Inhabiting the twilight regions
Muhammad Abdul Hai goes travelling across snow-carpeted landscapes
THE polar regions, for most of us, remain enchanting places, and the very thought of an expedition across the ice-plated expanses ignites tremendous excitement in our imagination. We tend to make a mental picture of being one of those walking on the snow sea, wearing cumbersome thick clothes, boots and gloves, or being in a ship that is thriving on the waters with white snow pieces floating all around. The fascination for these icy regions has been there in many people, some of whom perished while some others returned to tell us of their mind boggling experiences. Kieran Mulvaney, an avid nature explorer, dedicated all his life to the scientific study of the two coldest regions, with the extremely hostile environment they have on offer. Mulvaney has already produced a number of articles on Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, made available to newspapers for publication. He is still a regular contributor for Discovery Channel, and also the founding director of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. At the Ends of the Earth is one of the most widely read books ever written on the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and Kieran Mulvaney deserves high appreciation for having made such a rare experience available to readers in the form of a book. The author has finally made the white snow plain of Alaska his permanent abode. At the Ends of the Earth is an honest record of the geographical, biological, environmental and political history of the two polar zones. The writer has resorted to simple yet graceful prose to interpret his thoughts and feelings being in the vicinity of the all white sea of snow. There is something of an elegant texture in the language that makes it interesting reading. There are a number of references which are thought provoking while some others will give you the feel of a wanderer across the coldest regions of the earth, which is apparently a vast wasteland. The writer has given a very vivid description of how deflection of the ozone layer is affecting our environment. In the book he defines ozone as being a pale blue gas that is poisonous to humans and yet a pre-necessity for life on earth. O2 signifies two oxygen atoms which under the action of the sun's rays break down, creating free oxygen atoms. These atoms become attracted to existing molecules of oxygen to form ozone. The ultra violet rays split asunder the ozone molecules, but swiftly they reform-these rebuilding of ozone acts as a defensive shield, absorbing much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation before they can reach the ground. So, scientific facts made easy in this book help us understand certain really complicated things. The writer has, with great ease, described the flora and fauna that will make readers more inquisitive about the mystery lands in the north and south poles. The book is also an authentic record of the wars waged among nations to acquire their stake in the resourceful lands which once were proud of preserving the pristine beauty of God that displays itself everywhere in the polar regions. Developed countries like the UK, USA, the former Soviet Union and many others had their weather observatories initially; then they established well-equipped research centres and finally vied for occupying as much land as they could. Alaska promised a staggering twenty billion barrels of liquid gold, and one famous personality even called Alaska "Kuwait" of the Arctic zone. The Argentine-British war over the Falklands has received wide coverage in this book. The Soviet government is also mentioned as having kept pace with the unhealthy competition. The Siberian reserves of oil and natural gas made it convenient for the country to establish heavy industries which over the years led to the pollution of Siberian soil, air and water. So the exploration has given way to widespread exploitation, resulting in the rise of the sea level due to melting of ice, destroying the equilibrium in nature and threatening human habitations in many places around the earth. Whales and seals have drastically been reduced in number. The Alaska water contained about 150,000 sea otters, but by 1911 when hunting of sea otters was banned, the damage was already done --- only about 15000 were believed to survive. Pollution has inflicted the natives of the polar zones (Eskimos and others) with deadly diseases like cancer. These natives, before invasions by developed countries, used to spend a busy time round the year. The whale hunting season for them was quite short, yet there was always something to keep them engaged. In the entire period before the whale hunting season, they used to make a lot of preparations, and as soon as the season was over they used to indulge in various celebrations. The first few pages of the book give a brief history of the discovery of the different islands at the extreme ends of the earth. The writer does it in amazingly luxuriant prose. He has also made a meticulous attempt to discuss elaborately the similarities and differences between the Arctic and Antarctic zones which readers will find interesting to note. The brief explanation as to how fish survive in the freezing water is quite fascinating. The author narrates that the fish of that part of the world naturally evolve a kind of antifreeze which is a mixture of sugar and proteins that interferes with the formation of ice crystals in their blood and lowers the temperature at which the blood freezes by about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, enabling the fish to function even as the water above them turn into ice. Kieran Mulvaney has observed everything minutely and has given elaborate descriptions of whatever interested him. Hence the book is quite rich in terms of scientific knowledge and readers will definitely be more knowledgeable and at the same time draw immense pleasure out of reading it.
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