ANTARCTICA

Topics for discussion:

• Climate of Antarctica
• Animals of Antarctica
• Antarctica's Conservation
 Climate of Antarctica
Southernmost continent of the world
 • A place with no towns or cities
MIND MAP ! • No greenery
• Almost all of the world’s fresh
water locked up in ice sheets

Antarctica’s
Climate

Ice Bitter cold

snow
Freezing Winds
Glaciers

Koppen
Climate
Ice Cap Classification
Ice Cap: Different Kinds of Ice

Ice Sheet
Thick layer of Ice on land

Glacier
Moving mass of ice

Ice Shelf Ice Berg Pack Ice

Floating permanent Piece of ice shelf
ice broken

Land Water
 Inquiry into Climates
Ice Cap: Where ? Water surrounded
by land
• This climate is found at the poles. In the South- Antarctic
In the North : Most parts of Greenland
Portions of Arctic Ocean
Some parts of Russia and Canada

Land surrounded
by water
Ice Cap: What ? What we already know ?
-Earth orbits around the sun (take 365
days to complete one round)
(Seasons)

-It spins on its axis at a title of 23

degrees(takes 24hours to spins once)
(day and Night)

Solstice is either of the two times

a year when the Sun is at its
greatest distance from the
equator.

Complete daylight Complete darkness

in Antarctica in Antarctica
(summers) (winters)
Ice Cap: Why ?
• Sits over the South Pole
Sunlight strikes at an angles.
Little heat white ice reflects it back

• Surrounded by the uninterrupted Southern ocean

no warm ocean currents from nearby land entering

• Antarctica is the highest continent

Ice built up over millions of years.
Cold air
Katabatic Winds

Ice sheet
6500ft
Ocean
 Ice Cap

snow Freezing Winds Bitter cold

Ice

Antarctica’s
Climate
• Why ?
• Two season in Antarctica
Temperature never goes below
freezing point
Sunlight Surrounded Ice sheets
strikes at by built up over
summer winter an angle Southern millions of
Ocean years – Cold
December June Ice reflects air –
Daylight all day Darkest days- no sunlight the heat Katabatic
winds
Animals of Antarctica
 Antarctica’s Animals

• Antarctic animals live where it is very cold.

•Whales, seals and penguins are some of the animals that live in Antarctica.

•They have ways to protect themselves from the cold.

•Some leave Antarctica at the coldest time.

The seas around Antarctica are rich in marine (sea-living) animals, ranging from
microscopic plankton to the largest animal ever to live on Earth, the blue whale.
Crustaceans

The Antarctic waters are very rich in crustaceans such

as krill, crabs, shrimp, sea spiders, and many others.

• Antarctic krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature.

• Krill is the main food for penguins, whales and seals.

Birds

Antarctic Shag

Albatross
Since they're rarely seen
on land, albatrosses use
their wide wings to ride
the ocean winds and
sometimes glide for hours
without a flap of their
wings.
 Penguins

Eat krill and very small fish

Some animals leave Antarctica between June and
August, its coldest months. For example, Humpback
whales eat huge amounts of krill before migrating to
warmer waters.

Some animals remain in Antarctica all the time, for

example, the Emperor penguins.
Antarctica seals are extremely well-adapted to the freezing conditions and actually
often find the conditions too hot, having to take plunges into the water to cool down.
 Almost no vegetation in Phytoplankton (algae and
Antarctica , except lichens, bacteria) -survive in the cold
moss, algae waters, and get their energy
Animals of Antarctica
from the sun

Crustaceans Fish Seals- (leopard, Penguins Albatross

• cod, ice fish, Weddle and Emperor, –ride the
• Crabs, shrimps, sea crocodile elephant seal) Adelie,Ge oceans
spiders fish, dragon -eat squids, krill ntoo etc. winds
• Krill is at the bottom fish, -Leopard seals
of the food chains- eat anything Whales Antarctic
eats phytoplankton's including Shag
penguins
Arctic Vs
Antarctica’s
Animals
 Polar bears

Arctic is home to far more

animals than the Antarctic.  Antarctica is an isolated
continent- very harsh
weather
 Only species common
Narwhal(unicorn of the between the two poles is fish,
sea) squid , octopus etc
Arctic fox

Walrus

Reindeer
Conservation of Antarctica

The world’s last frontier

Antarctica has experienced air temperature
increases of 3°C in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Although that might not seem very much, it is 5
times the mean rate of global warming.

What does
Antarctica’s Climate
change mean?
Impact on krill

Impact on penguins
Rising sea level
 Why Antarctica matters ?
In the past, animal life on and around Antarctica
was hunted and fished without regulation.
Rubbish was dumped or burnt on Antarctica or
even put in the ocean.
The protection of Antarctica was not a priority
when compared to the conduct of science and
scientific research.

This frozen continent is key to understanding how our world works, and our
impact upon it. Antarctica is important for science because of its profound
effect on the Earth’s climate and ocean systems.

Antarctica as an area dedicated to peace and

science, Antarctica’s flora and fauna are protected,
and fishing is increasingly regulated via CCAMLR.
 Antarctic Treaty

Since entering into force on 23 June 1961, the Treaty

has been recognized as one of the most successful
international agreements.

•scientific cooperation;
•protection of the Antarctic environment;
•conservation of plants and animals;
•preservation of historic sites;
•designation and management of protected areas;
•management of tourism;
•information exchange;
Threats to Antarctica’s Future
• CCAMLR
Commission for the
Conservation of
Climate Change Tourism Overfishing
Antarctica's marine life
and resources

• Threatens -Has worked to protect

Antarctica’s • Tramples Antarctica's habitats ,
• Threatens marine resources and marine
wildlife vegetation
life life
• Ozone layer • Disturb wildlife • Strong Antarctic
depletion currents carries -Declared MPA. (Marine
• Introduce Alien nutrients to far protected resources)-
• Melting Ice sheets- species to the away oceans Ross Sea
• CCAMLR
rising sea levels isolated continent
• Illegal fishing still
continues
•  CCAMLR