Members of the sixth Turkish National Antarctic Science Expedition flew True South on Horshoe Island to symbolize their connection to the global Antarctic community.
This austral summer, the expedition carried out more than a dozen research projects, helping to keep Antarctica in its place as a center for peace, discovery, and international cooperation.
📍McMurdo Station, Antarctica
📸 @cosmo_the_nomad
"I had the privilege to fly my #truesouthflag, flag of Antarctica, over McMurdo on January 13, 2022! A treasure I hope to pass down through the generations of my family as it having flown over the vastness and incredible beauty of this harsh but fragile continent. #thispengunsoars"
The annual South Pole sunset! This is the last time the crew at Amundsen-Scott Station will see the sun for six months.
📸: @ceelaas
Happy International #PolarWeek! Polar Week is celebrated twice a year on the equinoxes in March and September. These are the weeks when the poles get roughly the same amount of daylight, and when the North and South Poles have their annual sunset and sunrise.
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (@apecs.polar) and its network are celebrating with photo contests, book recommendations, lesson plans, photo tutorials, and more! Check the link in our bio for info and take a look at their chapters below to see if there's one in your country.
@apecsargentina
@apecsbelgium
@apecs_brasil
@apecsbulgaria
@apecscol (Colombia)
@ehpecs (Canada)
@apecs.chile
@apecsfrance
@apecs.italy
@apecsoceania
@apecs.portugal
@apecs.russia
@apecsuruguay
📸: @dkktravelnotes
After a long Antarctic summer, sunsets are back! 🌄
On the flag, ⬜ represents long polar days and 🟦 represents long polar nights. But in most places on the continent, there is a short period between the two when the sun circles low on the horizon and dramatic sunsets like this one can last for hours.
📍Mt. Discovery
📸 @thomas.robinson117
Sicily is currently home to an exhibit entitled "Voi Siete Qui" (You Are Here) which features a series of flags representing different ideas and communities. In addition to True South, there's @cataniaproject, @flagofplanetearth, a proposal for a flag of Mars, the flag of the language of Esperanto, and a flag for LGBTQ allies.
The wreck of the Endurance has been found! We're celebrating through flags.
1. The first image of Endurance on the floor of the Southern Ocean
2. The Endurance dining area during Midwinter Day decorated with the flags of the UK, New Zealand, Scotland, and the British Royal Family
3. Frank Hurley and Alexander Macklin in there cabin on the Endurance decorated with the Australian flag
4. Ernest Shackleton's sledge flag from the earlier Nimrod Expedition (1907-1909) from @scott.polar
5. Members of the expedition that discovered the wreck with the flag of the Falkland Islands
These postcards of the flag were made out of recycled photographs of Antarctica by middle school students in Maine.
Projects like this help the flag achieve one of its biggest goals: challenging the idea that only a few, select people get to feel connected to- and responsible for- Antarctica. The 7th graders of Limestone Community School are as much a part of the Antarctic community as the rest of us. 💙🤍
Patches! Head over to @flagsforgood or the link in our bio to get yours. As with all Flags for Good purchases, part of the proceeds will go to nonprofits. For True South products, 25% of the purchase will go to support an international coalition of organizations working in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
A reminder: True South itself is not a commercial project. The design is in the public domain and all sales and proceeds of True South products are handled by respective vendors.
Congrats to @dkktravelnotes for making it to the South Pole!
Fun flag fact: The Sri Lankan lion flag turns 50 this year, but its history is much older. With the exception of British colonial rule, the lion has been a national symbol of Sri Lanka since 486 BCE, making it one of the oldest continuously used heraldric symbols in the world.
Happy New Year from the South Pole! 🥳
Each year, the ice sheets on top of the South Pole drift about 10 m (33 ft) so every year on January 1st a new marker is revealed in the spot marking exactly 90°S. This year's marker was designed by Brandon Amat and made by David Pernic, both South Pole winter-overs. It feature True South made from polished and anodized aluminum.
The lines along the top represent the population of South Pole station each winter, and the Morse code below is a quote by Amundsen: "Adventure is just bad planning."
Photos by @studio6or7
Happy #PolarPride Day! 🐻❄️🐧🌈
It's already Nov. 18th in some parts of Antarctica which means Polar Pride Day 2021 has officially begun! People across the Arctic and Antarctica are raising their pride flags to celebrate community and visibility at the ends of the earth.
Pictured: Scientists and support staff pose with the progress pride flag and True South.
