Lecture 22- Antarctica

Question 1

What is the Antarctic treaty?

Answer 1

-49 signatory countries -began in 1961 -agreement to that Antarctica does not belong to anyone, still have territorial claims -only a scientific research area -military pursuits are strictly banned -big international agreement

Question 2

How big is Antarctica?

Answer 2

-14 million km2 -x1.6 times bigger than Australia -low input from the Sun -productivity is low as the light is reflected

Question 3

What are the Antarctic bases (3)? And what countries claim Antarctica?

Answer 3

-

Question 4

What is the life of a research like in Antarctica?

Answer 4

-logistically difficult -can be psychologically challenging -cold, windy -isolated, only with few people= problems

Question 5

What is transport like to Antarctica?

Answer 5

-on ships and the last bit can be helicopter as the ice doesn’t melt all the way to the base -then use helicopters or scooter things for research -sometimes skis as well but only short distance and not common

Question 6

What is the temperature like in Antarctica?

Answer 6

-very cold, mean temperature is -49C -record is -89C -very windy

Question 7

What is the elevation like in Antarctica?

Answer 7

-very high -2300 mean elevation -the ice sheet mean width is 2km, can be up to 4.5km

Question 8

What is Antarctic convergence?

Answer 8

• circumpolar current circulated west to east inside the convergence
• the water around the antarctic is a closed system
• so if oil spill in it, does not dissipate as easily -helped freezing the antarctica as the water was circulating there= cold

Question 9

Is Antarctica considered a dry continent?

Answer 9

-very dry (water locked up in ice) -affects mucous membranes -low humidity in the air

Question 10

What is the Antarctic Plateau like?

Answer 10

-a cold desert

Question 11

What does shortage of suitable substrate mean for species in the Antarctic?

Answer 11

-constrains species that can’t breed on ice -Antarctic petrels -Southern Fulmars

Question 12

What vertebrates are there in the Antarctic?

Answer 12

-fish: over 270 species -amphibians and reptiles=0 as too cold, no invertebrates to eat. low humidity -43 species of seabirds -19 mammal species, all marine (only whales and seals), no strictly terrestrial vertebrates

Question 13

What are the skuas?

Answer 13

-big gulls (bigger than silver and pacific gulls) -clean everything -key scavenger/predator on land -seabird

Question 14

How many species of seals are there in the Antarctic?

Answer 14

-7 -eg. Weddell seal, crabeater seal -Leopard seal= top order predator, -580-600kg, very large -classic predator teeth -big dangerous animals

Question 15

How many species of whales are there in the Antarctic?

Answer 15

-12 -2 groups of whales -1.orca= take seals, penguins etc. -2 baleen whales are the other group -the biggest mammals in the world and animals -feed on really small animals -kryll really abundant in some areas

Question 16

What is the food base in the Antarctic?

Answer 16

-krill, zooplankton, cephalopods -foodchain in the antarctic= simple -zooplankton are the basis= whales eat it -it is harvested by people= for protein, feed for fish -concerns as it could damage the whole system

Question 17

What is the Heard Island like?

Answer 17

-belongs to Australia -sub-antarctic -tallest Australian mountain -very isolated -very few species but high abundance of those! -7 seal species, 32 seabird species recorded (19 breeding here) -ice bound, covered in ice all year

Question 18

What is the Macquarie Island like?

Answer 18

-sub Antarctica -mid oceanic ridge (two plates pushing up) -outside the Antarctic convergence about 33km long -1600km away from Tasmania -almost always very windy 40knots -to get around= you walk everything wet all the time -windy and cloudy -not that cold, temps aroundmostly 1-8C sometimes 9C- 13C -freshwater lakes but no freshwater fish -steep coastal slopes

Question 19

What are some of the mammals that live on Macquarie Island?

Answer 19

-seals: 1.subantarctic fur seal (sexual dimorphism, females= 40kg, males= 180kg) 2.Elephant seals (bull up to 4 tonnes, decreasing in numbers, scars on males, they are phocids, only move with front paws, can be very fast)

Question 20

What are the birds that live on Macquarie Island?

Answer 20

-72 species of seabirds recorded -penguins: King Penguins (live in colonies), Gentoo Penguin (more solitary, quiet smaller), Royal Penguins (smelly, argumentative), Rockhopper Penguins(smaller, feisty, live in colonies) -albatrosses: Sooty Albatross (numerous), Black Browed Albatross (pair for life, small colony), Grey Headed Albatross (large about 40-50cm), Wandering Albatross: huge wingspan-covers huge distances, great concern about this, long life cycle)

Question 21

What are the threats and conservation issue for the Antarctic region? (5)

Answer 21

1. Global warming: sea level change 2. Pollution: delicate ecosystem 3. Harvesting in southern oceans 4. Introduced (feral species) 5. Increasing tourism