Antarctica Flashcards
Climate and Environment
-holds 90% of all of the Earth’s surface freshwater
- one of the most extreme environments
on the planet
- the coldest place on Earth, with temps around the -40°Cs
-one of the driest places on Earth
-gales of 60-70 mph
- 6 months of the year is dark, 6 months of the year is constant sunlight
- rich in natural resources, fossil fuels and minerals
-large reserves of oil are in the Southern
Ocean
Threats- climate change
CLIMATE CHNAGE
-warmer sea and atmospheric temperatures melt ice sheets, causing huge icebergs to calve into the sea
-Melting ice sheets also cause sea levels to rise, which causes global flooding
-Animals and plants are highly adapted to the cold environment, invasive species that are adapted to higher temperatures could grow and colonise the environment
-Migration patterns of animals are disrupted by the higher temperatures, also affects the Antarctic food chain
-CO2 is released into the atmosphere that is stored in ice sheets, which causes global temperatures to rise more, enhancing global warming on the Antarctic
-The Albedo Effect is lessened due to less ice sheets, more
heat is absorbed into oceans, caused a rise in ocean temperatures, enhancing the effects
Threats- fishing and whaling
FISHING AND WHALING
-unsustainable fishing, disrupts food chain, removes vital animals in the already small food chain
-Krill is the most fished marine animal, 150–200,000 tonnes fished annually
-still reports of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
-whale populations still stay at reduced and endangered levels, slow breeders, ecosystem been damaged for long-term
Threats- mineral and resource exploitation
MINERAL AND RESOURCE EXPLOITATION
-all mining is banned
-oil exploitation disrupts the habitat through the infrastructure that comes with it
-oil spills, fragile ecosystem cannot remove oil quickly, causing long term damage
-metal and mineral exploitation damages environment through mining and quarrying, scaring away wildlife, causing damage beyond repair
Threats- tourism and scientific research
TOURISM AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
-travelling to Antarctica by air and sea,effects of ships through fossil fuel emissions
-Sea ice destruction and cruise ship crashes are major contributors to environmental destruction
-trampling plants and scaring wildlife away, any litter dropped will stay in the nutrient cycle for a long time, decomposition is slow
-research bases have been constructed, changed the natural environment, not handled properly, may threaten to disrupt it
-dogs were sometimes fed seals and penguins, brought the threat of infecting seals
Governance of Antarctica- UN
UN
-ability to set global laws and regulations in order to protect
-their work indirectly contributes to the governance of Antarctica
- research into global environmental problems, such as ozone depletion and global warming, work to protect Antarctica from the effects of these issues
Governance of Antarctica- IWC
International Whaling Commission
-set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1946, 89 members
-setting ‘catch limits’ and hunting restrictions, working with the Scientific Committee to research and study whaling, co-ordinating conservation work through meetings, providing funds for research and conservation
Governance of Antarctica- Antarctic Treaty System
-collection of agreements
-53 parties
-Antarctica can be used for scientific research but it has to be shared and can be operated on
-Antarctica is a global common
-all nuclear activity is banned
-bans all activity relating to mineral resources
-treaty is not mandatory
-inspections don’t happen regularly
Governance of Antarctica- ASOC
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition
-purpose is to convince governments to prevent mineral exploitation, and allow NGOs to participate in the governance of Antarctica
-was granted so can go to annual meetings for the Antarctic Treaty System
-main focuses are: overall environmental protection in Antarctica, wildlife conservation, krill conservation
Governance of Antarctica- Greenpeace
-collecting data and information independent of governments, to monitor the reliability and accuracy of other data
-reporting on issues, and releasing findings to the public and governments, can spread awareness on issues in Antarctica and boost donations
-creating petitions, lobbying, and campaigning for change, these petitions must be discussed by governments once they have reached a certain number of signatures
