Into the Ice with Susan Adie
Antarctic Ambassador, polar expedition leader, naturalist and educator, Susan Adie has been teaching the world about our planet’s frozen realms for decades.
When I first met Susan Adie, she was at the helm of a Danish vessel built in the 1970s in a port in Ushuaia, Argentina, preparing to escort 130 of us southward across the Drake Passage into the Antartica Peninsula.
I was, like everyone else, absolutely mesmerized by this woman negotiating an entire ship of passengers, scientists, naturalists, explorers and crew into one of the most remote regions on the planet as if it was second nature.
For her, it was second nature.
Susan holds tapestry of accomplishments and accolades that seem fit for a heroine only found in fiction— she’s helped reintroduce the bald eagle, developed a national radio program on ornithology, worked aboard ships in Alaska as a naturalist and lecturer, has led hundreds of polar expeditions throughout Antartica and the Arctic and has helped shaped the future of conservation across the polar regions, so much so that there’s even a cove named after here: Adie Cove found on the western side of the Antarctica peninsula.
She created an emerging field of education, exploration, and responsible travel— before there was even a job description for it.
With ancestors from Norway and Scotland, Susan grew up amongst the mountains and lakes of upstate New York, where she developed a passion for the outdoors and the interconnectedness of the natural world.
Thirty years at sea has given her decades of polar expedition experience, and through her lectures and education she was named "Outdoor Educator of the Year by the National Wildlife Federation. She’s also ventured beyond the cold into other wilderness areas around the world including remote tropical locations such as the Amazon, Galapagos, South Pacific, Madagascar and South America.
Comorants in the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Photo by Michael Runkel.
Most recently, she’s worked closely with both the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) developing guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible tourism across the polar regions.
While Antarctica may be closest to her heart, she has an affinity for all polar regions: Svalbard, Siberia, Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Franz Josef Land, all where she’s worked and taught and shared her insight.
You’d almost never know it, spending time with her in a zodiac surveying a glassy Antarctic bay, lecturing about sea ice or delving into the different breeds of penguins, that this woman has made a significant mark on our humanity.
Virtually Travel to Antarctica with Susan
Susan is offering virtual field trips to Antarctica, both for families or a class, and what better way to explore one of the most mysterious regions on earth than with someone who has spent her life navigating it. It’s so important to continue to inspire the next generation to help protect these fragile places on the planet, and Susan is there to guide them.
