The sea was relatively calm when Cristobal launched his drone from a small rubber dinghy in the Errera Channel of the Antarctic Peninsula. Rising above the sea, the drone revealed a small ice floe spilling over with crabeater seals. Part of the ice was splattered red with their excrement – the digested remains of their favourite food, krill.
Crabeater seals are gregarious, and if space allows they will cluster on ice floes in their hundreds. The seals are dependent on the ice – they rest and breed on top of it, but also feed on the krill that shelter underneath. As a result, a decline in sea ice not only strips these seals of places to haul themselves out of the water but also threatens the availability of their food supply.
Spain
After graduating in optics and optometry from Alicante University and studying general management programmes at IESE Business School, at the age of 21, Cristobal’s interest in the environment, wildlife and the creative world led him to nature photography. All his projects have a common denominator, which can be summarised by the concept – the art of creation, is the art of nature.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.
