Across the weekend. Now on bbc news the travel show. Welcome to one of the most breathtaking and extraordinary places on earth. Im in antarctica. On a journey across the coldest, the windiest. And surely one of the worlds most awe inspiring continents. Im sharing the experience with 400 passengers on an Expedition Cruise ship. In the second part of my journey, ill be meeting the scientists performing Vital Research to protect this regions vast ecosystem. Theres the calf, yeah. Nice. We know that the Pregnancy Rates are high, the population is increasing, and were also seeing more calves in the water. Woo im taking the chilliest dip of my life. Woohoo . And camping out on the ice. Were going to be here, like, i tomorrow morning still putting a tent up at this rate. As more and more people embark on these adventures, what can we learn about this, the most pristine place on the planet . Were sailing into an area famous for Humpback Whale sightings wilhelmina bay. Onboard ourship, the fridtjof nansen, theres a complement of independent scientists. Theyre getting the opportunity to perform Genuine Research in antarctic waters. 0k, blakey . 0k, green light from down here. Today, im heading out with Arianna Torello and blake marin from the university of california, santa cruz. Theyre on board studying whales equipped with some unusual kit. Blake, what are you guys going to be doing out on the boat today . So were heading out to collect some data on whales. Weve got a drone were going to be using to measure their body condition. Uhhuh. And then weve also got a crossbow up here, which were going to be using to collect some skin and blubber some remote biopsy samples from them. Well catch you out on the water. Thank you. Well see you. Well see you in a bit. It isnt long before blakes drone spots its first signs of whales spouting air. Coming up. 0h, theres a calf. Because blake and arianna are going to be using a crossbow and a drone, were Riding Parallel to them on a separate boat. Were going to have to keep a distance of about 100 or so metres when they spot a whale, just to ensure that we dont agitate the animal and they keep it as calm as possible. Yeah, i can see one over there. Theyre going to be really careful not to injure the whales. They dont shoot anywhere near the animals head, around its face or eyes. How many� s that . Yeah, thats four theres four whales over there were right on top of it. Were right on top of them. It looks like ariannas going to take a shot. 0k, ive got a shot. I think. Nice. That was mom right there. And theyre reeling it back in. 0k, skin and blubber. Yeah, just holding here. No reaction. Yeah, no response. No response. That means there isnt any sign that the whale felt the crossbow� s bolt. Filming from above reveals these whales performing an ingenious Feeding Strategy bubble net feeding. Theres bubbles. More bubbles on the other side over there. The whales dive deep, blowing out air. This confuses and traps fish swimming above. The whales then rise from the depths, mouths open, and feast. Those are the bubbles. Like, little bubbles coming up. So there could be an animal. There was some on the further side. Well see. They might� ve split as well. This is behaviour theyve learned from one another. Its exclusive to humpback and bryde� s whale species. Hi, guys how did it go . Hey hey, marc all good. What sort of whales did you manage to get samples from there . So that sighting was with two Humpback Whales. It was actually a mum and a calf. A lot of our Tissue Samples are actually telling us some information on the Pregnancy Rates of humpbacks. We know that the Pregnancy Rates are high, the population is increasing, and were also seeing more calves in the water. Using the crossbow to collect those samples, it looks like its pretty vicious. Does it injure or upset the animals at all . No, absolutely not. So, in terms of injury, you know, we can immediately say no. Weve been using this type of Sampling Method as a lab group for about two decades. But its been used scientifically even longer than that. The way we like to describe it is maybe like a flick or more of a shock factor, but frequently we dont see any response at all. How important is it that you get those samples back and into the freezer quite quickly . Its actually pretty important, so we should probably head out now. 0k. Well see you guys back at ship. Were basicallyjust storing all of the samples right now for analysis later. We can open this up and see. How many samples did you manage to get today . So we got 17 today, which is by far the most weve gotten all season. It was a really good day for us, yeah. So these are blubber samples . Yeah, so itll probably be easier to show you once we start pulling them out of the tips. But its basically got a little bit of skin and then a little bit of blubber down beneath it. Trying not to touch it too much while im doing it. So you dont contaminate the sample . Yes. But. There we go. That bit of skin and blubber, you can see its at a bit