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Antarctica - Coggle Diagram
Antarctica
Environment and Climate
covers 14 million km^2, larger than Europe
contains 90% of all ice on Earth, 70% of all freshwater
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as far north as the Antarctic Convergence (where cold Antarctic water meets warmer water) are part of the global commons
largest desert: very little water for plant growth - inland areas receive <166mm precipitation/ year & most is frozen
Very cold: average temps of -49 degrees C, very little sunlight in winter due to axial tilt
Only very few, specially adapted plants and animals survive - mostly mosses & lichens, only 2 species of flowering plant
terrestrial ecosystem is very fragile - easily damaged & takes a long time to recover, if one species decreases others are affected
Microscopic plankton thrive at the Antarctic Convergence due to upwelling of nutrient-rich water - plenty of food for krill, forms the wholes basis of the Southern ocean food chain
abundant sea life (fish, seals, whales) which birds (penguins, albatrosses) survive on
Climate change threat
areas along the west coast of Antarctica have warmed by 3 degrees C over last 50 years - one of the fastest temp rises
warming causes ice shelves around the Weddell Sea and Ross Sea to melt, dramatically changing the environment
Penguin species adapted to sea ice (Adelie) have declined as ice melts - replaced by chinstrap penguins (more adapted to open sea) in some areas
Krill population has declined 80% since 1970s as they depend on the environment sea ice provides - affect entire food chain
global sea levels have risen 3mm/year since 1990s - makes edges of ice shelves unstable so more melting
causes ocean acidification:
- CO2 in the air reacts with saltwater & creates carbonic acid, which depletes calcium carbonate
- devastating for plankton that use calcium carbonate to form their shells
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Search for minerals
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no mining in Antarctica so far - currently banned & conditions are unfavourable - too far to transport machinery and harsh climate would make it difficult/ expensive
may change in future due to increasing demand for minerals & oil as supplies are depleting elsewhere - this would damage the environment
Tourism and Research
Tourism increases shipping & air travel = water and air pollution; risk of boats hitting icebergs, causing oil spills
Tourism disturbs breeding colonies of birds, trampling damages fragile vegetation & erodes landscape, litter and waste disposal damages habitats (slow decomposition rates in cold temps)
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Lots of facilities required for research: bases to live, roads to transport supplies, places to store fuel
- until 1980s most waste created was burned/ dumped in sea