Antarctica

• Ecological features:

  • cold -44 on average
  • low precipitation levels - largest desert
  • windy
  • lack of vegetation
  • polar vortex winds
  • seasonal variation is extreme - summer has up to 24 hours sunlight and winter has up to 24 hours night
  • huge
  • snow and ice up to 4.8 km thick
  • high altitudes
  • high marine biodiversity
• Importance:

  • control of natural cycles
  • 70% of Earth's freshwater is ice
  • ice = increased albedo
  • carbon sequestration - algae contains carbon which sinks to the sea floor as krill faeces
  • resources
  • fish and krill
  • minerals (illegal to mine) - gold, silver, nickel, coal, oil
  • research
  • astronomy - light light pollution and cloud cover
  • climate research - climate is stable and predictable
  • ecology is unique
• Threats:

  • GCC - glaciers moving more rapidly, ice shelves are breaking up
  • ozone depletion - increased UV damage to planktonic organisms
  • tourism - causes disturbance, introduces sp. and pathogens, and pollution
  • scientific research - increased pollution events and disturbs wildlife
  • overfishing - decreased population of whales, fur seals, krill and the sp. that feed on them. Longlining kills albatrosses
  • future mineral exploitation - pressure to exploit them will increase as other reserves are depleted
• Conservation efforts:

  • The Antarctica Treaty (1959) - 52 countries signed it
  • fishing is regulated by the Commission of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) - no mammals are exploited
  • control of tourism
  • no holiday accommodation
  • limited cruise ships at a site at any time
  • protective clothing
  • trained guides
  • waste management
  • controlling and removing waste
  • any waste materials produced are removed
  • no military activities
  • no nuclear explosions or waste
  • no resource exploitation