It is the driest, coldest, windiest place in the world. So why, then, have Britain, France, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina drawn lines on Antarctica's map, carving up the empty ice with territorial claims?
Antarctica is not a country: it has no government and no indigenous population. Instead, the entire continent is set aside as a scientific preserve. The Antarctic Treaty , which came into force in , enshrines an ideal of intellectual exchange. Military activity is banned, as is prospecting for minerals. Fifty states - including Russia, China and the US - have now ratified the treaty and its associated agreements. Yet one legacy of earlier imperial expeditions, when Shackleton and the rest battled blizzards to plant their flags, is national covetousness.
Science drives human investigation in Antarctica today, yet there's a reason why geologists often take centre-stage. Governments really want to know what's under the ice. Whisper the word: oil. Some predictions suggest the amount of oil in Antarctica could be billion barrels, far more than Kuwait or Abu Dhabi. Antarctic oil is extremely difficult and, at the moment, prohibitively expensive to extract - but it's impossible to predict what the global economy will look like in , when the protocol banning Antarctic prospecting comes up for renewal.
By that stage, an energy-hungry world could be desperate. Not until was it established that Antarctica was a continent and not just a group of islands. Also called an alpha predator or top predator. The two sides never confronted each other directly. The Earth is the only place in the known universe that supports life. Also called East Antarctica. Also called the energy balance. Also called West Antarctica.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration the U. Also called thermohaline circulation. Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a year cycle. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. The cryosphere contains the frozen parts of the planet. It includes snow and ice on land, ice caps, glaciers, permafrost, and sea ice. As the world warms due to increasing greenhouse gases being added to the atmosphere by humans, the snow and ice are melting. At sea, this exposes more of the dark ocean below the ice, and on land, the dark vegetation below.
These dark surfaces then absorb the solar radiation causing more melting. This creates a positive feedback loop, which exacerbates the impacts of climate change. Learn more about this vulnerable sphere with this collection of resources. A political boundary is an imaginary line separating one political unit, such as a country or state, from another. Sometimes these align with a natural geographic feature like a river to form a border or barrier between nations.
Occasionally, two countries may contest where a particular border is drawn. These disputes might arise due to a natural resource both groups want, like in the case of Sudan and South Sudan, or in an attempt to gain more political power, as in the case of Pakistan and India in the Kashmir region. Use these resources to explore more about political boundaries.
The northern hemisphere experiences summer during the months of June, July, and August because it is tilted toward the sun and receives the most direct sunlight. Inversely, summer for the southern hemisphere takes place during the months of December, January, and February because that is when it receives the most direct sunlight. Did you know that the earth is approximately 3. Learn more about the relationship between the earth and the sun with these resources. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.
Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Map by the National Geographic Society. Population Density 0. Earth's fifth-largest continental landmass. Antarctic Bottom Water. Antarctic Convergence. Antarctic Ice Sheet. Antarctic Treaty. Cold War. Scientists need to melt ice for drinking water and to cook their dehydrated food- and of course for endless cups of tea. This short video shows what an Antarctic blizzard can be like!
Video by Sam Doyle , starring Iain Rudkin. For geologists, fieldwork normally comprises field mapping, taking rock samples, and logging sediments and ice exposures. Standard equipment includes a hammer and chisel, compass, clinometer, binoculars, pointing trowel, sample bags, tape measures, and so on.
Antarctica is an environmentally sensitive place, so we aim to leave the site as we found it, taking away as little as possible! It can be cold, so it is important to wrap up warm, wearing plenty of layers and good outer wear. The sun can be strong as well, so UV and sun protection is also essential!
Pingback: Photography for Geoscientists. Actually I like so much to see our world natural places. Vey fantastic place in the world Antarctica. I like to visit there. My favorites are watching interesting places. How difficult to live in very cold places. I cant think even little babies how to bear such a cold. We are planning a world wide garbage disposal site there…. Infographic: Since , Australia has carried out just one inspection.
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