Antarctica Flashcards
Antarctica
What temperatures can the place experience?
-60 degrees inland and -30 degrees on coasts
Antarctica
What are some reasons to visit?
- Penguins (e.g. Emperor)
- Whales (e.g. Southern Humpback)
- Made more accessible
- People have more money
- Visit scenery
- Scott’s Hut - historic building
- To be one of the few to say you have visited
- Travel to it on a ship - cruise in luxury
Antarctica
What things can you do?
- Fly over ice caps
- Climbing on rocks/ice faces
- Cruise around coastal inlets on small boats
- Visit research stations
- Hike
- Scuba dive under ice sheets
- Kayak
- Visit shallow sea beds in underwater vehicles
Antarctica
What positive impacts does tourism have?
- Increase the appreciation of nature in Antarctica
- Helps scientists discover vital information about wildlife
- Preservation can be helped by having people there to protect wildlife
Antarctica
What negative impacts does tourism have?
- Contamination of soil
- Too many vehicles on ice may cause it to change shape and leave dents in the ice
- Discharge of sewage into the sea and leaving rubbish behind
- Tourists need services to be provided e.g. toilets. Changes the use of the land from the natural environments to buildings
- Animals become stressed because of crowds of people, causing them to abandon eggs or young
- Cruise ships have struck icebergs causing oil spills which damages environment and poisons wildlife
Antarctica
What effect does tourism have on wildlife?
- Tourists get too close to wildlife
- Animals get disturbed and distressed
- Parents abandon young/eggs, which quickly die in harsh environment
- Some penguin colonies have declined by 40% in recent years
Antarctica
What effect does tourism have on rare plants?
- Large numbers of tourists visit certain areas
- Honeypot sites put pressure on surrounding environment
- People walk all over the area including any rare plants or lichens
- These plants are extremely rare and struggle to grow in this climate
Antarctica
What effect does tourism have on oil spills?
- Increased boat use in region by tourists travelling on ice
- Sinking of Canadian cruise ship (Explorer) in 2007
- Oil spills are an increasingly common form of pollution
- Oil matts in animal fur - unable to insulate their bodies
- Hypothermia for seals and penguins
- Many young die, affects long term survival for Antarctic species
Antarctica
What effect does tourism have on litter?
- Large numbers of tourists visit certain areas
- Honeypot sites put pressure on surrounding area
- Litter dropped
- Many animals mistake it for food. Some choke others poisoned
Antarctica
What is the Treaty of Antarctica?
Since 1961 - nearly 50 countries signed up to stop mining, drilling for oil, pollution and war - up until 2048.
Antarctica
How is research helping Antarctica cope?
- Over 50 research centres where scientists observe, record and measure the weather, plants, animals and Earth’s magnetic field.
- Tourists can visit some of the research stations and learn about the importance of environmental protection.
Antarctica
What is the IAATO?
- International Association of Antarctica Tour Operations (IAATO) was set up - 1991.
- Guidelines on number of people allowed on land, activities and wildlife.
- Tourists aren’t allowed to leave anything like rubbish.
- Ships can’t dump used water in the sea.
Antarctica
What is the Polar Code?
(2013)
* Limits numbers and size of ships carrying 500+ people won't be allowed to land anyone. * 100 tourists allowed onshore at one time.
Antarctica
What other measures have been introduced to help Antarctica cope?
From 2011, ships won’t be allowed to use heavy fuel oil because of the effects in an accident.
