Sound in the South

I found this article via Facebook recently. I think it is an excellent way in which to inspire some feeling about what the Antarctic is like. The sounds in an environment can help portray what it is like, in a way that photographs cannot!

The sounds of the Antarctic

(NB: Cheryl Leonard had the appropriate permits for her collections)

Small sastrugi in the Antarctic (wind blown ice formations) during the PCAS trip (Photo: L.Little)

I especially liked the sounds of the ice crystals, and how they tinkle and crash down into the crevasse!

Her thoughts on 'silence' are also very interesting. How often do we get complete silence and total quiet in the world today?


Below is a short movie from the Longyearbreen Ice Cave (Svalbard) in 2011 (with Paul as the musician!!) showing some of the percussive sounds of ice:

In contrast, the movie below is the sound of ice hitting itself in the waters of Isdammen (Svalbard) in 2011:

There are so many sounds! Least of all being the wind....