has been found that more than 80% of these fishes are found with parasites both inside and outside of their body. The amount of parasites found has also increased by 15% a year. Parasites serve as an indicator for the environment and changing climate. If the temperature rises, the amount of bacteria grows. Suchana said that scientists are currently trying to find out how this occurrence would indirectly affect animals that feed on these parasite-infested fishes.
Other creatures being directly impacted by global warming are seals and penguins. The current survival rate of their babies rests below 10%. The changing weather has made it difficult for the parents to find food to feed their young ones. And when they leave their babies for too long, they either die of starvation or fall prey to bigger predators.
The current survival rate of penguin chicks has fallen below 10%.
FROM THE SOUTH POLE TO THAILAND
Thai people -- and the world -- have many reasons to care about what is happening in the South Pole, said Suchana.
"Everything is linked," said the marine biologist. "It's all the same sea. And if the ice melts, it would increase the worldwide sea level, resulting in coastal erosion and floods. It is estimated that, should everything indeed melt, the sea level would rise by 50m globally. That's as tall as our Victory Monument."
Currently, the world's temperature has increased by about 1C over the past two decades. While it's not noticeable to humans, it makes a stark contrast for many organisms, both directly and indirectly. Coral bleaching, said Suchana, is one problem of climate change. As corals are very sensitive, any small disruption -- mostly from human-related activities and climate change -- could put them in danger. The threat is now being experienced worldwide.
In Thailand, Suchana said the effect of climate change is becoming more pronounced each passing year, with the weather taking a turn toward extremism. It gets super-cold, super-hot, and when it rains, it's as if the sky itself is about to drop.
According to the scientist, these conditions the world is facing should actually happen -- by natural causes -- 100 years from now. But the change has been accelerated, and it's the work of humans that sent the environment haywire.
"It's tragic to say that climate change can't be stopped. What we can do now is to play in defensive mode, to prevent the problem from escalating. We can slow it down," insisted Suchana, adding that the reduction of waste like styrofoam and plastic, and the increasing use of hybrid cars are some of the ways to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
In a month or two, Suchana will be returning to the ice, though this time she's heading to the North Pole instead in order to see how the effects of climate change are playing out there. The similarities and differences of the conditions in both Poles will then be compared to further analyse the effect of climate change on different parts of the world.
