The Consequences of Antarctica’s Particular Geography
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Antarctica occupies one tenth of the land in the universe and is bigger than Europe. As daunting as it is expansive, Antarctica endures frigid temps of negative 89 degrees Celsius, and can incur winds of up to 192 mph! This body of land is encircled by the Southern Ocean, which is comprised of the southernmost waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Read this site if you want affordable travel to antarctica information.
The waters off of Antarctica are some of the most nutrient rich in the world, and they support a plethora of wildlife including whales, dolphins, penguins, fish, flying birds and seals. Trapped beneath the massive ice shelves, micro organisms, also more commonly known as krill, multiply. Krill is the principle food source for marine animals like penguins and whales and harvested by the Japanese for human use.
Despite being covered in ice, Antarctica is driest and windiest continent on earth, and of course it is the coldest, too. The animals that live there have specially adapted to survive. Despite the fact that the continent has the highest average elevation in the world, the annual precipitation in Antarctica is merely 200mm near the coast and the interior sees even less; Animals which have learned to survive and thrive in these brutal weather conditions include penguins and seals.
Antarctica is vital to our existence because of a very unique natural phenomenon. The greenhouse effect, however, is more advanced at the poles because the cold makes the molecules which make up our atmosphere heavier and more concentrated. This traps the sun’s rays within the atmosphere resulting in the surface temperature rising steadily. This site teaches you about antarctica vacation.
The surrounding atmosphere is comprised of almost eighty percent nitrogen. Methane and carbon dioxide also contribute to the make-up of the atmosphere, but in minute quantities. These substances, combined with water, serve to generate a tremendous amount of heat. This is commonly acknowledged 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”. In the Antarctic, the rise in temperature resulting from the Greenhouse Effect is 4 times more than then the rising temperatures in temperate zones, making it the optimal place for further research on the Greenhouse Effect.
Antarctica is composed of mostly ices that is approximately three miles thick in some areas. This tremendous thickness is a build up of snow accumulated over many centuries. Core samples are taken from the ice. Scientists are able to gather much about the prehistoric era by analyzing the atomic isotopes and prehistoric air bubbles from these samples.
The release of refrigerants and CFC’s into the air is causing the well-known hole in the atmosphere’s ozone layer. Such gases destroy the protective layer of ozone surrounding Earth’s atmosphere, and causes temperatures to rise. The increase in temperature has resulted in the melting of many ice shelves.
Those ice bergs then float north and slowly melt. This melting causes a rapid reduction of the polar icecaps and results in a corresponding rise in the level of the sea. Additionally, the loss of ice shelves reduces the environment necessary for krill to survive.
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. Essentially, this would make New York seem like Venice, with water reaching the 20th floor of the skyscrapers. Low-lying countries like islands of the South Pacific would be completely engulfed by water.
Most people who have been to Antarctica will tell you of the breathtaking beauty of the continent. Animals are not shy about the presence of humans. This womderful beauty, when combined with the apparent tranquility of the numerous sea animals roaming around, is pleasing to see.
To keep Antarctica protected and fully saved in its purest magnificence is a wish and a goal for generations - today and tomorrow alike. It’s destruction has been accelerating for quite a while,though. Numerous countries have formed a coalition for the express purpose of reversing this negative trend and saving the beauty of Antartica.
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