The research base on Marion Island.

The journey begins in Cape Town, where the researchers board the SA Agulhas II, a state-of-the-art polar research vessel operated by the South African National Antarctic Programme. For the next five days, the ship sails south for nearly 2 000km across the Southern Ocean to reach its destination, Marion Island. Conditions are harsh. The main base is only accessible by helicopter, and temperatures seldom reach double figures. No fresh produce is allowed on the island, not even chicken with bones, to prevent introducing invasive species such as insects. Everything is frozen, tinned, bottled or dried. Communication with the outside world is limited, and internet connectivity is via satellite. At the same time, the island offers academics like Professor David Hedding, a geomorphologist in the Department of Geography at the University of South Africa, a treasure trove of data.

Hedding has been visiting the island for the last two decades, and is currently studying how the geology of the island is responding to climate change. Unlike glaciologists who examine ice dynamics, Hedding is interested in what happens when the glaciers retreat, leaving virgin territory for plants and animals to recolonise. “Marion is a very simple ecosystem,” he says. “There’s very little impact by humans so it allows us to assess how landscapes and ecosystems will respond under the influence of climate change.”