Caption: Golden hour hits the mountains at Rothera Point on the
Antarctic Peninsula. (Jill English/CBC)
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For 65 years, an international treaty forged at the height of
the Cold War has governed Antarctica. But with rising
geopolitical tensions, consensus is increasingly hard to find.
"Up until just a few years ago, we talked about the Antarctic
Treaty as a framework for peace and stability in the Antarctic
region, and the Arctic as a place of relative stability," said
David Hik, chief scientist at Polar Knowledge Canada, an agency
focused on strengthening polar science and technology in
Canada.
"Now, both of those assumptions are being challenged."
Fifty-eight countries, including Canada, are signatories to the
Antarctic Treaty, which preserves the continent for scientific
exploration and peace, and bans military and mining activity.
But only half the signatories can vote on treaty business.
Canada wants to secure voting rights as a so-called
consultative party, and will make its case again at the
Antarctic Treaty meeting in Milan, Italy, later this month.
But there have been barriers to this.
"Canada's claim to be a consultative party has been blocked,
first and foremost, by Russia," said Klaus Dodds, a political
biographer and Antarctic expert at Royal Holloway, University
of London. "And the reason is, Russia wants its ally Belarus to
be made a consultative party alongside Canada."
WATCH | Who owns Antarctica? It's preserved for peace and
science, for now:
Media Video | The National : Who owns Antarctica? It's
preserved for peace and science - for now
Caption: International climate correspondent Susan Ormiston
embarked on the first all-Canadian voyage to Antarctica with 15
climate scientists and the crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke. She
dives into the geopolitical tensions at the remote Southern
Pole, explaining what's happening in the region and what's at
stake.
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In March, a first-ever all-Canadian expedition sailed to
Antarctica on HMCS Margaret Brooke, with 15 polar scientists
hosted by the Canadian Navy. The Canadian Antarctic Research
Expedition (CARE) 2025 mission conducted weeks of research and
visited multiple countries' research stations on the continent,
in part to raise Canada's profile at the southern pole. CBC
News got exclusive access to the expedition.
To capture the voyage CBC's international climate correspondent
Susan Ormiston, producer Jill English and videographer Sam
Martin spent a month aboard the Margaret Brooke broadcasting
live via satellite, sending news of the voyage back to Canada.
WATCH | How CBC's international climate team reported from a
Navy ship in Antarctica:
Media Video | The National : Behind the scenes of the historic
all-Canadian expedition to Antarctica
Caption: Take a peek at the challenges, rewards and favourite
moments from HMCS Margaret Brooke’s expedition to the Antarctic
Peninsula, and see how CBC’s international climate team
reported from a Navy ship in Antarctica.
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Hunting for climate change clues in Antarctica
The polar regions are changing faster than other parts of the
world, due to climate change.
Antarctica's ancient glaciers are receding and sea ice reached
near-record lows this year, both of which contribute to rising
global sea levels.
"The Antarctic ice sheet contains enormous amounts of fresh
water, and as the ice sheet thins and melts in places, calves
at faster rates, that's going to affect global sea level
change," said Thomas James, chief scientist on the CARE 2025
mission.
"What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica," he
added.
The southern ocean is a huge carbon sink and helps regulate the
global climate. But warming ocean waters may disrupt those
patterns, said Brent Else, co-scientific director at MEOPAR,
which supports ocean research and training at Canadian
universities.
"As oceans warm as circulation patterns change, it's expected
that ocean carbon sink will slow down over time. And the polar
regions are the areas where those carbon sinks are most
important," he said aboard HMCS Margaret Brooke.
WATCH | Antarctic treasure — searching for climate clues in the
Southern Ocean:
Media Video | The National : Antarctic treasure - searching for
climate clues in the Southern Ocean
Caption: Polar scientists gather Antarctic samples from water,
mud and snow to better understand what happens when the climate
changes. And CBC correspondent Susan Ormiston gets chased by a
seal on a volcanic island.
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Canada monitoring security concerns in polar regions
Canada is a polar nation and, with rising concerns over
sovereignty in the Arctic, the government is boosting military
presence in the north.
"Canada is, and forever will be, an Arctic nation, and we can
never take our sovereignty and security in the region for
granted," Prime Minister Mark Carney said on a visit to Iqaluit
in March.
A year ago, the Royal Canadian Navy began to plan a deployment
to Antarctica to support scientific exploration and enhance its
knowledge of geopolitical pressures at the southern pole.
"We can see climate change in the North, we can see what China
and Russia have been doing in and around the Canadian North,
[and thinking] I wonder what's going on in the South Pole, and
[can we] get the perspective and experience of the South
American navies that are down here all the time," Vice-Admiral
Angus Topshee told CBC News in an exclusive interview.
The idea, he said, was to "do some science, and see if we can
figure out things that can help us better protect and defend
our own North."
Topshee believes there are security concerns in Antarctica that
threaten its stability.
"I am concerned that the whole agreement that we would not
[militarize and mine Antarctica] … would, could change. And I
don't think that's in our interest to allow that to change
easily."
WATCH | Do polar security concerns extend to Antarctica? The
Canadian Navy says yes:
Media Video | The National : Do polar security concerns extend
to Antarctica? The Canadian Navy says yes
Caption: The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy flies into
Maxwell Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula to meet the crew of HMCS
Margaret Brooke part-way through its historic mission, and
speaks to CBC’s Susan Ormiston about Canada's concerns in the
region.
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'Nighttime is always about what you can't see'
To voyage across the Antarctic Circle, HMCS Margaret Brooke
sailed into some extreme weather and ice-clogged channels.
As an Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), it is designed
to break through new ice up to a metre thick. But with rapidly
changing weather patterns, the ice moves and shifts, so that an
open channel one day can be clogged with ice the next.
An ice specialist from the Canadian Coast Guard, Donavan
Tremblay, and an officer with the Chilean Navy, Javier
Idiaquez, travelled with the Margaret Brooke crew to help chart
a safe path. Even so, there were unexpected blockages, and
navigating at night presented even more challenges.
En route to Rothera Point beyond the Antarctic Circle, as the
weather deteriorated and the ice encroached, Cmdr. Teri Share
had to make a decision about whether to proceed.
"It was a heightened level, absolutely," Share told CBC News
from the captain's quarters on the Margaret Brooke.
"We can take all the precautions that we can take. We can use
all of the information that is provided to us. But still, there
comes a point that it's on me as the commanding officer to say
yes or no."
In the end, Share made the call to push further south, with the
crew threading the vessel through icebergs and sheet ice to
reach Rothera Point, the ship's final destination, and the most
southerly point the Canadian Navy had ever travelled.
"It feels like just yesterday you and I were on the bridge, and
you were asking me what [is the Navy] going to be doing down
there, and what was I excited about," Share told the CBC's
Susan Ormiston.
"It's gone by really quickly," Share said, reflecting on the
historic mission.
WATCH | Blocked by ice in Antarctica, how the Royal Canadian
Navy broke through:
Media Video | The National : Blocked by ice in Antarctica, how
the Royal Canadian Navy broke through
Caption: HMCS Margaret Brooke journeys beyond the Antarctic
Circle. Cmdr. Teri Share has a decision to make - can the
Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel break ice to continue south,
or is it time to turn back?
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* Here's where to watch CBC in Antarctica, a special
presentation.
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Watch full episodes of The National on CBC Gem, the CBC's
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