McKinley the highest mountain in the United States? How high is King's Peak the highest point in Utah. Antarctica has no indigenous inhabitants, but there are seasonally staffed research stations.
How many research stations are there? Antarctic Timeline Who was the first person to see the Antarctic continent? What country was he from? Who was arguably according to this site the first person to land on the continent? What explorer and his crew became the first to survive an Antarctic winter?
Their ship was trapped in the ice pack off the Antarctic peninsula. What explorer and his crew became the first to winter over on the continent? What 3 men were the first to reach the south pole? In what year did they do it? What notable accomplishment did Roald Amundsen make? Read through the information about the early explorers of Antarctica. What profession did most of them have? AntarcticMap What oceans surround Antarctica?
Is there a pole at the South Pole? If so, what does it look like? How cold does it get in the winter? Remember, this continent is south of the equator so the seasons are opposite of ours in North America.
Summer is in November, December, and January. How many other people live there? Sayre, April Pulley. Brookfield, Conn.
Simon, Noel. Nature in Danger. New York: Oxford University Press, Teacher Resources Antarctica Lesson Plans Lesson plans on insulation, time zones, temperature, and solar energy. Instead, the snow piles on top of itself.
Although little moisture falls from the sky, Antarctica is still battered by colossal blizzards. Like sandstorms in the desert, the wind picks snow up from the ground and blows vast white blankets. Because it lies in the Southern Hemisphere, seasons in Antarctica are the opposite of seasons in the north. Summer runs from October to February and winter covers the remainder of the year. Antarctic summers average just above freezing, with the more mountainous East Antarctica colder than its western counterpart.
The lowest temperature in the world, minus The frozen southern continent wasn't spotted until American seal hunter John Davis was the first to claim he landed on Antarctica in , although some historians dispute his claim. At the beginning of the 20th century, two groups of explorers set out across the desolate Antarctic landscape in a race to walk where no man had walked before.
The groups spent 99 days racing one another to the South Pole , before Amundsen's group claimed victory on Dec. Scott and his crew made it to the pole four weeks later on Jan. A search party found Scott and his two remaining companions inside their sleeping bags in a small tent on the ice, 11 miles 17 kilometers from the nearest cache of food and supplies.
In , the Irish-born British explorer Ernest Shackleton set out to be the first to achieve an overland crossing of Antarctica through the South Pole — about an 1, mile 2, km trek. Shackleton and his crew of 28 men faced incredible challenges and never made it across the continent, although they all eventually made it home alive, according to historical accounts.
The plant life on Antarctica is limited to a smattering of mosses, lichen and algae. Scientists expect the cold continent to become even more green as global temperatures continue to rise. Despite the lack of lush greenery, and complete absence of amphibians, reptiles and terrestrial mammals, there remains an abundance of wildlife in and around Antarctica. Large populations of penguins, whales, fish and invertebrates thrive along Antarctica's coasts and frigid seas, especially in the summer.
The male emperor penguin is the only warm-blooded animal to remain on the continent through the freezing winter while nesting on the single egg laid by its mate.
The female spends nine weeks at sea and returns in time for the egg to hatch. A lot of people who go down early in their careers become dedicated to the Antarctic science for the rest of their lives," Kennicutt said. There are no indigenous people on the frozen continent.
Today, human habitation exists at a variety of scientific research stations managed by more than 20 countries, including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, France and Germany. The harsh weather and remote location does little to keep scientists away from the southern continent.
As many as 4, visiting scientists, spread out across 70 research stations, inhabit the continent during the summer, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute. The number of people drops to 1, during winter. Although Antarctica is largely a hub for climatologists, oceanographers and marine biologists, the frozen desert also attracts astronomers from across the globe. Collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System, they cover such topics as pollution , conservation of animals and other marine life, and protection of natural resource s.
Only 28 of the 47 treaty-states have decision-making powers during these meetings. These include the 12 original signatories of the Antarctic Treaty, along with 16 other countries that have conducted substantial and consistent scientific research there. Future Issues Two important and related issues that concern the Antarctic region are climate change and tourism. The ATCM continues to address both issues.
Antarctic tourism has grown substantially in the last decade, with roughly 40, visitors coming to the region in Officials worked closely with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators IAATO to establish better practices that would reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of tour ships.
These include regulations and restrictions on: numbers of people ashore; planned activities; wildlife watching; pre- and post-visit activity reporting; passenger, crew, and staff briefings; and emergency medical-evacuation plans. Climate change disproportionately affects the Antarctic region, as evidenced by reductions in the size of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the warming waters off the coast.
The ACTM recommended that treaty-states develop energy-efficient practices that reduce the carbon footprint of activities in Antarctica and cut fossil fuel use from research stations, vessels, ground transportation, and aircraft. The Antarctic has become a symbol of climate change.
Scientists and policymakers are focusing on changes in this environmentally sensitive region to push for its protection and the sustainable use of its scientific resources. Not until was it established that Antarctica was a continent and not just a group of islands.
Also called an alpha predator or top predator. The two sides never confronted each other directly. The Earth is the only place in the known universe that supports life. Also called East Antarctica. Also called the energy balance. Also called West Antarctica. National Aeronautics and Space Administration the U. Also called thermohaline circulation. Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a year cycle.
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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. The cryosphere contains the frozen parts of the planet. It includes snow and ice on land, ice caps, glaciers, permafrost, and sea ice. As the world warms due to increasing greenhouse gases being added to the atmosphere by humans, the snow and ice are melting.
At sea, this exposes more of the dark ocean below the ice, and on land, the dark vegetation below. These dark surfaces then absorb the solar radiation causing more melting. This creates a positive feedback loop, which exacerbates the impacts of climate change. Learn more about this vulnerable sphere with this collection of resources. A political boundary is an imaginary line separating one political unit, such as a country or state, from another.
Sometimes these align with a natural geographic feature like a river to form a border or barrier between nations. Occasionally, two countries may contest where a particular border is drawn. These disputes might arise due to a natural resource both groups want, like in the case of Sudan and South Sudan, or in an attempt to gain more political power, as in the case of Pakistan and India in the Kashmir region.
Use these resources to explore more about political boundaries. The northern hemisphere experiences summer during the months of June, July, and August because it is tilted toward the sun and receives the most direct sunlight.
Inversely, summer for the southern hemisphere takes place during the months of December, January, and February because that is when it receives the most direct sunlight. Did you know that the earth is approximately 3. Learn more about the relationship between the earth and the sun with these resources. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.
Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Map by the National Geographic Society. Population Density 0. Earth's fifth-largest continental landmass. Antarctic Bottom Water. Antarctic Convergence. Antarctic Ice Sheet. Antarctic Treaty. Cold War. Also called a dog sledge. Ernest Shackleton. Also called a fire station. Fossil fuels formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals.
Greater Antarctica. Heroic Age.
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