Exploring Our World: The Antarctic Continent
Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. It is located at the South Pole and is covered almost entirely by ice. Even though no people live there permanently, many scientists visit Antarctica to study its unique environment.
No country owns Antarctica. Instead, several countries work together to protect it under the Antarctic Treaty which was signed in 1959. There are 54 countries in the treaty, some of the countries involved include: The United States, The United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Argentina, Chile, Norway and New Zealand.
These countries, along with others, have research stations where scientists study the land, ice, ocean, and wildlife. Around 1,000 to 5,000 people stay there at different times of the year. Some tourists also visit Antarctica on guided tours to see the icy landscapes and wildlife.
Many brave explorers have travelled to Antarctica to learn more about this frozen land. Some of the most famous include:
Roald Amundsen (Norway) – The first person to reach the South Pole in 1911.
Robert Falcon Scott (United Kingdom) – Led an expedition to the South Pole but sadly did not survive the journey back in 1912.
Ernest Shackleton (United Kingdom) – Attempted to cross Antarctica and is famous for his incredible survival story after his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in ice in 1915.
Richard E. Byrd (United States) – A pilot and explorer who led several expeditions to Antarctica and was one of the first to fly over the South Pole in 1929.
Douglas Mawson (Australia) – An Australian geologist and explorer who led expeditions to Antarctica and made important discoveries about the continent’s geography and climate. He was also part of a team that ascended Mount Erebus in 1908.
Antarctica is a picturesque continent with some impressive geographical features.
Ice Sheets: Antarctica is covered by massive ice sheets that hold about 70% of the world’s freshwater.
Transantarctic Mountains: A large mountain range that divides the continent into East and West Antarctica.
Mount Erebus: The southernmost active volcano on Earth.
Dry Valleys: One of the driest places in the world, where almost no rain or snow falls.
Ross Ice Shelf: A huge floating sheet of ice connected to the land.
The conditions in Antarctica can be very extreme.
Average winter temperatures are around -60°C or -76°F.
Average summer temperatures are -28°C or -18.4°F.
The lowest recorded temperature was -89.2°C or -128.6°F!
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, because it gets very little rain or snow.
The seasonal changes in Antarctica are very pronounced with 24-hour daylight occurring for several months over summer at the pole, while in winter there is complete darkness for several months.
Strong winds called katabatic winds blow across the icy land. Katabatic winds are particularly strong along the steep vertical drops of the Antarctic coast and can reach speeds of over 327 km/h or 199 mph.
Antarctica has no trees or plants, only moss and lichen.
The ice can be up to 4.5 km or 2.7 miles thick.
The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica and is full of marine life.
Even though Antarctica is extremely cold, it is home to many amazing animals, including:
Penguins: Emperor and Adélie penguins are the most well-known out of the 7 penguin species in Antarctica, they feed mostly on krill and small fish and withstand the cold Antarctic winters.
Seals: There are 6 species of seal in Antarctica including the Weddell, Leopard, and Elephant seals, they spend time on the ice and in the ocean feeding on krill, fish and cephalopods. They thrive in Antarctica with their only real predator being an Orca.
Whales: Blue Whales, Orcas, and Humpback Whales swim in Antarctic waters during the summer months when food is abundant and travel to warmer waters for breeding season.
Krill: Tiny shrimp-like creatures that are an important food source for many Antarctic animals.
Sea Birds: Such as Albatross and Antarctic Petrel are migratory birds that visit Antarctica for the summer to feed.
Antarctica is a fascinating place with extreme conditions, unique animals, and important scientific research. Even though it is icy and remote, it plays a big role in the health of our planet!