As it offers numerous chances for research that do not exist anywhere else on earth, Antarctica has been designated a continent for the use of international science. Antarctica’s most impressive characteristic is the giant ice sheet which covers almost all of the land. It also goes out hundreds of miles into the ocean in a few places. As big as the entire state of Texas, Ross Ice Shelf is the grandest of them all. Moving northbound at 1800 feet per year, scientists are tracking the edge of ice sheet.
Though the continent holds ninety percent of the planet’s ice, it only has two percent of all the water. Sea level is greatly affected by the inland ice. If the majority of ice melted, sea levels would rise and destroy lives and property around the world.
Sea levels could raise a minimum of 250 feet if all the ice melted. Therefore, everyone needs to know just how healthy the ice really is. Knowing how fast the ice is moving is not that important. It has been theorized that we can determine the history of geophysical events in the planet through the layers of ice, like the rings of a tree.
History?s actions, like smelting lead and the use of leaded gasoline, show in the ice. Measurements have been taken regarding the concentration of typical lead which precipitated over the surface of the ice during the prior 60 years. The results show that that has been a huge jump in lead concentration. Scientists think this probably was caused by the use of leaded gasoline. This shows us how very serious pollution can be.
Interestingly enough, the polar snow and ice didn’t record any trace of DDT, but the penguins, seals and some fish in Antarctica did. The planet is constantly being hit by stuff from space. These particles can be dated by where they are found in the ice. Scientists could make better space vehicles because they see a pattern in these particulates.
Did you know that there is vegetation in Antarctica? It is mostly lichens. Springtails and mites prove to be the most common land animals. A wingless fly is the biggest land animal there. Remarkably, none of the insects on Antarctica can’t fly. Both a flightless penguin and Weddell seal live in the ocean around Antarctica. They are the southernmost mammals. This Weddell Seal is an amazing creature. It can dive up to 1500 feet and not surface for air for over 30 minutes.
In the winter, Adelie penguins migrate north, but in the other months they hang around in the Antarctic. They can navigate with amazing accuracy. They use the sun and their own biological talents to maintain a straight course. In ten months, one half of a group of Adelies that were released thousands of miles from their rookery found it again. There are more that were let go near the South Pole. Upon release, they quickly ascertained their situation then headed in a straight line for their homes.
The largest of all living things resides in the oceans surrounding Antarctica, and the productivity of the area is shown in this. Practically extinct today, this great blue whale consume around a ton of shrimp daily, and it remains five times bigger than any dinosaur which ever lived and breathed. Antarctic waters boast the distinction of containing more species of fish than the Arctic ocean. The Antarctic Convergence is an amazingly effective area, as proven by the amount of bottom dwelling fish that are not found anywhere else in the world.
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