Congratulations to Lisa Minelli and the rest of the winter crew of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for making it to the other side of the polar night! If you're curious about life at the South Pole, check out @joespinstheglobe and @antwuhnet on the Today Show in the US this Friday.
The average winter temperature at the South Pole is -49 °C (-52 °F), so the crew down there have to be smart about how they dress. This is what @ceelaas will be taking his year-long stint at Amundsen-Scott starting next month. Warm, wind-resistant outerwear like this is usually worn over moisture-wicking layers that prevent sweat from freezing to skin.
Antarctic open season is nearly upon us! Starting next month, hundreds of scientists, staff, and travelers will be heading south for the austral summer.
If you're one of those people and you're interested in taking #TrueSouth with you, send us a dm. We have a few flags set aside for people who are visiting locations where True South hasn't flown before.
The folks at McMurdo and Scott Base were greeted by these polar stratospheric (nacreous) clouds at sunset today. These clouds get their iridescent colors from the diffraction of light through tiny ice crystals. They only form when it's around -80 °C (-110 °F) which means Antarctica is one of the only places you can experience them.
📸: @bliz_izard
True South spent the winter at Gough Island with the team of scientists and support staff from the South African National Antarctic Programme. Only about half a dozen humans live here at a time, so a majority of the island's population is in this photo.
While it doesn't have many people, this tiny remote island is home to thousands of penguins, albatrosses, petrels, skuas, and more. However, some of these birds are threatened by house mice who have adapted to feed on the young chicks. These invasive animals are a harrowing reminder of how some of humans' smallest actions can make a huge negative impact on the environment. The good news? Small actions can have a huge positive impact too.
Wandering albatross spend most of their life in flight, landing only to feed, breed, and hatch their young. They use their massive wingspans of 3 m (10 ft) to circumnavigate the Southern Ocean, sometimes several times a year.
Merry Midwinter!
Today is the 119th anniversary of Antarctica's oldest holiday. Since Midwinter's earliest days, flags have been a traditional part of the celebration. Check out these photos of flags at Midwinter dinners across more than a century.
In order:
🏳Terra Nova Expedition, 1911
🏳Amundsen South Pole Expedition, 1911
🏳Australian Antarctic Expedition, 1911
🏳Australian Antarctic Expedition, 1912
🏳Endurance Expedition, 1915
🏳South Pole Station, 2013
🏳Scott Base, 2018
🏳Casey Station, 2019
🏳South Pole Station, 2020
The oldest and most important Antarctic holiday is nearly upon us! Join us in celebrating current and former winter-overs in Antarctica by flying True South this Monday, June 21st.
New to Midwinter? We've got you covered! Check out the blog post linked in our profile to learn about the origins and traditions of this 119-year-old holiday.
Happy #WorldOceansDay!
The Southern Ocean is one of the most important ecosystems in the world. It's not only home to some incredible life, but its currents also connect the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Pollution and warming temperatures threaten the Southern Ocean, though, and by extension they also threaten ecosystems around the world.
You can visit the following profiles to:
Call for greater protections for the Southern Ocean (@onlyone, @antarcticsouthernocean)
Support nonprofits working to protect the area (@sealegacy, @pewenvironment, @whales_org )
Learn more about the ocean's importance and the threats it faces (@antarcticsciencefoundation, @plastic.ag)
🌴🌊 Palmyra Atoll may be home to the highest proportion of Antarctic program participants outside of Antarctica. As a remote location home to a small research station, it's no coincidence that half of Palmyra's 6 current residents were also in the US Antarctic Program.
🌡🧊 Like the research stations in Antarctica, the one at Palmyra exists largely to monitor the effects of climate change. As ice continues to melt in Antarctica, low-lying tropical islands like these are some of the first to suffer the consequences.
🌐🗺 True South doesn't exist to show Antarctica in isolation, but to represent it as a integral part of a global system. Thanks to these Antarcticans for reminding us that- on the ice or in the tropics- Antarctica matters.
The hut at Damoy Point is one of nearly 100 Historic Sites and Monuments protected by the Antarctic Treaty System. It was established in 1973 but has been unoccupied for nearly 30 years. Alex Dodds, Mandy Little, and @vicki.foster took this photo near the hut as they headed north for the winter.
#antarctica #flag #vexillology #Antártida #Antartide #Antarctique #TrueSouthFlag
▫️Made of Antarctica▫️
This reinterpretation of the flag uses satellite images of the Transantarctic Mountains, Southern Ocean, and sea ice.
Images: Google Earth
Inspiration: @max_serradifalco
