Meredith Hooper, writer and historian, has written a book that is more than about penguins, Antarctica and climate change, although those are the major focuses. She provides a close-up hands-on account of the work of science and scientists in the field, their dedication, passion and persistence. As the pages and the days they record go by, tension grows. The season is horrible, the summer weather the worst anyone could remember. What is that doing to the wildlife? What is that doing to the researchers? What are the implications, the consequences?
Every day data must be collected, every day lost to extreme weather creates problems because a break in the data can mean the loss of information that may be a crucial link in the development of the evidence that will validate or disprove hypotheses. Are the Adelies disappearing and if so, why? Is the climate warming? How would that affect Antarctica and hence the rest of the world? The way to find answers to these questions is in the daily slogging of the scientists in the field.
In lovely prose Hooper provides many descriptions and insights into the Antarctic itself, the work of science, the plight of the Adelies, the character of the researchers, but perhaps the one thought that will stay longest in my mind is her observation that the sound of extinction is silence.
For those of us who are not scientists, who have never engaged in field work, who have never traveled to Antarctica, this book is the next best thing. Not only can one get a taste of the experience, but one can also appreciate the work and dedication of those who are there in person, doing the important work of understanding the world around us.
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