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Amazing Antarctica
Factfile |
 Amazing Antarctica |
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The Coldest Continent |
Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world: temperatures there are 10 - 30º colder than at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere. The world's lowest recorded surface air temperature of -89.2º was recorded at the Russian Vostok Station in 1983 and the average temperature at the South Pole is -47º C, which is about 5 times colder than your freezer at home.
But why is Antarctica so cold? One of the reasons is because the Sun is always either low in the sky or below the horizon. When the Sun is low in the sky, its rays have to heat more atmosphere and a greater area of ground than when it is high in the sky. Also, unlike the Arctic region, which is a frozen ocean, Antarctica is a continent covered by a huge sheet of ice. At its thickest, the ice is 4776 m thick (Terre Adelie); its weight is pushing the continent down into the semi-molten rock below.
Pack ice in Antarctica - Australian Antarctic Division
Antarctica's ice sheet builds up very slowly - many parts of it are millions of years old. These days, Antarctica's ice sheet has become a magnet for scientists studying the earth's weather systems and the movements of ice.
Icebergs - Neil Stokes
One of the many `big questions' for everyone about Antarctica, is what might happen if the global climate warmed up? Over the last century the amount of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and methane in the atmosphere has been increasing rapidly mainly as a result of burning fossil fuels. These are `greenhouse' gases in that they tend to prevent radiated heat from escaping from the Earth's atmosphere, in the same way that the glass of a greenhouse traps heat. Over time, it is likely that the accumulation of greenhouse gasses could lead to an increase in global temperatures.
By monitoring Antarctica, scientists hope to understand the role that the continent plays in regulating the earth's climate. As research continues, the information obtained in Antarctica will become more sophisticated, which ultimately will help us to avoid damaging the Earth's climate further.
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