Antarctica - Important On The Map
Antarctica is larger than or Europe and encompasses 10 percent of the world's land mass. It is a mammoth and intimidating area with incredible gale force winds and lethal cold. This body of land is encircled by the Southern Ocean, which is comprised of the southernmost waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
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These Antarctic marine ecosystem supports some of the richest nutrient flows on the planet and is home to whales, seals and dolphins. Beneath the huge ice service are huge amounts of micro forage. Krill is the principle food source for marine animals like penguins and whales and harvested by the Japanese for human use.
Because of the extreme cold, windy, and dry conditions, animals living in Antarctica must have special adaptations for the environment. Antarctica has the highest average elevation of all the continents, and it has an average precipitation of just 200mm a year on the coastline and much less further inland. Seals, penguins, tundra vegetation and many types of algae are examples of plants and animals that have adapted to the cold environment of Antarctica.
Antarctica is still the most pristine and undisturbed area in the world. The greenhouse effect is more prominent at the poles where the particles making up the atmosphere are the most intense. This traps the sun's rays within the atmosphere resulting in the surface temperature rising steadily.
Our atmosphere is comprised of approximately 79 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. There are also minute amounts of carvbon dioxide and methane. The gases and water vapour are warmed by soaking up the earth back radiation. This phenomenon is referred to as the greenhouse effect.
The polar regions and the equator collect methane and carbon dioxide quicker than the moderate regions because of a condition known as the "slingshot effect". Because this tremendous heat generated by the Greenhouse effect is so much more extreme than that of other areas, Antartica is the subject of a great deal of scientific scrutiny.
The ice sheet that covers Antarctica is nearly 3 miles thick. This tremendous thickness is a build up of snow accumulated over many centuries. Ancient ice preserves air bubbles that contain atomic isotopes from ages past and these can be studies by modern scientists.
The well-known hole within our atmospheric layer has been caused by a refrigerant molecule known as CFC, which has a highly destructive effect on the composition of the ozone. Overtime, this molecule has stripped away layers of the ozone. As the temperature rises in the Antarctic, immense shelves of ice "calve" into the sea creating new ice bergs.
These shelves, once separated, will gradually head in a northerly direction and melt away. The resulting additional water greatly brings up the altitude of sea level. Unfortunately, this decreases the amount of area the krill have to breed and eat.
If all the continent's ice shelves were to disappear into the ocean, it is calculated that sea levels would increase by more than 180 feet. If this happened, New York would join with Venice in being a city underwater, with the water reaching to the 20 floor in some skyscrapers. Nations of lower elevations like Archipelagos in the southern Pacific area and Bangladesh would simply be swallowed completely by the sea.
Many of those who have seen Antarctica would surely say it is a land of elegant and exhilarating physical splendor. Wildlife, which has had very little interaction with humans, are calm and often curious about their presence. The combination of natural magnificence and the purity of the wildlife is something to treasure.
Present and future generations need to bond together and work to preserve the pristine splendor of Antarctica. The currently accelerating destruction was set in motion long ago. While measures to promote the preservation of this world have begun, with many nations helping, more are needed to protect this beauty.
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by: Sophia Howard
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Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 Time: 3:00 PM -
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