THE LAST COLD PLACE

A field scientist chronicles her experiences with penguins at the bottom of the world.

For de Gracia, “the crazy joy of remote living” meant five months studying penguins “at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, just above” the Antarctic Circle. Cape Shirreff, a tiny cape at the north end of a rocky peninsula, was her home base, where she and a small crew worked out of a penguin excrement–encrusted cabin. The author brings us along on her adventures, from battling strong, bitter winds to lifting penguin feathers to count their eggs and babysitting fur seal pups. In a compelling blend of memoir, environmental writing, and scientific exploration, de Gracia shows how “Antarctica, beyond the charts and maps of climate change, is, like any other continent, a place of grief, sorrow, joy, love, and survival.” While she was there, she felt a wide range of feelings and emotions, including awe, wonder, isolation, exhaustion, and boredom. The author’s frank assessment of life in this remote region clearly demonstrates her love of that very remoteness, and she is urgent in her discussion of the importance of studying the marine ecosystem. Though the work is often unglamorous—e.g., pumping penguin stomachs to count the amount of krill they have eaten—it is essential to understanding the ongoing impact of climate change there. As de Gracia points out, the ice habitat in the Western Antarctic Peninsula has decreased by nearly half since 1979. Research can help us understand how species are responding to this rapid decline, but the author offers a stern warning. “For scientists drawn to polar lands, the stakes are high: you will probably be heartbroken.” In this meditative narrative from the most remote of outposts, de Gracia reminds us of the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of viewing “ourselves as one species of many and our home as a living, breathing, feeling Earth.”

An intriguing, introspective account that shows why we “should care about penguins.”