0
Antarctica
Antarctica is an uninhabited continent dedicated to science and governed by The Antarctic Treaty. As questions about the highest, driest, windiest, iciest, darkest continent on earth.
3,949 Questions
What is under the Antarctic ice?
Under the Antarctic ice, there is a diverse landscape of mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, and even active volcanoes. In addition to the geology, there is also a rich ecosystem of unique and adapted organisms that thrive in the extreme cold and darkness of this environment. Additionally, there are research stations and scientific facilities that study the continent and its surrounding waters.
What is happening to Antarctica?
There are areas of cooling and areas of warming occurring simultaneously in Antarctica, according to recently recorded temperature data. Cooling has been observed in virtually all of the interior. Sea ice around the continent has been growing. However, warming has been observed in much of the water surrounding the peninsula, and parts of the coast, especially those further from the pole. The reason for these changes is believed to be multifactoral.
The cooling of the interior has been attributed to a positive trend in the Southern Annular Mode. This cooling strengthens the polar vortex, inhibiting air from moving across latitudes as much, and enhancing the prevailing winds. This has a profound effect on both temperature and precipitation (and subsequently both sea ice and the ice sheet). See the related question section below for more information about the Southern Annular Mode (SAM).
Loss of ice on the continent has occurred throughout the peninsula and West Antarctica, with smaller increases in East Antarctica. The most recent estimates of ice mass balance were reviewed in Shepherd and Wingham (2007). All studies use different time ranges, methodologies, and often areas. Ice loss in West Antarctica is generally estimated to be around 50Gt/year during the 1990's, accelerating to more than double that the following decade. This has been partially offset by gains in East Antarctica, ranging from about 0 - 60 Gt/year. See the related link to this article. Currently, it is believed that much of the melt in these areas is due to dynamic losses, especially from warmer ocean waters, rather than a warming atmosphere.
Although there are areas of warming in Antarctica, it is not as strongly influenced by global climate change as is the Arctic area, because of the mitigating factor of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica. Additionally, much of its intraseasonal and interseasonal weather variability is governed by the SAM. This is a similar phenomenon to El Nino, in that it extends over a very large region at a low frequency. It is agreed that some of Antarctica's temperature trends are a result of the SAM, particularly since it has been trending toward its positive mode recently. There is also evidence that the SAM is at least partially driven by ozone depletion over Antarctica.
If you view the 2006 NASA temperature map via the related link below, which gives temperature trends in Antarctica during the period of 1982 - 2004, you can see the areas of cooling in blue (you'll see this in the interior and sea ice as explained above), with some places having cooler weather by as much as 0.2 degrees Celsius per year (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit); and the areas of warming in red, with some places (including the areas mentioned above, in much of the water surrounding the peninsula, and parts of the coast, especially those further from the pole), having warmer weather by as much as 0.2 degrees Celsius as well. See the related question section below for information about the difference between weather changes and climate changes.
Over a longer time scale, a 50-year reconstruction of temperature in Antarctica found that the surface temperature has been warming at a rate of 0.12 degrees Celsius. When broken down regionally, it was found that West Antarctica has warmed at a rate of 0.17 degrees Celsius, while East Antarctica has warmed by 0.10 degrees Celsius per decade. This was reported in Steig et al. 2009 (see related link) and is in agreement with previous studies.
Why Global warming is a serious issue to antarctica?
By definition, GLOBAL warming happens over the entire planet, so no, there cannot be global warming in any one location or region. However, LOCAL warming is not occurring in Antarctica. Temperatures there are colder than have ever been recorded, and they are STILL going down.
What percentage of ice in the Arctic and Antarctica is melting and making the seas raise?
In the Arctic, the main contribution to sea level rise is from the Greenland ice sheet. Sea ice is melting at an alarming rate, but because the sea ice already sits in the oceans, this does not contribute to sea level rise. Mountain glaciers are also trickling into the oceans quickly, but their mass is much less than that of Greenland, so we won't use them in this estimate - even though the worldwide melt rate of mountain glaciers is higher than that of Greenland. All the same, we'll approximate that all of the sea level rise in the Arctic is coming from Greenland.
