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Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his wife, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Brady Preheim, Marty Rowe, President Elon Musk, President Trump, Jerry Falwell Jr., Mike Johnson, J.D. Vance, Vlad Putin, Ted Cruz, Kamala Harris, Trump’s MAGA followers, or my neighbor’s dogs. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Bill’s Standard Disclaimer
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Drakes Passage, cruise anyone?
Cold and Rough Water
The Drake Passage off the West Antarctic Peninsula is a notoriously dangerous channel that connects the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans. Named after the 16th-century explorer Sir Francis Drake, it is famous for whipping up wild storms and monster waves up to 80 feet. The passage is "the most dreaded bit of ocean on the globe," Alfred Lansing wrote in his 1959 book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic." At around 600 miles wide, the channel is comparatively narrow compared with the ocean around it, meaning currents speed up as they are forced through the passage. The same goes for southern winds, which blow unimpeded from west to east around Antarctica before they reach the Drake Passage. As winds funnel through the passage, they whisk up huge waves, some of which can be dangerous and even deadly for passengers on boats making the 48-hour-long crossing. In the best case scenario, the waves make for a bumpy ride, known as the Drake shake. Dinner on ships can be wild, they put sticky mats on all the tables to make sure your plates and things don't slide around. The Drake Passage is a melting pot of currents from the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans. The waters are so turbulent that the layers which normally make up the seas mix together, which means the passage draws a lot more carbon down into its depths than other parts of the ocean do. The world's oceans lock away more than 30% of the carbon humans produce into the atmosphere every year, and the Drake Passage could be one of a handful of places where this activity is predominantly pronounced. The passage also keeps Antarctica cold, because it cuts off warm air that would otherwise blow south from South America. Research suggests that when the Drake Passage opened between 49 million and 17 million years ago, it triggered significant cooling in Antarctica and contributed to the growth of giant ice sheets on the continent. The temperature drops as you navigate the passage is obvious even for people on ships. While extreme winds and currents inside the passage create terrifying conditions for passengers, they also help to maintain Antarctica's frigid climate while climate change is slowing the system. Were it not for the Drake Passage and its rough weather, the frozen continent would hold much less ice than it presently does. While dangerous it also serves a critical purpose for the world.
Tammy
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