Oden as Earth Microcosm: Hi Jeff,
Happy Almost New Year! Thank you for the great "Keystone Krill" post and the cool information on the Ice Research Team!
The question I would like to ask you this morning is an attempt to look at the Oden as a "Microcosm for our planet Earth". I am sure(I hope) that all Oden passengers have ample freshwater supplies, given the 310 cubic meter freshwater holding capacity and the freshwater generator on board. Jeff, my question may seem a bit random, but can you estimate the daily water use for an Oden passenger?(-in light of the wise-use, conservation, use what is needed approach that I would guess is very much a part of the overall plan)-
Jeff, I am asking for several reasons. First, the interdisciplinary and collaborative ethos and spirit of the International Polar Year seems to parallel that of the United Nations-recognized "World Water Day", though the latter is a smaller, but no less important undertaking, given the specific resource in focus: WATER. Both seek scientific achievement and societal benefits globally. The theme for the 2009 World Water Day(March 22, 2009) is "Transboundary Waters". This theme seems especially applicable to Antarctica, given the designation as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science for people around the globe and is not "owned" by any nation. The fact that Antarctica possesses 70% of the world's freshwater, -although most is not in a liquid state, seems to add to this picture. I thought it might be neat to compare the daily per capita water use for an Oden passenger with other values, such as for the average person globally, the avg. person in a developing country, ...in a developed country, ...on particular continents,in particular nations...) Jeff, as you know, one can find a wide variety of per capita daily water use values. (If there is interest among PolarTREC readers, I would be happy to share some of these later.) I have my Environmental Science students keep a Personal Water Inventory for a 7-day period. The assignment provides an opportunity for students of ALL ages(I love doing it every year!), to remind ourselves of what we really need to provide a quality lifestyle when it comes to water and the importance of conservation. The exercise is also an opportunity to discuss the fact that more than 1 billion people on Earth lack access to safe drinking water. Hearing a student say, "You know, until now, I never really stopped to think where my water came from or how much I used in a day" is priceless.
The role of the poles is key. As Chris Rapley, the former Director of the British Antarctic Survey put it, "If you want to understand the global water cycle, you must understand the polar regions."
...Pole-to-Pole-to-People & Places...
Thank you for sharing your PolarTREC experience with us. Be Well and Happy New Year Jeff! Ben Smith and his Environmental Science Students at Peninsula High School California