Greenland is losing about 250 million tons of ice each year (267 +/- 38 Gton/yr to be exact), and has a total ice mass of 2.3 x 10^15 tons. Thus, the fraction of ice Greenland is losing each year is 1 x 10^(-7), or 100 billionths of its total mass. Note that this number is the *net* loss - it includes both the losses from calving icebergs and surface melt, and the gains from snowfall on the interior.
Antarctica is less clear because we have fewer measurements about the snowfall accumulation on the interior. Many different projections of the mass balance have come up with different values - the study I will use found that the mass balance is -5 to +85 million tons of ice per year. The total mass of Antarctica is 2.2 x 10^16 tons, so Antarctica is doing something in the range of losing 0.2 billionths of its mass to gaining 4 billionths of its mass each year. Again, these estimates are Antarctica's net mass balance - losses from calving and gains from snowfall.
We have observed about 3-4 millimeters per year of sea level rise, averaged over the entire twentieth century. Most of the observed sea level rise to date is actually due to thermal expansion of sea water - hotter water takes up more space. The colder water coming in from the melting ice sheets is insignificant compared to the huge volumes of warmer ocean water that already exist.
See the links below for the studies referred to.
== == == ==
What is the normal temperature in Antarctica?
By night, one must assume that you mean during sun-less periods.
At the South Pole, the sun-less period is about six months and the temperature during that period averages between minus 65 and minus 75 degrees F.
Elsewhere on the continent, the sun-less periods vary as does the temperature, which is always extremely cold.
Would daylight savings be useful to Antarctica?
Scientific stations in Antarctica usually operate on the local time for the government that they serve.
There is no standard time in Antarctica. If the country headquarters is on daylight savings time, then so is the Antarctic base. However, when the sun is up 24 hours out of the day, there's not much value to the notion.
The largest island in Antarctica is Alexander Island, which covers an area of approximately 4,195 square miles (10,865 square kilometers). It is located in the Bellingshausen Sea off the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
What percent of Antarctica isn't covered in ice?
Approximately 0.32% of Antarctica is not covered in ice, primarily made up of rock outcrops, mountain peaks, and small patches of bare ground. The vast majority of Antarctica is covered by ice, with some areas exceeding 2 miles thick.
Whats the weather at Antarctica?
Antarctica is a polar continent that is 30 degrees F colder than the Arctic. The wind is constant and temperatures are usually between -30 to -110+ all year. Either there is sun, no sun or blizzard, some of which are so intense that you are forced to remain indoors.
Antarctica is a polar desert, meaning that the humidity is about five percent, compared with the Sahara desert, where it's 25% to 30%.
Does most global warming take place in Antarctica?
Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climate change. It already suffers regular famines, and agriculture and food production are threatened by any future warming.
Other areas affected are the Arctic, small island nations, and the large flat river deltas of Asia.
Do the ocean waves in Antarctica freeze?
The Antarctic continent doubles in size during the austral winter, because the ocean around it freezes. This occurs because the sun sets and does not rise again until spring.
During the summer season when the sun is up, the ocean water is always warmer than the ambient air on the continent.
What is the name of the last volcano to erupt in Antarctica?
When is it thought the first volcano in Australia erupted? When is it thought the first volcano in Australia erupted?
Which is the drier continent- Australia or Antarctica?
Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth, as it is a polar desert with very little precipitation. Australia, while known for its arid regions, still receives more rainfall in comparison to Antarctica.
What is the latitude and longitude of Antarctica?
The latitude of Antarctica is approximately 66 to 90 degrees South. All lines of longitude converge at the South Pole, so all lines of longitude pass through Antarctica.
Antarctica is a continent covering 10% of the earth's surface -- about as large as USA and Mexico combined.
Latitude and longitude imply specific locations, not general geographies.
What is a list of the three main American stations located on antarctica?
