The Polar Retrospective – A South Pole president, a Greenlandic New Years Speech, and some very old right whales
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. We begin the new year with a Chilean president on an expedition, a New Year’s speech that might prove more important than usual, and some good news on the lifespans of southern right whales.
The Polar Retrospective is a collaborative effort by the Polar Journal team. Each writer chooses a topic they found interesting and important in the past week. The intitials at the end of each section indicate the author. We hope you enjoy it.
First South American head of state to officially visit the South Pole
On January 3, Gabriel Boric, President of the Republic of Chile, became the third high-ranking official to visit the geographic South Pole, after Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Jens Stoltenberg, former Prime Minister of Norway.
“Some people are suggesting that mineral resources could be exploited in Antarctica, for example, or that other types of industry could be deregulated. In Chile, an Antarctic country by vocation and par excellence, we say no”, announced the Chilean president on TVN. “Antarctica is and will remain a continent of science and peace, and Chile confirms its sovereign claim to Antarctic territory.”
The mission, named Estrella Polar III, underlines the country’s ambition to increase its logistical capabilities in Antarctica. The Chilean Air Force manoeuvred two Twin Otter aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters – enabling Natalia Henriquez to become the first Chilean pilot to reach the South Pole. The convoy only stopped off at Chilean stations – Frei and Union Glacier – before heading for the US Amundsen-Scott station.
The director of the Chilean polar research institute Milenio Base, Elie Poulin, recalled that “Union Glacier is the southernmost Chilean station”, “one of the few to be positioned in the interior of the continent”. “In this area, the ice is ideal for landing aircraft”. Elie Poulin also explains that “Chile has significantly increased its investment in scientific research in recent years, with more complex and advanced logistics to develop its scientific expeditions.” C.L
Greenland Prime Minister announces steps towards independence in New Year’s speech
On January 1st, as is the tradition, Greenland’s prime minister Múte B. Egede, held his annual New Year’s speech. But this year, the speech was more newsworthy than usual. In it, Múte B. Egede announced that Greenland, in the coming year, would work towards more independence from Denmark.
In the speech, the prime minister denounced the ‘shackles from colonial times’ that still linger, and that Greenland’s relationship to Denmark has not managed to become fully equal. Instead, the Arctic country should begin seeking other partners.
The new airport in Nuuk, which just opened in December, would play a vital role in this, he declared. Now, visitors can more easily get to Greenland without having to go through Copenhagen.
Whether these new cooperations will include the USA remains to be seen. The incumbent Trump administration has shown great interest in controlling Greenland, and Donald Trump Jr. is visiting the country, allegedly for private reasons. More on this in Polar Journal AG in the coming days. O.E.
Baleen whales live longer than previously thought
New research reveals that southern right whales can live far longer than previously believed. According to an international study published in the journal Science in December 2024, some individuals surpass 130 years of age, with a few potentially living up to 150 years—nearly twice as long as the previously estimated 70 to 80 years.
In contrast, North Atlantic right whales, whose population has dwindled to fewer than 400 individuals, have an average lifespan of just 22 years, with only 10% living beyond 50. These stark differences are not rooted in their life history but are instead driven by human activities, such as ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.
The study utilized decades of photo identification data, documenting individual whales to calculate their life span through so-called survivorship curves. This method indicates that southern right whales may achieve a lifespan similar to Bowhead Whales, which are known to live beyond 200 years.
It is also believed that other large whale species, such as Blue and Humpback Whales, may have significantly longer lifespans than previously thought. However, the widespread industrial whaling of the 20th century eradicated many older individuals, leaving researchers with insufficient data to accurately determine their maximum lifespan.
The findings underscore the critical importance of a long life expectancy for the reproduction and survival of baleen whales, which reproduce slowly and rely on extended lifespans to sustain their populations. Targeted conservation measures are therefore vital to protect these marine giants.
However, researchers caution that such efforts may not be enough to save North Atlantic right whales from extinction. Even with a growing population, current conservation measures are insufficient to prevent premature deaths among these critically endangered whales. J.H.
Link to the study: Greg A. Breed et al. ,Extreme longevity may be the rule not the exception in Balaenid whales.Sci. Adv.10,eadq3086(2024).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq3086
Previous Polar Retrospectives:
