So far I’ve only been writing about things that happen in the sea itself. For a reason, the new Marine Protected Area only deals with the seas and limits fishing. The land around the Ross Sea is already protected by the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol. However, this part is special as well. One of the most unique parts are the McMurdo Dry Valleys in the southwestern corner of the sea.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are some of the driest places on Earth with very little precipitation (records vary from no rain in millions of years -doubtful- to a few mm’s of precipitation a year -more likely-). Fact is that any water that reaches the ground of the valleys evaporates quickly due to strong winds coming down from the mountains and glaciers. This results in a very baren, dry and cold area void of life. Very empty and a place where humans feel very small (even if you are 2m tall like me).