The three main American research stations in Antarctica are McMurdo Station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and Palmer Station. Each station serves different research purposes and is managed by different U.S. government agencies.
What is the average temperature in Antarctica?
The average temperature of Antarctica is about -49 degrees Celsius or about -56.2 Fahrenheit.
The annual average temperature is -50°C (-58°F). Winter temperatures drop quickly, then level out. Summer is short, from mid-December to mid-January, however, temperatures can reach a balmy -30°C (-22°F)!
Antarctica covers 10% of the Earth's surface -- about as much land as USA and Mexico combined. It is the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, darkest continent. Averages don't mean much in Antarctica.
What were the first fossils found in Antarctica Where and when were they found?
The first fossils found in Antarctica were discovered in the Transantarctic Mountains in 1909 by geologist Griffith Taylor. These were plant fossils dating back to the Permian period, around 250 million years ago.
What are some nonliving things in Antarctica?
Snow, ice, wind, Southern Lights, water, sunshine, rocks.--southern lights, sunshine, and wind are NOT objects. You cant touch them
What is the climate of Antarctica?
Antarctica is a polar desert and is extremely cold, only getting above freezing on the coast.
Temperatures in the interior have been measured as low as −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K), which was measured at Vostok Research station in July of 1983. This remains the coldest temperature recorded anywhere on Earth.
Inland, there is very little precipitation, with average humidity of about five percent. There tends to be a strong, constant wind blowing from the South Pole, the polar plateau , called katabatic wind, which is wind as a result of the down-sloping of air from the high plateau elevation to sea level.
Antarctica is technically a desert.
Because Antarctica is a "polar" region, there is no precipitation, it has no lakes or rivers and is in fact the driest continent.
What equipment does a biologist use in Antarctica?
Biologists in Antarctica may use equipment such as binoculars, GPS devices, sampling tools for collecting specimens, cameras for documenting wildlife, and cold weather gear to protect themselves from the harsh conditions. They may also use specialized equipment for studying the physiology of animals, such as transmitters for tracking movements or sensors for monitoring environmental conditions.
You can certainly die in Antarctica. You could die from starvation if you don't eat enough food. You can also die from malnutrition which is when you don't eat the right food. You can die from hypothermia, which is where you are way too cold to survive. You can also die of frostbite. Frostbite is when the blood stops flowing to certain points in your body and they turn black.
What is the height of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica?
The South Pole sits on Antarctica's ice sheet, which covers 98% of the continent. The Ross Ice Shelf may be the closest to the South Pole, even though it is securely attached to the ice sheet and its connecting boundary is imprecise.
Are there any reefs in antarctica?
Yes, there are reefs in Antarctica, particularly in the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula. These reefs are known as cold-water coral reefs and support diverse ecosystems despite the extreme conditions. They are found at depths where sunlight can penetrate to support photosynthesis.
What types of trees grow in antarctica?
No trees naturally grow in Antarctica due to its harsh climate, with extremely low temperatures and minimal precipitation. The landscape is primarily covered by ice, snow, and lichens, mosses, and algae that can survive in these extreme conditions.
Who has claimed ownership of Antarctica?
There is no one country that owns Antarctica and no permanent human settlers or any evidence of and existing or pre-historic indigenous population. In 1961 a treaty was established on the ownership of Antarctica. 45 countries (¾ of the world population) have signed the treaty to agree on the claims and the treatment of Antarctica. This treaty is one of the only international 20th century agreements to have succeeded. The Antarctic treaty bans all military activity. Every decision that the treaty makes is made by consensus so that there are no disagreements and arguments. In the 1980's mining companies wanted to search for minerals in Antarctica. Some environmental groups such as green peace campaigned that mining should be banned forever in Antarctica. At first the treaty could not come to a decision, but eventually they agreed to put in place a new protocol on environment protection in 1998. The rules of the protocol are that wildlife and habitats must be conserved and pollution controlled. There are seven countries that have made claims: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK, though Australia has the biggest claim. Russia and the USA have tried to make claims but they have not yet been accepted.