of an angle from when it entered the animal. Yeah. But about half skin, half blubber there. Blake, what do you hope this research will achieve . Yeah, so i think its going to give us a lot of information on how these animals eat, how they are able to reproduce. Just really understanding this population of particularly Humpback Whales in general, and being able to start to look for changes when we consider things like Climate Change, krill fishing, you know, increasing tourism in antarctica. The ships next destination is deception island. Its blackened and charred landscape shaped by an active volcano. Formerly home to whaling, and later research stations, this island was abandoned after a volcanic eruption in 1969. This feels like the surface of the moon if the surface of the moon had driving snow. Totally different from the glaciers, totally different from the icebergs. Ready to go hiking . Yeah, lets do it ok, lets ascend this mountain really excited for the view up there its a great workout for the calves as well as hiking across this volcanic landscape, ill be catching up with my fellow passengers, kath and keith, and natasha and lena. How was that . It was tougher than it looked but its well worth the view. Every level you get up, the views changing and youre getting to see the full kind of volcanic crater. Its really beautiful. All right, well, lets keep. Lets keep ourselves warm. Lets keep the pace up. Lets keep moving. Lets keep going. The snow and ice might not be settling, but pretty harsh Weather Conditions make progress really difficult. The weather in antarctica is incredibly changeable. You get sleet and snow one minute, sunshine the next. In really, really high winds, im not sure whether this is sleet, snow, sleet, snow and ice, sleet, snow and ice with rocks in it. A combination of all of those. I am being absolutely battered by ice. It is not snow. Are you happy here . And were definitely going to need a cup of tea at the end of this, arent we . As some head for higher ground, the weather takes a turn for the worse. We decide to descend. Another challenge awaits, though the islands ice cold waters. Are you all going in . Everyone. Are you . The enthusiasm of the group has persuaded me that im going tojoin them on the polar plunge as well. Im not entirely confident that im going to enjoy it perhaps as much as some of our group here. Yeah that was some weak sauce there. Woohoo im not doing it. Im fartoo sensible. Here we go, dad. Ready. Here we go. Father and son terry and luke have no problem taking the plunge, though. Go on. Weve got to go. Once in a lifetime experience. The Water Temperature is one degree. If were going to plunge, its now or never. Woo ah cheering that isnt long enough 0k you did it oh, that was just as unpleasant as i thought it was going to be 0h wahey i think we should all give ourselves a big round of applause. Cheering go, guys oh, my god laughter returning to the ship provides an opportunity to warm up. A daily ritual making sure that we clean and disinfect our boots when we get onto and off the ship. Its all part of an effort to try and make sure that we keep antarctica as clean as possible and dont introduce bacteria or dirt from somewhere else. The fridtjof nansen� s operators, hx expeditions, are keen to highlight efforts to protect the local environment and sustainability, bolstered in part by things like the ships hybrid electric propulsion system. They claim it uses less fuel. But back on deck, our ship isnt alone in these waters. Ive noticed other cruise vessels. Here in deception island, in the bay, we can see quite a few other cruise ships, quite large vessels. And when we think about sustainability, Climate Change, issues around the environment, does it make sense to have so many of us so many human beings in this region . Are we part of the problem . The Antarctic Environment is massively important to the whole world. This vast continent covered in ice helps keep the planet cool, reflecting the suns rays away from the earths surface. Sea ice that forms in winter and then slowly melts helps regulate heat and drive currents that affect the rest of the world. Studying the environment here is vital to get a clear picture of the effect of Climate Change on the region. To find out more, i caught up with some of the passengers taking part in a Citizen Science project. We will take some samples, do some measurements. Led by one of the ships science team, nadia. And we try to catch some of the things that are in the water with this net. One of the major areas of study is the bottom of the food chain, something called phytoplankton. The phytoplankton gets eaten by, like, for example, little krill. What eats krill . We all know. Penguins. Penguins and whales. So thats why we monitor this really small part of the food chain. All right, so what we will do now is putting the plankton net in the water. Yeah, you canjust let it go. Perfect. Now it starts to actually roll out. Good. So now its collecting a surface sample. Ok. This