Antarctica

Question 1

Where is Antarctica located?

Answer 1

Southwards from other continents
5th largest continent

Question 2

What is Antarctica in terms of continent? Climate - 2 things

Answer 2

Driest continent and largest desert

Question 3

Why does Antarctica have very little snow or rain?

Answer 3

Temperature

Question 4

How thick can the ice be ?

Answer 4

Up to 4km thick in some places

Question 5

How do floating ice shelves form?

Answer 5

By ice flowing off the continent and these shelves break to make icebergs

Question 6

How much of the world’s oceans would rise if Antarctica’s ice sheets melted?

Answer 6

60-65 meters

Question 7

Who is Antarctic governed by?

Answer 7

Antarctic Treaty

Question 8

What is the sea called that surrounds Antarctica?

Answer 8

Antarctica sea

Question 9

Why do no one own Antarctica?

Answer 9

Cold War

Question 10

What does ATS mean?

Answer 10

Antarctica Treaty system

Question 11

What does the ATS regulate?

Answer 11

International relations

Question 12

When was ATS introduced?

Answer 12

1961

Question 13

How many countries signed the ATS?

Answer 13

53 countries

Question 14

What are 2 agreements about ATS?

Answer 14

No nuclear testing
Freedom of scientific research

Question 15

When do the ATS group meet and why?

Answer 15

Annually and discuss territory issues

Question 16

What else does the ATS designate?

Answer 16

Protected Areas through schemes

Question 17

What is an example of a scheme that protects areas?

Answer 17

Antarctica Specially Protected Areas - ASPA

Question 18

What does the ocean support?

Answer 18

Marine life

Question 19

When did whaling and fishing start in Antarctica?

Answer 19

19th century

Question 20

What has whaling resulted in?

Answer 20

Whale population declining dye to massive exploitation

Question 21

Give us a fact about whaling population in 1960?

Answer 21

Population declined by 90%

Question 22

Why do certain countries want to hunt whales?

Answer 22

Because they provide a range of products

Question 23

What are the 2 fish species that were sought after?

Answer 23

Krill and Antarctica Toothfish

Question 24

What are 3 risks to Antarctica linking to fishing?

Answer 24

Overfishing
Destruction of marine habitats
Contamination

Question 25

What is the global body called that is responsible for conservation of whales?

Answer 25

International Whaling Commission - IWC

Question 26

Where are the 2 main whaling stations?

Answer 26

South Shetlands and South Georgia

Question 27

What do Krill feed on?

Answer 27

Phytoplankton

Question 28

What is phytoplankton?

Answer 28

Single celled, microscopic plants that drift near the ocean’s surface

Question 29

Why is scientific research and tourism a threat to Antarctica?

Answer 29

Some degree of disturbance to wildlife and environment

Question 30

How is there some degree of disturbance to wildlife and environment? 2 points

Answer 30

Oil spills
Tourism season coincides with peak breeding season

Question 31

What is seaborne tourism?

Answer 31

Cruises with opportunities to transfer to smaller boats for landing or cruising close to shore

Question 32

What is airborne tourism?

Answer 32

Flying - scenic flights over continent or in some cases landing

Question 33

What are fly cruises?

Answer 33

Visitors land on King George Island from flights and onto a cruise boat

Question 34

How many tourists were there landing in Antarctica in 2018?

Answer 34

56000

Question 35

What about in the past year, how many tourists?

Answer 35

105000

Question 36

What is the body responsible for regulating tourists?

Answer 36

International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations - IAATO