Closing the Loop:  Back to Ushuaia, December 11

https://newslit.org/

Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception:  How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation."  In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information.  They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).

How to Debunk:

1.  Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.

2.  Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs.  Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.

3.  Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp.  Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.

4.  When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.

5.  Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.

"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.  

"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."

"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."

Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge

Source:  Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021

Closing the Loop:  Back to Ushuaia

Smooth seas, blue skies and sunshine welcome us to our last full day on the Seaventure on this beautiful Saturday morning in the Southern Ocean on our way back to our port of origin in Argentina.

Three weeks or so ago we wandered the Alvear Art Hotel in Buenos Aires and saw strangers.  Three weeks later we wander the decks of the Seaventure and see familiar faces and new friends.

There have been disappointments along the way.  Missing out on the site of the old whaling station on South Georgia where Ernest Shackleton and his rescue team found relief for the rest of his Endurance crew left behind on Elephant Island.  A foggy morning on Eclipse Day after a valiant effort by Captain Tino, Wilderness Travel and Polar Latitudes to find us an opening on the eastern horizon to see this celestial spectacle.  The extra time on the ship left us feeling a bit housebound.  Not seeing the rock Hopper or Macaroni penguins would have been nice.

 Leaving the disappointments behind, I see images of tens and hundreds of thousands of King Penguins.  Fur and elephant seals in abundance, sometimes too much abundance for us to get on shore and get closer to this most unique and special collection of bio-mass.

Then there was the Science.  Deck 5 Bird Inventories with Lisa and Michael.  Cloud observations with Julia, contributing photos of whale flukes for identification by “Happy Whale.”  It was a very cool experience to be on the Science Zodiac as we gathered data on phytoplankton for two research projects.

The snow-capped peaks rising from the ocean floor, the glaciers making their slow and inexorable gravitational journey to the sea, the still waters of Paradise Cove (to the best of my recollection), the climb up to the high ground on Useful Island where whalers used the 360-degree vista to spot whales.  Porpoising penguins showing off their hydrodynamic bodies to dart and open up momentary holes on the glassy surface of the water.

The climb up to the high ground on Useful Island where whalers used the 360-degree vista to spot whales.  Porpoising penguins showing off their hydrodynamic bodies to dart and open up momentary holes on the glassy surface of the water.

The whales.  Humpbacks, Fins and Killers in the Gerlach Straits and the protected bays.  Up close and personal.  The photographs, the thousands taken, the hundreds kept, the dozens that will make the cut to share with family and friends.  The magic of Paradise Cove as it lived up to its name.

Alex, Conrad and Tim became much more than trip lecturers in Astronomy, Mountaineering and Environmental Science.  They became friends that you could sit down and chat with at dinner, at the bar or out on deck watching the latest natural wonder that we encountered together.  The life experiences and enthusiasm that you have for your respective interests has educated and inspired me to do more to understand our fragile, beautiful planet and how to make it a better place for all creatures great and small.

Leila, Rob and Jenny worked tirelessly and lovingly to provide us with the richest possible experiences.  I can’t say enough about the Polar Latitudes staff.  Their knowledge, their dedication to educating us about this beautiful, larger than life and ever so fragile ecosystems, their tireless efforts to prepare sites for us to visit while at the same time preserving the places so that we would take only pictures and leave only footprints.  Afterall, this is their home.  We are the transient visitors.

The Housekeeping and Dining Room staffs that kept us comfortable and ever so well fed even when the weather and sea conditions made their already challenging jobs even more difficult.  And they did their work with smiles and a sincere desire to be of service.  The birthday and anniversary songs at dinner showed the enthusiasm and joy that makes them human and so much more than staff.  Thanks to the unseen crew members who kept the ship operating and for their help getting into and out of the Zodiacs on our explorations off the ship.  And how can I almost forget the Polar Plunge, a baptismal Polar tradition.

And for anyone or group that I missed THANK YOU! too for sharing this experience with me and with us. 

This final full day on board is full of more lectures and activities as we continue bonding and wrapping up this experience.

Special thanks to Bob and Ellen for the opportunity to have this experience.  I am so very grateful.  Inviting me to be a part of this is a priceless gift.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hopefully I can squeeze in a couple more photos out of my remaining data. I got one!

Enjoy,

Bruce