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Geography A-level > Antarctica case study > Flashcards

Antarctica case study Flashcards

1
Q

Location

A
  • Southern Hemisphere
  • Around the South Pole asymetrically
  • Almost entireley within the Antartica circle
  • 66^o latitude
  • Sorrounded by the southern ocean
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2
Q

Length of antartica

A

14km 2

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2
Q

Latitude?

A

66 degrees south

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3
Q

Landscape

A
  • Covered by thick ice sheet - avg 200m thick
  • Fringed by ice shelves
  • Dry valleys - found in high altitudes areas of extreme aridity
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4
Q

Antarticas ice shelves

A

Largest ross and Ronne ice shelf (larger than British Isles), Amery ice shelf

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5
Q

How much of antartica is ice?

A

98%

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5
Q

Example of Antarticas dry valleys?

A

Wright Valleu in McMurdo dry valley 5 coast near ross sea

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6
Q

Releif of Antartica

A
  • Transantartic mountain range contains many peaks above 4000m - divides east west ice sheets
  • Worlds largest continent avg 2,200 m above sea level
  • Thickness of ice gives its highest elevation
  • east antartic ice sheet is larger and thicker as it is older than the west ice sheet
  • Ellesment mountains - west antartic ice sheet has a higher peak - mount vinsent 4822km
  • Most is ice covered except from nunatuks
  • Pinnacles of rocks emerging above ice sheets
  • Steep - snow doesnt stay and accumulate
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7
Q

Is it worlds highest continent?

A

Yes - 2,200km above sea level

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7
Q

Transantartic mountain range

A

contains many peaks above 4000m - divides east west ice sheets

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8
Q

Ellesment mountains

A

Ellesment mountains - west antartic ice sheet has a higher peak - mount vinsent 4822km

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9
Q

Oceanic currents

A
  • Antartica circumpolar currents
  • Antartic convergence
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10
Q

Antartica circumpolar current ACC

A
  • Flows clockwise from west to east around antartica (westwind drift) dominant southern ocean feature - driven by westerly winds
  • Strongest current flows all the way around the world transporting the most water
  • A lesser current flows in the opposite direction: westward by easterly winds
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11
Q

Antartica convergence

A
  • A curve continuously encircling antartica where cold northward waters meet the relativley warmer waters of the sub antartica creating a zone of upwelling currents nutrients
  • Stretches 32-48km
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12
Q

Climate

A
  • Avg temp less than -50 degrees can be as low as -89
  • Mean avg wind speed of 50 miles per hour - resulting from the convergent katabatic winds
  • Gales can reach up to 200mph
  • Mean annual precipitation < less than 50mm per annum
  • Is a polar dessert
  • Sorrounded by sea warmer temp
  • Coastal areas especially peninsula - microclimatic and topographic condtions to allow ablation in the summer so biodiversity increases - climate change affects peninsula
  • 97% covered by ice
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13
Q

Avg temp

A

Avg temp less than -50 degrees can be as low as -89

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14
Q

Avg wind speeds

A

Mean avg wind speed of 50 miles per hour - resulting from the convergent katabatic winds
Gales can reach up to 200mph

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15
Q

Mean precipitation

A

Mean annual precipitation < less than 50mm per annum
A polar dessert

16
Q

Sorrounded by warmer sea

A
17
Q

Coastal areas

A

microclimatic and topographic condtions to allow ablation in the summer so biodiversity increases - climate change affects peninsula

18
Q

Marine enviroments

A
  • Sea temp ranges from -1.8 near antartica coast and 3.8 near polar front
  • Biologically niche area - temp doesnt affect biodiversity of marine - nutrients avaliability sowa (upwelling of currenst intrdouces more nutrients)
  • Phytoplankton dirve the food web - very large biomass (bacteria, phyto,zoo)
  • 50,000 tonnes of carbon is fixed per 1000km 2 of sea by phytoplankton
  • 20% of all photosynthesis on earth. 50% oxygen on earth small as 0.2 diameter
  • High levels of phytoplankton, copepods, krill and resultant food chains support fish, whales, seals and penguins
  • Upwelling of currents- ice froms, expelling salt, sorrounding water increases in density (nutrient rich water)
  • Brine rejection; salty water expelled into sorrounding area and this is aided by cooling water which is then replaced by the warmer water
19
Q

Sea temp ranges

A

Sea temp ranges from -1.8 near antartica coast and 3.8 near polar front

20
Q

Significance of Phytoplankton

A

Phytoplankton dirve the food web - very large biomass (bacteria, phyto,zoo)
50,000 tonnes of carbon is fixed per 1000km 2 of sea by phytoplankton
20% of all photosynthesis on earth. 50% oxygen on earth small as 0.2 diameter
High levels of phytoplankton, copepods, krill and resultant food chains support fish, whales, seals and penguins

21
Q

Upwelling of nutrients

A

Upwelling of currents- ice froms, expelling salt, sorrounding water increases in density (nutrient rich water)
Brine rejection; salty water expelled into sorrounding area and this is aided by cooling water which is then replaced by the warmer water

21
Q

Biologically niche area

A

temp doesnt affect biodiversity of marine - nutrients avaliability sowa (upwelling of currenst intrdouces more nutrients)

22
Q

Katabatic winds

A

Generic term for downslope winds flowing from high elevation of mountains down slowpes to valleys or planes below

23
Q

What are the threats to antartica?

A

Climate change
Whaling and Fishing
Tourism
Scientific research
Mining

24
Q

History of tourism

A
  • First tourists arrived in 1958 - very small number
  • Started by sea 1960s, air overflights 1970s
  • Commercial tourism started in 1960s
  • Rapid growth in 1980s
  • The international association of antartica tour established in 1991 to regulate the tourism rates
25
Q

Reasons for tourism

A
  • Attracted by glacial landscapes
  • Wildlife species -ie. penguins
  • Visiting historic sites - ie. mcmurdo sound
  • Remoteness and isolation of true wilderness
  • Kayaking the southern sea
  • Visit between november and march sea ice has melted and long hours of day light
  • Most by cruise ships
  • up to 500
  • Starting point is ushuaia on southern tip point of argentina - antartic peninsula
  • IAATO - 95 vessels, 21 yachts
26
Q

Trends in tourism

A
  • In early 1990s- 5000 tourists per year in small ice strengthend vessels
  • By 2009-2010 estimated 37,000 visitors by 2019 - 2020 jumped to 74, 401
  • By 2023-2024 increased 122,072 it is increasing rapidly
27
Q

Impacts of tourism

A
28
Q

Management of tourism

A
29
Q

Ecotourism

A
30
Q

Trends in climate change

A
31
Q

West antartic ice sheet + peninsula

A
32
Q

East antartic ice sheet expansion

A
33
Q

Impacts of climate change

A
34
Q

Ocean acidification

A
35
Q

Management of antartics ice sheet

A
36
Q

Reasons for fishing and Whaling

A
37
Q

Fishing

A
38
Q

Impacts of fishing +whaling

A
39
Q

Managment of fishing and whaling

A
40
Q

What goverance is in place in antartica?

A

Geography A-level (41 decks)

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