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Climate change in antarctica essay
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Contents
• Geographical location
• Physical features and climate change
• People who live and work there
• Animals
• Exploration
• Antarctic Treaty and Madrid protocol
• How is the environment at risk?
• What is unique about Antarctic?
Geographical location
Antarctica is one of the two continents that are wholly in the southern hemisphere. 42 % of Antarctica is owned by Australia, the other 58% is spread across six other countries. All seven countries have agreed to the Antarctic Treaty, which makes laws to prevent pollution and other bad things. Antarctica’s area is approximately 13, 661,000 square kilometres.
Antarctica’s nearest neighbours:
South America, which is 1000km away Australia, which is 2500km away Africa, which is 4000km away
Latitude & Longitude
Latitude: 90 degrees, 05 South.
Longitude: 0 degrees, 00 East
Physical Features & Climate
One of Antarctica’s most iconic landform is the iceberg. Icebergs are formed when falling from falling snow over the continent, it then mixes with pure freshwater and then breaks off from the mainland and forms an iceberg.
Antarctica is the driest and coldest continent on earth. The temperature is the number one factor for it being the most inhospitable place on earth. The temperature can reach 10 degrees Celsius on the coast, to -60 degrees Celsius inland. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -89.2 degrees Celsius on 21 July 1983.
People Who Live and Work There
Antarctica contains a useful microcosm of many of society’s jobs since they operate as self-sufficient communities. Some research stations include:
Mawson Station
The temperature some days is around -21 degrees Celsius and they get 31 km winds. Its location is in the...
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...clean-up and remediation of abandoned work sites and disused tip sites. In the early days of Australia's Antarctic program waste management consisted of disposal to open tips and the practice of sea-icing which involved pushing waste onto the sea-ice. Sea-iced material would travel out with the ice as it broke up at the beginning of summer to be dispersed among the marine environment. Commitment to the Madrid Protocol confers the obligation to clean-up abandoned work sites and waste tips so long as the process of clean-up does not cause greater adverse impacts or cause the removal of historic sites or monuments. Research is currently underway by Australian scientists to develop cleanup and remediation procedures that will not cause greater impacts. Methods for detecting and monitoring impacts, particularly in the adjacent marine environment are also being developed
This artic tundra is mainly formed by permafrost, “a layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the ground”. Putting frozen ground and flat landscape stops the drainage of water. As the water is being held up on the surface, it makes ponds and bogs that give moisture to the plants, or countering the low precipitation. “The periodic freezing and thawing of the soil forms cracks in the ground in regularly patterned polygons”. Some areas are not drained very well, causing irregular landforms.
of about -9° C (about 16° F) and an average July temperature of about 22° C
The ice caps are the most extreme climates on earth. They are located at the north and south poles. These poles are
Average January temperature: -32.1 degrees Celsius. Average July temperature: +4.1 degrees Celsius. Temperature range: 36.2 degrees Celsius. Average annual temperature: -17 degrees Celsius. Lowest temperature recorded: -52.5 degrees Celsius.
Africa is the second largest of the earth's seven continents, covering about twenty-two percent of the world's total land area. From its northern most point, to its southern most tip is the distance of nearly five thousand miles. Africa is both north and south of the equator. The Atlantic Ocean is located west of the continent, and the Indian Ocean is on the east. Width of the continent is also nearly five thousand miles. Although Africa is so large, much of it is inhabitable. Desert soils, which have little organic content, cover large areas. The Sahara Desert, in the northern part, covers more than one fourth of Africa, and the Kalahari Desert is in the southern part of the continent. These two deserts are a natural detriment to the African continent because they make it difficult to reach the inland where most of the people live. Although Africa is relatively close to Europe, travel by land over the Sahara desert is very prohibitive. Another topographical feature that also isolates the central region of Africa is the coastline.
Isolation, loneliness, desertion-these synonymous attributes describe the scene of Antarctica. White blankets of ice and snow laid as far as the eye can see, with nothing else in sight. “Antarctica was a desert...Much of it was was still unexplored. There were no cities.” (pg 301). Although the term desert completely contradicts Antarctica, Laura Van Den
Polar ice is sea ice created from the freezing of sea water, ice sheets and glaciers. These in turn are formed from the build up and compaction of fallen snow. Both the ice sheets and glaciers cover vast areas of the Polar Regions. This polar ice is hugely important to our globe and takes up a large part of it. Global sea-ice coverage averages about 25 million kilometers square; this is the area of the entire North America continent. The ice sheets, which cover the land, with the glaciers cover about 15 million kilometers square; this is almost 10% of the Earth’s land area, with the majority on Antarctica (Earthobservatory.nasa.gov, 2013).
Maine is a state in northern New England in the United States. It is bounded by the Canadian provinces of Québec on the northwest and New Brunswick on the northeast. To the southwest lies New Hampshire, and to the southeast, the Atlantic Ocean. Maine entered the Union on March 15, 1820, when it was separated from Massachusetts to form the 23rd state. Augusta is Maine’s capital. Portland is the largest city. Its nickname is “The Pine Tree State.” Maine’s motto is Dario (I lead). The state song is entitled “State of Maine Song.”
The Arctic tundra, a vast plain of ice and water, is located on the northern poles of the Earth. Characterized by its low precipitation, minimum sunlight, and a layer of permafrost- a thick layer of ice that never thaws away- this biome is very cold, with temperatures as low as negative 70oC. One specific population that has adapted to this harsh environment is the polar bears.
known for decades: it pays to invest in Canada. There is a government commitment to attract foreign direct investment. Canada's government provides a competitive, welcoming climate for international business. It is committed to fiscal responsibility, deficit reduction and job creation.
Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending south to the Coniferous forests of the Taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F), which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including mel...
earth. Many species live in cold areas, but with the climate rising those areas are becoming