Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest continent in the world.
Antarctica contains 5.4 million square miles; 98% is covered with snow and ice.
The Antarctic ice sheet is up to 3 miles thick, with an average thickness of 6400 feet. As ice forms in the center of the continent, it slowly moves outward toward the coasts. Big chunks eventually fall into the ocean as icebergs. The movement of the ice sheet at the South Pole means that the scientists there have to add a new marker-pole every year to mark the location of the actual geographical pole. The old marker-pole drifts away every year, and you can see a whole line of them marching off into the distance.
Antarctica contains 70% of world’s fresh water, and 90% of the world’s ice. If all of this ice were in liquid form, the levels of the earth’s oceans would be 200 feet higher. A rise of only three feet in the level of the world’s oceans would displace 100 million people from their homes near sea level. Thus the impact of global warming on Antarctic ice sheets is of great concern.
The Antarctic summer occurs during the Northern Hemisphere winter. In central Antarctica, the sun never rises in the winter, and never sets in the summer, because of the skewed positioning of the earth as it orbits the sun.
Most of Antarctica’s animal life is found along its coastline. The marine food chain is fairly simple; it includes photosynthetic organisms, krill, fish, whales, seals, and birds (including penguins). The largest terrestrial animal is a ½-inch insect called a midge. It’s no coincidence that penguins are found only in the Antarctic and polar bears are found only in the Arctic. A flightless bird such as the penguin survives in Antarctica precisely because there are no terrestrial predators.
Roald Amundsen and his party of 4 men and 18 dogs were the first expedition to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911. Their round-trip journey lasted a little over three months. Robert Falcon Scott, from England, attempted to reach the pole before Amundsen, but with less experience in snowy terrains he and his men arrived a month later. They did not survive the return trip to Base Camp. For many decades Amundsen’s accomplishment was unfairly overshadowed by the "tragic heroism" of Scott and his men.
The U.S. National Science Foundation oversees more than 120 U.S. research projects in Antarctica; 2500 American scientists and support staff live in and around Antarctica during the summer season. The hub of the U.S. scientific program is McMurdo Station, south of New Zealand. The U.S. also operates the Scott-Amundsen research station at the South Pole, and Palmer Station on the Antarctic peninsula. In total, 18 countries operate around 40 research stations.
Only 28 people winter over at the South Pole. For 8 months there are no flights in or out, and the only contact with the outside world is by radio, ham radio, and e-mail.
Since 1969 more than 16,000 meteorites have been found in Antarctica. Before that the entire world supply of meteorites was only 2500. Most originate from asteroids, but a few are from the moon and from Mars. These rocks were sent into space after large asteroids hit the surface.
The ozone hole over Antarctica was discovered in 1983 by a British Antarctic scientist. Ozone is a form of oxygen with three atoms instead of the usual two; its presence in the atmosphere helps protect Earth from harmful ultra-violet radiation. The hole forms for only a few months every year, during the Antarctic spring. Its formation is facilitated by the unique stratospheric clouds that form over Antarctica in the spring, providing the surfaces upon which CFCs (chloro-fluoro-carbons) react to destroy ozone molecules. Its size varies, but it can be bigger than the continental U.S.
Global warming is caused by increased numbers of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some scientists are concerned that significant global warming could cause part of the Antarctic ice sheet to melt, raising the level of the world’s oceans. Scientists in Antarctica study the health and status of the ice sheet, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the role of the Southern Ocean as a "sink" for carbon dioxide.
The tallest mountain in Antarctica is Vinson Massif (Mt. Vinson), at 16,076 feet. Mt. Vinson is part of the Transantarctic Chain, which is itself an extension of the South American Andes.
Antarctica is protected by the Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959. This agreement prohibits military activity, nuclear explosions, and disposal of nuclear waste, and also encourages international cooperation on scientific research. Twelve countries signed the original document, but over 40 are now parties to the agreement. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (designating Antarctica as a "natural reserve, devoted to peace and science") was negotiated in 1991. The protocol bans mining for 50 years and establishes specific environmental principles for the conduct of all activities.
Key Dates
- 1820 Continent first sighted by sailing ship crews (31 years after U.S. became a country!)
1902 First attempt to reach the South Pole, by Scott, Wilson, and Shackleton; turned back at 82 degrees south- Dec 14, 1911 Roald Amundsen, from Norway, is the first explorer to reach the South Pole; returns to base camp on January 25
- Jan 15, 1912 Robert Falcon Scott, from England, and his expedition reach the South Pole, but perish on the return trip
- Nov 28, 1929 Richard Byrd, an American, flies over the South Pole; flight takes 19 hours
- 1935 Lincoln Ellsworth crosses Antarctica by plane; Caroline Mikkelson, the wife of a Norwegian whaling captain, is the first woman to set foot on Antarctica
- 1946-7 U.S. Operation "High Jump" uses 13 ships and many airplanes and helicopters to collect data about Antarctic geography and meteorology; first extensive mapping is accomplished
- 1957-58 International Geophysical Year - worldwide scientific cooperative effort concentrates on Antarctica; Mt. Vinson first sighted
- 1959 Antarctic Treaty signed by representatives of 12 nations
- 1966 Mt. Vinson, tallest mountain in Antarctica, first climbed; only three years before people first walked on the moon!
- 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty negotiated
