Is there bamboo in Antarctica?
The answer may surprise you!
I was recently watching the documentary “Lake at the Bottom of the World”, about scientists searching for life in a lake under miles of ice. At one point in the film they are setting up their tents in a remote part of Antarctica over 500 miles from McMurdo station. Of course they are using the most technically advanced equipment, the highest end brands of tents, the best of the best required for extended stays in the great white.
At 17:51 into the movie, as the last guy to arrive on scene has finished shoveling a flat spot on the ice and snow and is setting up his tent, a colleague turns to him and asks:
Out here, bamboo keeps you grounded… literally!
“Do you have bamboo?”
“No, I don’t have bamboo yet.” He responds. (1)
It seemed strange, but come to find out, bamboo has been a “must have” on polar expeditions since man started exploring the very tops and bottoms of earth. Our modern scientist, despite having the best tent money can buy from cutting edge materials and technology; relies on humble bamboo to keep grounded, literally! They use long pieces of bamboo, run at an angle through the tent loops, deep into the snow and ice underneath, to keep it from blowing away in the inevitable high winds. Plus when your tent gets covered with a few feet of snow, you can still find it.
I find that fascinating and oddly satisfying. I’m not the only one. Andrea Balabas, who was studying seafloor sediments in eastern Antarctica in 2008, had this reaction to using bamboo out on the snow and ice-
One of thousands of bamboo flags planted in Antarctica.
“There’s something weird about staking bamboo flags into Antarctic sea ice. Plunging the remnants of a regal plant into an environment so different from its own rings untrue. The natural wonder of bamboo’s fortitude against majestic Antarctic landscapes gives me pause. It’s only then that the reality of my situation strikes me.” (2)
She was staking bamboo poles in a very long straight line as part of her scientific data collection. Imagine a line of bamboo poles, 1 every 500 meters, that goes on and on for over 800 kilometers. Nanna Karisdon doesn’t have to, she helped plant them in the snow in 2016 as part of an ongoing effort to understand snow fall levels. (3) It’s not just for science though, the use of bamboo in Antarctica mirrors it’s breadth of uses in the real world; measuring snow, measuring distances, raising flags, fitting equipment, repairing sledges, crossing crevasses and more. It’s most common and valuable use is as poles for marker flags, that indicate safe trails, dangerous areas, food caches, and toilets. (4,5,6)
Amundsen and his party erected a tent in 1911 at the south pole, as a commemoration for being the first humans to reach the elusive exploration grail. They used bamboo to keep the canvas tent erect. (7) The tradition continues to this day as the literal ceremonial south pole topped with a silver ball, is a red and white painted bamboo pole. (8,9)
Bamboo horseshoe used in polar exploration.
How about bamboo horse shoes? Used in Antarctica? Yep! The Scott Polar Research Institute houses a collection that includes shoes for a pony made from bamboo and leather used in British Antarctic expeditions starting in 1910. (10)
It’s legendary durability and resiliency has made bamboo, typically associated with the tropics, a must have for polar travel. Recent explorers in Greenland discovered detritus from past explorers, including bamboo sticks that have recently emerged from melting ice. The sticks were used by the original expedition over 60 years ago, and amazingly survived, while all that was left of the tents was some fabric remains. (11)
So the answer to the question “Is there bamboo in Antarctica?” The definitive answer is “yes, as long as there are humans there that rely on it for their survival!
SOURCES
1. https://www.antarcticlakefilm.com/
2. http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/the-courage-to-question/index.html
3. https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/cr/2016/06/08/an-antarctic-road-trip/
4. https://www.truesouthflag.com/post/antarctic-marker-flags
5. https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/oden-antarctic-expedition-08/journals/2009-01-13
7.https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/roald_amundsen_pictures.php
8. https://www.southpolestation.com/pole/ceremonial.html
9. https://www.dougleen.com/2005/02/10/south-pole-again/
10. Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge » Museum catalogue
11. https://guidetogreenland.com/about-greenland/history-of-greenland/polar-expeditions-in-greenland/