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AQA A Level Geography > 2.1 Global systems and global governance - 2.1.5.1: Antarctica as a global common > Flashcards

2.1 Global systems and global governance - 2.1.5.1: Antarctica as a global common Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the size of Antarctica?

A

14 million square kilometres

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2
Q

How much of the Earth’s ice does Antarctica contain?

A

90%

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3
Q

How much of the Earth’s freshwater does Antarctica contain?

A

70%

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4
Q

There is very little available ………… in Antarctica.

A

water (less than 166mm per year)

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5
Q

What is the average temperature in Antarctica?

A

-49 degrees Celsius

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6
Q

What is the biodiversity like in Antarctica?

A

very low - very few species are adapted to the conditions

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7
Q

The Antarctic ecosystem is very ………… .

A

fragile

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8
Q

What species thrives at the Antarctic Convergence? Why?

A

microscopic phytoplankton because there is an upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water

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9
Q

How much has the temperature of the west coast of Antarctica increased by in the past five decades?

A

3 degrees Celsius (one of the fastest temperature rises on Earth)

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10
Q

What affect has warming had on the Antarctic ice sheets?

A

melting (especially around the Weddell Sea and Ross Sea)

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11
Q

What species of penguin has declined in numbers as a result of ice melting?

A

Adelie

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12
Q

By how much has the krill population declined since the 1970s? Why?

A

80% - a consequence of ice melting and the environment changing

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13
Q

By how much have global sea levels increased since the 1990s?

A

3mm rise per year

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14
Q

What will the rising of sea levels cause?

A

the edges of the ice sheets will become unstable which will increase the rate of melting

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15
Q

Why does climate change cause ocean acidification around Antarctica?

A

carbon dioxide in the air reacts with saltwater to form carbonic acid which depletes the amount of calcium carbonate in the water

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16
Q

Why is a lack of calcium carbonate in the sea surrounding Antarctica a problem?

A

species such as plankton do not have enough calcium carbonate to form their shells

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17
Q

What is the most fished creature in Antarctica?

A

Antarctic krill

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18
Q

How much krill was fished from the Antarctic in 2013?

A

200 000 tonnes

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19
Q

What are the impacts of reduced fish and krill populations?

A

the food chain is affected

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20
Q

What do legal fishing limits aim to do?

A

keep stocks at a sustainable level

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21
Q

Why is illegal fishing a problem?

A

it is very difficult to monitor

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22
Q

What was common in the mid-20th century?

A

whaling

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23
Q

What year were regulations implemented in order to ban all commercial whaling?

A

1982

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24
Q

Why will the Antarctic whale population take time to recover?

A

whales are slow breeders

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25
Q

For what reason do countries still kill whales?

A

for ‘scientific purposes’

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26
Q

There are believed to be a lot of ………… in Antarctica.

A

minerals

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27
Q

There are large reserves of ………… underneath the Southern Ocean.

A

oil

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28
Q

So far, there hasn’t been any ………… in Antarctica.

A

mining

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29
Q

Mining is currently ………… in Antarctica.

A

banned

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30
Q

Why isn’t Antarctica the ideal place for mining?

A

it is too far away to transport machinery from any other landmass and the landscape and climate would make mining difficult and expensive

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31
Q

Why might mining not be banned in the future?

A

increasing demand for minerals and oil as supplies are depleted elsewhere

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32
Q

Tourism increases ………… and ………… to Antarctica.

A

shipping; air travel

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33
Q

What does shipping and air travel to Antarctica cause?

A

water and air pollution

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34
Q

What could happen if boats hit icebergs?

A

fuel spills

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35
Q

Tourists can ………… breeding colonies of birds.

A

disturb

36
Q

Trampling damages ………… ………… and ………… the landscape.

A

fragile vegetation; erodes

37
Q

What can litter and waste disposal damage?

A

habitats and can harm wildlife (especially because decomposition rates in cold environments are slow)

38
Q

What might alter food webs and ecosystems?

A

non-native species

39
Q

Antarctica is important for ………… and ………… research.

A

scientific; environmental

40
Q

Why does scientific and environmental research require lots of facilities?

A

places for the researchers to live are required, in addition to roads to transport supplies and places to store fuel

41
Q

What happened as a result of scientific and environmental research in Antarctica until the 1980s?

A

a lot of waste created was either burned, thrown into the sea or dumped

42
Q

When was the Antarctic Treaty signed?

A

1959

43
Q

How many countries signed the Antarctic Treaty?

A

53

44
Q

What are the rules of the Antarctic Treaty?

A
  • Antarctica should be used for peaceful reasons (no army bases or weapons are allowed on Antarctica)
  • countries should cooperate on scientific research in Antarctica by sharing plans, researchers and results
  • Antarctica should remain within the global commons - individual countries cannot make a claim to it
45
Q

Under the 1959 treaty, all bases and equipment can be ………… at any time.

