Antarctica Could Turn Out To Be A Wealthy Continent

Cordoned off as a realm only for international scientific endeavors, Antarctica offers countless opportunities for research that can not be obtained anywhere else on the globe. One fantastic Antarctican characteristic tops almost the entire land mass and also goes into the surrounding water. It's the great ice sheet. As big as the entire state of Texas, Ross Ice Shelf is the grandest of them all. As the ice sheet moves, scientists have clocked it moving at a rate of 1800 feet per year.

Two percent of the planet's water and ninety percent of the world's ice are found in Antarctica. The endurance of the great inland ice maintains sea level worldwide. Even just several feet of the ice melted into water would increase the sea levels noticeably, creating tragic outcomes for all seacoasts and seaports on earth.

If all the ice on the shelf were to melt, it would add another 250 feet to the sea level. Understanding the Antarctic ice's health is necessary. There is no question about whether the ice is growing or shrinking. It has been theorized that we can determine the history of geophysical events in the planet through the layers of ice, like the rings of a tree.

This ice can tell use about the first uses of smelting, how using lead in gasoline affected things, and contains information about nuclear explosions. Scientists have examined how much lead has particulated on the ice since 1950. According to these findings, it's been discovered that more and more lead has become concentrated in the ice over the past ten years, and leaded gasoline being burned caused this particular phenomenon. This increase lets us see some of the effects of pollution.

Interestingly enough, the polar snow and ice didn't record any trace of DDT, but the penguins, seals and some fish in Antarctica did. The ice layers can also provide information on items from space that have breached the atmosphere and imbedded in the ice sheet over time. Predictions could be offered for the types and quantity of particles that space vehicles will contact, assuming additional research demonstrated that such particles have a repeating pattern.

Vegetation in Antarctica is found mostly as lichens. In terms of fauna, springtails and mites abound. Despite the presence of wingless flies, no flying insects live in the Antarctic. In the ocean that surrounds Antarctica, you can find the flightless penguin or the Weddell seal. This Weddell Seal is an amazing creature. It can dive up to 1500 feet and not surface for air for over 30 minutes.

Antarctica does have areas that are ice free, which the Adelie penguins take advantage of by nesting in those area during the summer months and moving north during winter months. They can navigate with amazing accuracy. They use the sun and their own biological talents to maintain a straight course. Of six Adelies released 2400 miles from their rookery, three were able to get back in ten months? time. Upon arrival, via plane, at the South Pole, the animals were let go. Upon release, they quickly ascertained their situation then headed in a straight line for their homes.

The largest creature to live on this planet can found near Antarctica. More than five times bigger than any dinosaur, the great blue whale needs one ton of shrimp to eat each day. Compared to the Arctic, Antarctic seas contain a much greater diversity of fish. Over ninety percent of bottom-dwelling fish found in the Antarctic are not found elsewhere. This is a strong indication of the importance of the Antarctic Convergence.

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