'Only real wilderness left'

Christina Goethel jogs up the beach to get her photo taken with a trio of penguins. People are required to stay at least 15 feet away from the animals, but Goethel said penguins were unaccustomed to human interaction and would often waddle right up to them. (Courtesy photo)

'Only real wilderness left'

Galt teenager returns from Antarctica trip

By Kendyce Manguchei
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, February 1, 2007 8:05 AM PST

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Christina Goethel, a 16-year-old Galt High student, has seen thousands of penguins and waded in icy waters during a recent trip to Antarctica.

And as she stepped foot onto Antarctic soil, she and other teens learned about shrinking their ecological footprints.

The trip was Goethel's second with a Canadian nonprofit group called Students on Ice. This time, she learned more about the effects of climate change and global warming on Antarctica.

"It's the only real wilderness we have left in the world, and untouched by humans," Goethel said.

Goethel was in Antarctica from Dec. 17 to 31. One hundred and twelve people, including 40 students, 15 scientists and educators, crew and adult travelers with a different organization lived on the Polar Star, an icebreaker anchored off the Antarctic peninsula.

As the Polar Star crossed the rough, turbulent Drake Passage, Goethel and about two dozen others (the ones who didn't get seasick) climbed up to the upper deck and rocked along with the ship.

Zodiac boats were used for excursions around the peninsula and to land at northern islands and the continent itself.

On one such excursion, students dug a shallow pool in the sandy shore of Deception Island, and when water came up, it was heated by the island's undersea volcanic activity. In order to reach the warm water, students had to peel off their warm layers of clothing and jump into the icy waters off the island wearing their swimsuits. But Goethel and a couple of other students decided to venture into the icy sea. She even dove underwater.

During another landing on Ross Island, Goethel found herself surrounded by 750,000 Adelie penguins. She and friends snapped dozens, if not hundreds, of penguin photos.

Researchers observed five of the six common Antarctic penguin species, egg shells and baby penguins: Chinstrap, Ross, Macaroni, Gentoo and Adelie. They viewed baby and adult elephant seals, Weddell seals and leopard seals.

The group also saw and heard the deafening sounds of a glacier calving, or breaking off into the sea.

Goethel said the only way to keep in touch with her family was through the journal entries she posted on the Students on Ice Web site. Her mother, Connie Goethel, said she has been nervous about the polar adventures, so she was thankful to read her daughter's words online.

Christina said she was later convinced to view Antarctica without a camera. An educator gave her some advice about being glued to a lens: Everything down there has already been photographed; when you're actually there things just look different.

Watch a slideshow of Christina Goethel's trip to Antarctica.

She left her camera in her room the next day, and found out what the teacher said was true.

When she got back home, the point was proved further when she showed her photos to friends. One asked why she took so many pictures of the same subjects. Comparing the real-life views to photos couldn't compare, she said. Looking at her own photos didn't stack up to her memories, either.

The experience that awed her most was sitting in silence among glaciers and open ocean.

"Just realizing we are just a little speck on a huge part of the world was amazing," Goethel said.

A view from the Plar Star, the icebreaker that Christina Goethtel stayed on during her trip to Antarctica. (Courtesy photo)

It's summertime in Antarctica, and Goethel, who said she loves cold weather, wore light layers, usually just long underwear and a T-shirt under a sweatshirt, snow pants, coat and vest. And, of course, gloves and a hat.

"An educator told us the warmer it gets, the more precipitation there is. I used to think: Snow. Cold. Not true," Goethel said.

Expeditioners' wishes for sun came true on Christmas Day, Goethel said. It was a contrast from the typical winter wish for a snowy white Christmas.

Much of the trip was dedicated to discussing global warming, and the irony of using carbon-based fuels to reach Antarctica to learn about global warming was not lost on the trip organizers.

Ways to make your footprint smaller

A carbon footprint, or ecological footprint, is the measure of tons of carbon dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are related to climate change and increased temperatures.
Some small things people can do to reduce their use of fossil fuels:
• Plant a tree. Trees help reduce the effects of global warming by "filtering" carbon dioxide emissions and conserve energy by reducing heating and cooling costs in residential areas
• Take shorter showers. Using less water also means using less fuel to heat the water.
• Switch to fluorescent light bulbs. They use at least two-thirds less energy than a regular light bulb. Better yet, open a curtain for natural light.
• Drive less. Walking to do errands or combining trips can cut down on gasoline.
Sources: Students on Ice, Tree Canada Foundation, U.S. Energy Star program.

Goethel had to drive from Lodi to Sacramento, where she boarded a plane to Dallas. From Dallas she flew to Miami, then Santiago, Buenos Aires, and ended in Ushuaia, Argentina, where she boarded a ship bound for the Antarctic peninsula.

A Canadian group called Tree Canada has pledged to plant four trees per ton of carbon dioxide emitted from plane and sea vessels used in Students on Ice trips. (The trees go in parks, schoolyards and urban areas.) Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, offsetting the amount that was emitted.

The "carbon neutral" effort is a preventative measure against the buildup of greenhouse gases that are linked to global warming, according to Tree Canada and Students on Ice.

Goethel said she used 12 tons of carbon. Students figured out that each person's travels from Miami emitted an average of 5.3 tons of carbon dioxide, which means Tree Canada must plant 2,372 trees.

Her father Fred Goethel and Galt High science teachers Emily Wooten and Traci Crawford are reviewing applications for an Antarctic trip next winter with Students on Ice.

Three students will be chosen, one each from the ninth, 10th and 11th grades.

Interested students submitted an essay about why they would make a good candidate. They were also required to have a 3.0 grade point average. The teachers and Fred Goethel recently conducted interviews with applicants.

Those who are interested in hands-on learning and especially learning about science are the best candidates, Goethel said.

She said she is planning to apply for next year's trip, separately from the Galt High expedition, but it depends on how much money she can raise. It costs about $10,000 per person for travel, outfitting and room and board.

Contact reporter Kendyce Manguchei at kendycem@lodinews.com.

First published: Thursday, February 1, 2007

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