Antarctica

Project by : Shalva
Peranidze
 In 2001, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen traveled 2,700 kilometers on foot across Antarctica, each
pulling a sled carrying 100 kilograms of food and equipment. The temperature in Antarctica is often an
unimaginable -40°C-the temperature at which skin and flesh freeze! Antarctica holds the record for the
coldest temperature ever measured on Earth, which is -89.2°C.

Antarctica contains approximately 70 percent

of the world's fresh water supply, and yet it is
considered to be one of the world's largest
deserts.
That's because Antarctica's enormous supply
of fresh water is locked up in ice that averages
over two kilometers in thickness. If the ice
sheets melted, the seas would rise as much as
60 meters.
Despite the enormous size of the continent, only a few
invertebrates can survive on the Antarctic peninsula, and
even they are rare. The largest of this group is a type of
midge, which grows to the colossal size of 12 millimeters.
The only plant life that can survive in this harsh climate
consists mainly of algae, moss, and lichen.

While the surface Antarctica is inhospitable to most

living things, the water surrounding the continent is
teeming with living creatures. At the bottom of the food
chain in Antarctic waters is a hardy type of algae.
During the winter, the algae live between the layers of
snow on the sea ice, but when the ice breaks open in the
spring, the algae pour into the ocean. Huge numbers of
krill, tiny sea animals that are less than eight
centimeters long, feed on the algae. The krill, in turn, are
a vital source of food for seabirds, fish, seals, whales, and
penguins.
Today, Antarctica has more than 30 research stations, including
those of Argentina, Australia, Chile, Germany, Great Britain,
Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. Most
scientists live and work there from October to March, when the
sun shines 24 hours a day. The second half of the year brings
darkness and isolation. The few scientists who remain are
trapped for months with only radios, phones, and the Internet to
link them to the rest of the world. After six or seven months, a
plane returns with supplies and releases the scientists from
solitude.
Scientists have also discovered that the temperature of the
air and the water in Antarctica has been slowly rising since
1970. Warmer temperatures result in less sea ice during the
winter months, and this may be having an effect on the
Antarctic food chain. Scientists know that the number of
krill in ocean waters near the Antarctic peninsula has
declined about 80 percent since the 1970s. The most likely
explanation is the decline in the amount of winter sea ice
and the algae that live on it.
Humans are also affecting the food chain in
Antarctica as they start harvesting krill in greater
and greater numbers. It turns out that krill is a useful
so ingredient in a number of products. For example,
it's used to make cosmetics, contact lenses, artificial
skin, and specialized cleaning supplies. Other natural
resources in Antarctica are being similarly exploited
commercially.
Scientists will continue to study penguin and krill
populations and carefully watch the ozone layer above
Antarctica and the ice in the seas. If we are smart, we
will protect the Antarctic environment that is so vital
to our own well-being.