| True or False? |
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Which of these facts are true and which are false?
1. People have lived in Antarctica for thousands of years. False – Antarctica has no native human inhabitants. The only people who live in Antarctica are scientists who brave the freezing conditions to carry out experiments. 2. At both the South Pole and the North Pole, summer falls between May and July. False – Summer months at the North Pole are May to July, while summer months at the South Pole are November to January. This is because, in June, the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun and has summer. But the southern hemisphere tilts away from the sun and has winter. In December, you have the reverse. 3. Plants and animals once lived in a warmer climate on Antarctica. True – Fossils of trees, plants and animals in Antarctica show that about 250 million years ago, it once had a much warmer climate. Over millions of years, the Earth’s land masses have moved and the temperature has changed. This has brought about the freezing conditions in Antarctica today. 4. Robert Peary and Mathew Henson were the first men to reach the South Pole. False – Robert Peary and Mathew Henson were the first Europeans to reach the North Pole in 1909. Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was the first man to reach the South Pole in 1911. 5. Large fragments from an ice sheet are called bergy growlers. False – Large pieces of ice break off from icebergs to form floating chunks known as bergy bits. Smaller fragments of floating ice are called growlers. 6. Antarctica is owned by 12 countries today, who have signed a historic document called the Antarctic Treaty and this sets out how Antarctica is governed. False – Nobody owns Antarctica. In 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty which sets out how Antarctica is governed. These countries promised to make sure Antarctica is protected and used for peaceful purposes only. Today, 44 countries have signed the Treaty. 7. Blubber is the name for the thick layer of fat on animals such as seals, penguins and whales. This layer helps to protect them against the cold. True – Animals like seals, penguins and whales have a thick layer of blubber to protect their internal organs from the cold. 8. The Titanic sank in 1912, after running into an iceberg. True – Icebergs are a danger to ships because only about 10% of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the water. In 1912, an ocean liner called Titanic collided with an iceberg off the coast of Canada. The ship sank with the loss of 1,522 lives. Ever since the disaster, the International Ice Patrol has monitored icebergs and alerted ships to any possible danger. 9. By using man-made chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (known as CFCs for short) we can repair the holes that has appeared in the ozone layer above the poles. False – Above both poles, holes have appeared in the ozone layer. This is the layer in the Earth’s atmosphere that protects us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Man-made chemicals such as CFCs destroy the ozone layer and therefore we have to stop using products that contain these chemicals. 10. Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. True – An average car running on petrol releases its own weight in carbon dioxide fumes every year. Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. So, why not try to walk or cycle more rather than travel in a car? |
| So how did you
do?
8-10 points. Congratulations! You’re a polar expert. At this rate, it won’t be long before you’ll be working in Antarctica for BAS as a Scientist and asking HMS Endurance to support you with your research. 4 – 7 points. Not bad. You obviously know a bit about Antarctica. Keeping following the tracking project and it won’t be long before you know enough about Antarctica to be a polar expert. 0 –3 points. Terrible. You’ll never become a polar expert at this rate. Keep following the tracking project because we know we can show you a lot of exciting information that will turn you into a polar genius. |
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