is great. So now we have the whole bottle full of sample. Its time to head back to the ship and examine what weve found. Can you see anything in yours . Yes. Yeah, ive got. Little wiggly bits. I can see lots of what look like hairs floating around. Yeah, i even see it already on your sample. So these are bigger cells. So probably some plant remainings. And sometimes we even find microplastic in the samples. We dont want to see microplastic, though, do we . No, we dont want to see it. But we unfortunately find it. Thats really scary. Its right down here . Exactlx nadia, what can we discover from finding lots of these in a particular area . We want to look how diverse is it here . How many different species of phytoplankton do we have . And with warming waters, we can see that the diversity is decreasing. While studies continue around diversity in the local ecosystem, there are conservation success stories. Hey, good morning good morning im going to see one of them now. Terry and luke join me aboard a rib. The father and son from surrey didnt expect to be making this trip together. And i was supposed to be here with my wife, actually. It was four years in the making. First two years cancelled due to covid. Third year, we had our daughter. And now shes one, so you cant bring a one year old to antarctica. So dad had to step in for my. Number 12 on my back. Substitute. Laughter and getting to see these animals in their natural habitat, does it give you a different perspective on the Natural World . Theres nowhere else like this, and i think itjust has to be a priority to try and protect it. Weve got something behind us. What can i see . What is it . Whats over there . Is it a whale . Oh, yeah. Just there, look. You see this little one thats, like, in a v shape . Yeah. Just there. Were going in. We have to be quiet not to disturb them. Going in very, very slowly. This is incredible theres its tail again look at that our small boat encounters 15 metre long Humpback Whales feeding on tiny shrimp like krill that fill these waters. That is beautiful. My word the penguin. Gasping look at that this really has a feel of once in a lifetime experience about it, to see whales this close, feeding. Mind blowing. Since an International Whaling ban was introduced in the � 80s, Humpback Whale numbers have slowly increased. Scientists estimate theyre now at pre whale hunting levels. While its good news for humpbacks, not all species are so lucky. Work continues to protect the habitats and welfare of the worlds whales. Its absolutely incredible. If i wasnt sitting here and witness what just happened, i was watching this on the tv, id think, well, that was pretty much planned and choreographed to happen. Whale watching done, i want to find out if our time on this unique continent has had an effect on our tourists. It does make you want to go back and actually pass the message on more. And there is that thing about behaviour change, which is difficult. But i think a lot of people who have come here are very aware of all this stuff anyway, but weve got to go back with, like, renewed energy. Now, going back to a family and having a child, theres an agenda for me to push and. Absolutely. To educate. Yeah, for the next generation. Because if we dont slow down or we dont all collectively make a bigger, better effort, half these species probably wont be here. Ive gotjust enough time to grab my gear and head out for my final excursion. Tonight, i wont be sleeping in my cabin aboard the ship. Instead, ill be camping here on an ice island in leith cove off the antarctic peninsula. Do you see kind of the bluish gap there . Welcome to leith cove. This feels like a mini expedition, seeing Everybody Traipsing up the hill, carrying all their kit, deploying from our rib. Theres a real spirit of adventure. Welcome ashore im extremely excited have fun. Thank you very much. Now, please. There wont be any barbecues or songs around the campfire. In order to protect the local environment, we cant bring any food ashore only water. Wonderful location. All were allowed to leave behind are footprints in the snow. Base camp. Do you know where youre going, by the way . No, imjust going. You cantjust pitch up anywhere. Youve got to, like, pitch up somewhere sensible. I dont want to fall offl the edge of it at night. Who needs sensible . Im at the Ends Of The Earth here we go. First order of Business Get The Tent built. I am not a natural camper. 