Antarctica Flashcards
Some cards need answers
What are the four main threats to Antarctica?
Climate change
Fishing and whaling
Tourism and research
Mineral extraction
Antarctica’s climate
There is very little available water. Inland areas receive less than 166 mm of precipitation per year (which is low enough to classify it as a desert) and most precipitation that falls is frozen.
It is very cold - the average temperature is -49’C.
There is very little sunshine in winter.
Plants in Antarctica
Cold temperatures with little available water mean that very few plants and animals can survive there, and the ones that do have to be specially adapted.
Antarctica’s plant life is mainly made up of mosses and lichens, and only two species of flowering plants grow.
Size of Antarctica
Antarctica covers an areas about 14 million km2, so it’s larger than Europe.
Water/Ice in Antarctica
Antarctica contains 90% of all the ice on Earth – around 70% of all the Earth’s freshwater.
Sea life in Antarctica
There’s abundant sea life, e.g. fish, seals and whales. Birds, like albatrosses and penguins, survive on the sea life.
The marine ecosystem is fragile — if the population of one species decreases it affects other species.
How is climate change a threat to Antarctica?
1) In the past five decades, areas along the west coast of Antarctica have warmed by as much as 3 °C — one of the fastest temperature rises on Earth.
2) Warming has caused the ice shelves (large sheets of ice) around Antarctica’s Weddell Sea and Ross Sea to melt. As the ice shelves have retreated, the Antarctic environment has changed dramatically.
3) Species of penguin that are adapted to sea ice have declined as the ice has melted. They have been replaced in some areas by chinstrap penguins, which are more adapted to open sea conditions.
4) Antarctic krill depend on the environment the sea ice provides. The krill population has declined by around 80% since the 1970s as the sea ice has melted. Krill are the main food source for penguins, whales and seals, so the decline in the number of krill is leading to declines in the populations of these animals as well.
5) Melting sea ice has an impact on global sea levels, which have risen by around 3 mm a year since the 1990s — this could make the edges of the ice shelves unstable, increasing the rate of melting.
How is the search for minerals a threat to Antarctica?
1) There are believed to be a lot of minerals in Antarctica. E.g. there are large underground deposits of coal and iron ore in the Transantarctic Mountains.
2) There are also large reserves of oil underneath the Southern Ocean.
3) So far there hasn’t been any mining in Antarctica. It is currently banned, but conditions aren’t favourable anyway — it is too far to transport machinery to Antarctica from any other landmass and the landscape and climate would make mining difficult and expensive.
4) However, this may change in the future due to increasing demand for minerals and oil as supplies are depleted elsewhere. Mining in the Antarctic would damage the environment.
How is fishing a threat to Antarctica?
1) Over-fishing threatens many species, e.g. in Antarctica the Patagonian toothfish is being fished unsustainably, making it vulnerable to extinction. Antarctic krill are the most fished creature — in 2013 over 200 000 tonnes of krill were fished from the Antarctic. Reduced fish and krill populations have knock-on effects on other species in the food chain, e.g. the larger fish, marine mammals and birds that eat them.
2) There are legal limits on how much fish can be caught per year to keep stocks at a sustainable level. However, lots of illegal fishing takes place, which is difficult to monitor.
How are tourism a threat to Antarctica?
1) Tourism increases shipping and air travel to Antarctica, leading to water and air pollution. There is also a risk of boats grounding or hitting icebergs, which can cause fuel spills.
2) Tourists can disturb breeding colonies of birds. Trampling damages fragile vegetation and erodes the landscape. Litter and waste disposal damages habitats and can harm wildlife, especially because decomposition rates in cold environments are slow.
3) Non-native species may be introduced, e.g. on tourists’ clothing — these may alter food webs and ecosystems.
How are research a threat to Antarctica?
Antarctica is also important for scientific and environmental research. This requires lots of facilities, including bases for the researchers to live, roads to transport supplies and places to store fuel.
Until the 1980s a lot of the waste created in these bases was either burned, thrown into the sea or dumped.
How is whaling a threat to Antarctica?
1) Whaling was common in the mid-20th century, but has declined since 1982 when regulations were brought in to ban all commercial whaling. Some countries continue to kill whales for ‘scientific’ purposes.
2) Whaling significantly decreased the Antarctic whale population, which is now slowly recovering. However, whales are slow breeders, so it will take a long time for populations to fully recover.
What are the international laws that help to protect Antarctica?
The Antarctic Treaty (1959)
The Protocol on Environmental Protection (1991)
The Antarctic Treaty (1959)
An agreement about how to sustainable manage Antarctica’s ecosystems. It has now been signed by 53 countries. The rules laid out in the treaty include:
- Antarctica should only 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 in the global commons – individual countries cannot make a claim to it.
Under the 1959 treaty, all bases and equipment in Antarctica can be inspected at any time, with different countries taking responsibility for carrying out inspections. However, inspections don’t occur very often.
1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection
This was signed in 1991 and added to the Antarctic Treaty.
It focuses on protecting Antarctica’s fragile environment, particularly by banning all mining in Antarctica.
It also set rules to:
- Help protect Antarctic plants and animals
- Regulate waste disposal
- Prevent pollution.
Under the 1991 protocol, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for any new activities.
