Antarctica Case Study - Global Commons Flashcards
How big is Antarctica?
14km squared.
What percentage of Antarctica’s land is covered in ice?
98%.
What is the climate like in Antarctica?
Generally dry and below freezing, with temperatures ranging from 8 degrees in coatsal areas in the summer, to -90 degrees in the interior in the winter.
What is the average interior temperature on Antarctica year-round?
-57 degrees.
How much of the world’s fresh water does Antarctica’s ice hold?
2/3 .
How much rainfall does Antarctica get on average annually?
<30mm
Which natural resources is Antarctica rich in?
iron, copper, nickel, gold, chromium, platanium.
Roughly how much bigger is Antarctica than the USA?
1.5x bigger.
Which weather extremes does Antarctica frequently experience?
Blizzards and cyclonic storms.
What are the conservation values of Antarctica?
The Southern Ocean providing a rich ecosystem.
Continental laboratorys.
Being a heat sink, reflecting solar radiation and insulating the oceans.
160 million years of the planet’s history is preserved in the ice and bedrock.
How does Antarctica act as a heat sink?
By having high levels of albedo (up to 0.9), solar radiation will be reflected back into space as opposed to being absorbed by the earth, contributing to global warming.
Who delimited the Southern Ocean and when?
The international Hydrographic Organisation in the spring of 2000.
What is the Southern Ocean?
Southern portions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, comprised of all waters south of 60 degrees south latitude.
What is the Antarctic convergence zone?
Where cold, northward flowing waters meet with warmer sub-Antarctic waters.
How large is the Antarctic convergence zone?
Approximately 32 to 48km wide, varying in latitudes seasonally.
Which parallels does the Antarctic Convergence Zone fluctuate between?
48th and 61st south latitudes.
What does the Antarctic Convergence Zone seperate considering natural boundries?
Two hydrological regions.
Areas of distinct wildlife.
Areas of distinct climate.
What is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?
An eastward flowing current driven by the west wind drift which blocks warmer waters travelling southwards.
And a lesser, westward flowing current, driven by the east wind drift.
What is the Antarctic Divergence?
The area where the two opposite flwing currents meet.
What is the average height of Antarctica?
2,300m above sea level.
What causes Antarctica to be so high above sea level?
The combination of tall mountains and thick ice sheets.
What is the average wind speed in Antarctica?
50mph.
What has caused the thick ice sheets to form in Antarctica?
The accumulation of small inputs of snow and frost over a long period of time.
What are nunataks?
Small areas of rock from high mountain peaks emerging from above ice sheets.
What causes nunataks to not accumulate ice?
High winds and steep slopes.
How does the cold waters in Antarctiica promote diverse ecosystems?
Upwelling of cooler water brings nutrients, supporting phytoplankton which provide for krill, which many species depend on as a food source.
When did whaling begin?
In the nineteenth centry.
What caused whaling to move to the Southern Ocean?
As whale populations became reduced by exploitation in the North Atlantic.
When was the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced?
1946.