0k, could you just hold. . Without an Instruction Manual handy. First part up. Were going to be here, like, i tomorrow morning still putting a tent up at this rate. Ill most likely be sleeping in my thermal undies. Ill keep them on all night. And ill keep my boots handy, just in case i need to pay a visit to the very, very rudimentary toilet. Do you want to dig a hole, and then we pull it. . We dont need to dig a hole. Well, i dont think we dug deep enough. Let me dig in. I know toddlers who are more helpful than you cracking 0h wow the sound of ice carving. Right now, you wouldnt know it, but its11pm, and we can hear the cracking of the icebergs. Itsjust stunning. Is it nice sharing this together . I think. This is quite silly. Theres no one else id want to share it with. You know, weve travelled lots of places, and the idea that we get to go to the Ends Of The Earth together. And it also really makes you think about what youve been doing with your life, who youve been spending it with. And its probably good to have someone you like with you. Tash, you getting comfortable . Yeah, trying. It was a bit of hard work trying to get the tent up, wasnt it . Laughter so, guess what . Were going to sleep on your seventh continent. Laughter night night. Night, tash. J its the early hours of the morning. If wejust look outside there. It� s still light. Stripping everything away, stripping all the things away that you might normally do when you get outdoors, gives you time to reflect and think. And, you know, pay attention, be in the moment. Soak up everything thats going on around me. Glaciers. Penguins. Icebergs. Cool stuff. Its been an amazing journey to the Ends Of The Earth. A frozen continent almost untouched by human hands. Home to incredible wildlife. And breathtaking landscapes. Its a place that isnt just beautiful its vital to the survival of all life on earth. And i have to conclude, after spending time so close to the wildlife here, that its really deepened my sense of how beautiful and how fragile this environment is, and that protecting it and preserving it will benefit all of us in ways that we can barely imagine. A change on the way and not a welcome one of the summer. Things will start to become more unsettled as we go through this weekend, beginning on a warm dry note with sunshine on a saturday but on sunday we will start to see thundery showers. This is thejet stream, currently bending well to the north of the uk and back down south across continental europe. The ridge here containing an area of High Pressure, what we cool a blocked Weather Pattern because this area is blocking the progress of these atlantic weather systems. Progress of these atlantic weathersystems. In progress of these atlantic weather systems. In the short term it will be largely dry on a saturday, spells of warm sunshine, areas of low cloud could have played the north sea. We may see an Afternoon Shower popping up across the far north, ireland or over high ground in scotland. Temperatures up to 211 25 degrees, still feeling warm. Warm for saturday evening, not dropping far overnight, heading into the first part of sunday. It will be mild start to the day but sunday is a day of messy transitions because our High Pressure will start to ease away east in these Rainfall Systems will erratically move in from the atlantic starting to kick off showers and thunderstorms. The further east you are, it is likely to see mostly dry with a warm sunshine but outdoors the west increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms, hit and miss, they could dump a lot of rain. The temperatures up to 25, possibly 26, but those temperatures will not last because the High Pressure will because the High Pressure will be long gone by monday allowing this area of low pressure to take charge of our weather. Outbreaks of rain, slow moving, South West England into wales, maybe northern ireland, head of that sunny spells and showers, may be getting to 20 degrees, generally back down into the teens. Another look at the jetstream going through monday night into tuesday. The ridge in the jetstream containing the High Pressure Shifting East at intercontinental europe, we find ourselves in a trough in the jetstream, essentially trapping this low pressure across our shores for quite a few days during next week. The low will not be shifting quickly, instead it will swell around bringing showers and rain, this is where we are expecting their wettest weather to be on tuesday but the details will change, certainly temperatures will be lower than they have been. By wednesday our low pressure will be centred to the south of the uk so we will see showers here, maybe a banned of rain pushing north. The temperatures generally between 12 17 degrees. Once the unsettled pattern sets itself up, it was de in place right through the end of next week and probably into the following weekend as well. Outbreaks of rain at times, temperatures much lower than we have been, a big change on the way. Good morning, welcome to breakfast with ben thompson and naga munchetty. Our headlines today the Us Government warns israel may have breached International Humanitarian law in the way it used american weapons in gaza. We hear the stories of veterans fighting to get compensation for chronic pain. It has a huge impact on your life, notjust your life but if it has a huge impact on your life, not just your life but if you it has a huge impact on your life, notjust your life but if you look wider, yourfamily, yourjob, how you are valued as number of society. 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