A

inspected

46
Q

When was the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty signed?

A

1991

47
Q

What did the 1991 protocol ban?

A

mining

48
Q

What does the 1991 protocol aim to protect?

A

Antarctic plants and animals

49
Q

What does the 1991 protocol aim to regulate?

A

waste disposal

50
Q

What does the 1991 protocol aim to prevent?

A

pollution

51
Q

What is required for any new activities under the 1991 protocol?

A

Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)

52
Q

There is ………… ………… to ensure all countries abide by the rules set out in the 1959 treaty and 1991 protocol.

A

no system

53
Q

The countries involved must reach a ………… over all decisions regarding Antarctica.

A

consensus (this makes tackling problems slow and diffucult)

54
Q

What is the International Whaling Commission (IWC) responsible for?

A

regulating whaling and ensuring that the whale population is at a sustainable level

55
Q

What did the IWC set up in 1994?

A

a whale sanctuary in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica

56
Q

Why have campaigners criticised the IWC?

A

for not properly monitoring the number of whales in the sanctuary

57
Q

What is the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?

A

a UN agency and is the main institution that governs the world environment

58
Q

What is the UNEP responsible for in Antarctica?

A

reporting activity to the UN

59
Q

Who runs the UNEP programme in Antarctica?

A

CCAMLR

60
Q

What does CCAMLR aim to do?

A

stop illegal fishing and conserve the Antarctic ecosystem

61
Q

How is the effectiveness of CCAMLR limited?

A

by countries protecting their own interests - it took five years for CCAMLR to negotiate the creation of a marine protected area in the Ross Sea, and it hasn’t reduced fishing quotas in this area

62
Q

What did the IWC introduce in 1982?

A

a Whaling Moratorium that banned all commercial whaling around the world

63
Q

How has the 1982 ban of commercial whaling affected the whale population of Antarctica?

A

increased population

64
Q

How is the success of the Whaling Moratorium monitored?

A

by estimating whale populations based on sightings and modelling

65
Q

Which countries believe there should be a better system to monitor the Antarctic whale population?

A

USA and Australia

66
Q

How could the whale monitoring system in Antarctica be improved?

A

by registering all whaling boats with the IWC and placing independent observers on all whaling boats (Japan and Norway oppose this)

67
Q

What are the opinions of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Greenpeace, regarding the enforcement of the Whaling Moratorium

A

poorly enforced

68
Q

How many whales were killed by Japanese whalers in 2018 for ‘scientific research’ despite the ruling?

A

300

69
Q

NGOs play an important role in ………… possible threats to Antarctica and ………… its environment.

A

monitoring; protecting

70
Q

Why are NGOs well positioned to observe whether countries are sticking to the laws governing Antarctica?

A

they don’t act on behalf of a particular country

71
Q

What is a key NGO involved in Antarctica?

A

Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)

72
Q

When was ASOC formed?

A

1978

73
Q

Why was ASOC formed?

A

a group of NGOs were concerned that some countries were planning to make it legal to search for oil, gas and minerals in Antarctica

74
Q

What did ASOC successfully campaign to do?

A

make Antarctic Treaty meetings more transparent, including allowing NGOs to attend

75
Q

ASOC is interested in protecting the Antarctic ………… and does not have any interest in trying to ………… Antarctica for resources or fishing.

A

environment; exploit

76
Q

What does ASOC do today?

A

monitors environmental changes in Antarctica and checks whether countries are sticking to the rules (e.g. monitoring whether countries are following the 1991 Environment Protocol)

77
Q

What does ASOC also monitor in Antarctica?

A

effects of climate change

78
Q

How does ASOC monitor the effects of climate change in Anatarctica?

A

by checking melting ice and sea levels around Antarctica

79
Q

What does ASOC campaign for, alongside other NGOs?

A

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

80
Q

What has the monitoring of the melting ice in Antarctica triggered?

A

efforts to combat climate change - more renewable energy sources can be used and individuals can reduce their impact on the environment by driving less

81
Q

Why might global governance slow down short-term economic growth in some countries?

A

there may be limits on how many whales and fish can be caught limits the amount that countries can sell

82
Q

How is limiting short-term economic growth of some countries by limiting whaling and fishing be advantageous?

A

it secures resources for the future

83
Q

Global governance allows greater ………… ………… in Antarctica.

A

scientific exploration

84
Q

What does collaboration allow researchers to do?

A

pool resources (e.g. sharing research stations)

85
Q

Global governance allows for ………… to visit Antarctica safely and securely.

A

tourists

AQA A Level Geography (15 decks)

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