Cruises, crowds and fragile ecosystems: the delicate dance of Antarctic tourism

As the icy continent braces for a record summer, ecologists say more visitor caps and restrictions are needed to protect wildlifeDown at the bottom of the Earth during this southern summer, a delicate dance is under way each day, as captains of cruise ships struggle to keep their vessels out of one another's sight and so preserve the icy continent's image of wilderness for their customers."It's a very orchestrated ballet as these tourist ships come and go," says Dana Bergstrom, an ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Division. "There's a type of cognitive dissonance where visitors pretend they are the only ones in Antarctica." Continue reading...