Chock Your Seal

Cartoon by Matt Davidson
A few years ago, a Leopard Seal caused the death of
a British Antarctic scientist when it dragged her to the
bottom, while the scientist was studying it in the ocean.
While Leopard Seals can be seen as dangerous predators,
we only have rather docile Weddell Seals in the McMurdo
Sound region. Although apparently one Weddell acidentally
became non-docile. A scientist's leg was injured when the
Weddell innocently rolled over on them, precipitating this
really funny comic from local cartoonist Matt Davidson.
I've heard that someone is actually trying to devise a
"chock" system as a result and I shake my head rather
dubiously. An urban myth? Only time will tell.

Weddell Seals

While I was on the trip to the Scott Base
Pressure Ridges, we came across this mother
and pup Weddell Seals. Both were really
animated, which is out of the ordinary
since most seals spend a majority of their
time lounging on the ice, soaking up the
sun.

Pressure Ridges

What is a Pressure Ridge?
A pressure ridge is formed where an ice sheet
is broken and one piece rides over the other.
The actual "pressure" is often provided by winds,
storms or ocean currents that can be many miles
distant acting on the edge of the ice sheet.

This evening, I took a tour of the Pressure
Ridges near Scott Base, with the Recreation
Department. I've seen them for years, but
had never had the chance to go on one of the
trips. In a word, they were FANTASTIC!


They extend for almost two miles along the
edge of the landscape and are eerily other-
worldly. In a way, the landscape reminds me
of Arches National Park, in Utah, but a much
colder, whiter version.


Along the way, we saw a mother and baby seal
that were lounging in the sun. In a few weeks
there will be dozens of these seals here along
the ridges, but for now, we only saw three.


We followed a group leader along "trails" that
had been approved by Scott Base and McMurdo's
outdoor safety group. The trail was fairly
sturdy, but I was glad I had my boot ice grips
and trekking poles. It definitely made for a
more fun experience, knowing that footing would
be solid. There were lots of mushy places though
as well and I buried my foot once in about a foot
of slush. Ugh.


It was also interesting to see Scott Base from
such a different angle.

The tours are ending this week as the ice is
becoming too unpredictable and slushy so I'm
glad I had the chance to experience this
beautiful phenomenon.