Taking A Brand New Look At Antarctica

Antarctica is the most desolate, coldest region of the planet. It is the only continent that different nations agreed that they should share. But as natural resources have continued to deplete, some nations are looking towards Antarctica as a source of additional resource.

Now the Antarctica is being looked at as a region with potential oil, coal and iron reserves and not one of just ice, penguins and whales. There is real concern that the region may suffer as international scientific research is replaced by more nationalistic mineral exploitation which could lead to confrontation.

The U.S Antarctic research base has experienced decades of tranquil international cooperation and sharing. It is said that people often feel bound by the fact that they all face the challenges of such a hostile environment and their passion for their work, working together whilst the rest of the world experiences conflict and disagreements.

There is a park dedicated to the work and vision of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd near the headquarters of the National Science Foundation which controls the activities of U.S Antarctica. Admiral Richard Byrd was the first to fly over the Antarctic and South Pole and led five expeditions. Admiral Byrd believed that the Antarctic could be a regional of unprecedented cooperation between different nations for the goal of international research. But as people become more dependent on energy and more reliant on the minerals within the Earth, are his noble ideals likely to survive?

There is little known about the Antarctic's mineral deposits but there is now growing interest. Now the situation has become a political issue rather than just a scientific one. Beneath thousands of feet of ice covering 98 percent of the land, along the mountain ranges that cut the continent and offshore in the icy seas, are believed to be vast deposits of minerals and oil.

Minerals and untouched oil reserves have already been located in other areas of the planet which are geologically similar to the Antarctic and the surrounding region. The United States has already completed some small scale exploratory off shore drilling and confirmed the likely existence of hydrocarbons. Coal deposits in large quantities have already been discovered with lead, gold, uranium, tin, chromium, nickel, titanium and cobalt already found in high concentrations.

Recently the exploitation of the Antarctic has become more achievable economically and the harsh conditions are no longer acting as a form of protection. The technology that exists today can make the process of exploitation considerably easier and with the increasing costs of resources it is now more economical and this is worrying Antarctica's scientists.

The idea of mineral exploitation in the region is one of great concern to environmentalists throughout the world due to the continent being one of the few regions left that are untouched and unpolluted by humans. The commercial mineral exploitation will most certainly cause great damage to the environment and environment groups including the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Sierra club are well aware of this conflict.

They point out that there must be some exploration and studies to see what resources are in Antarctica and to assess the environmental impact of exploiting them. However they are worried the results of any studies will actually encourage development. Oil development causes the most concern because of fears about spills. Most Antarctic life, such as birds and seals, clusters along the coasts and could be greatly affected. In colder climates oil doesn't easily break up and degrades at a slower rate, so an oil spill there would be extremely damaging, more so than anywhere else.

A landmark treaty in 1959 designated Antarctica as a scientific preserve and many on the activities that go on there are tied to the treaty. Thanks to the 12 nations who signed the treaty and Poland which joined later, the region has remained free from militarization and nuclear weapons testing. Great Britain,, Argentina, New Zealand, France, Norway and Chile all have territory claims in Antarctica but the treat managed to side step these land claims.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

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by: Emily Jackson

Total views: 7 Word Count: 690 Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 Time: 9:02 AM - 1 comments

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