Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Going to Antarctica
March 2011
“As the last unspoilt wilderness on earth, Antarctica is currently protected by a treaty prohibiting drilling & mining until 2041. Decisions made by today’s youth will impact our entire planet’s ecosystem & the future of life on Earth”
- Robert Swan, OBE
The concern for environmental management is how to make
good past damage and how to reduce our current and future
impacts
Reducing our Impact
How can we do this?
• Recycling• Don’t use electricity when you don’t need it• Don’t leave the water running• Don’t waste gas by keeping your car running
when it’s not going anywhere• Keep outdoor (and fridge doors) closed
Reducing our Impact
• Why must we make good our past damage and reduce our current and further impact?– Global Warming– Climate Change– Preserve the earth’s natural resources
Reducing our Impact
What does Antarctica have to do with reducing our impact?
Antarctica
• Antarctica is Earth’s southern most continent and holds the South Pole.
• It is situated in the Antarctic Region of the southern hemisphere, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
• About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, which averages at least 1.6 km in thickness.
Facts about Antarctica
• No sovereign country rules Antarctica.• It has never had a native population.• Tourists and scientists don't need a passport,
a visa, or anyone's permission to visit. • Antarctica is a peaceful and unspoiled
wilderness, dedicated to science, with a multinational treaty that prohibits mining or acting on land claims.
Facts about Antarctica
• There are no permanent human residents but many people spend time on research stations.
• For six months every year, the sun shines 24 hours a day at the South Pole.
• During the dark six months of the year, the Antarctic winter (our summer), the South Pole station has a population of 28 people who can't leave.
• For seven months, from early February until a plane flies in mid-winter with supplies, their only link to the outside world is via the Internet, phone, and radio.
Facts about Antarctica
• Only cold-adapted plants and animals can survive there.
• These include lichens, penguins, seals, whales.
Orca Whale
Weddell Seals
Leopard Seal
Penguins of Antarctic
Adélie
Rockhopper Macaroni
Gentoo
King
Chinstrap
Emperor
Facts about Antarctica
• Antarctica holds over 70% of the world’s fresh water.
• If it melts, a good portion of the world’s cities will be swimming.
• Many of these glaciers have broken away from bigger ice shelves over the past few decades and are slowly melting.
Why go an an Antarctic Expedition?
• Antarctica is called Earth’s largest unspoiled wilderness.
• If we don’t take care of the planet Earth then, in years to come, humans might need to dig in it for those natural resources and hurt the plants and animals that live there now.
• It will be the adventure of a lifetime
