2. In the Southern Hemisphere almost with in the Antarctic
circle and encompassing the South Pole, Lies Antarctica. The Worlds
fifth largest (table), the coldest, the Highest, the driest and
stormiest of all the continents in the world.
3. 1. Landscape: About 98% of its surface is covered by a
permanent, the thickest and the largest ice- sheet in the world. It
comprises of about 29 million cubic kilometers of ice which
accounts for about 90 % of all the ice and 75 % of all the fresh
water in the world. If it were to melt, the sea levels across the
world would rise by about 55 mts, sub merging large strips of
densely populated coastal low lands, along with their large
cities.
4. Flag of Antarctica The Graham Bartram design uses the flag
of the United Nations as its model. A plain white map of the
continent on a blue background symbolizes neutrality (Bartram was
well aware of the overlapping territorial claims of the United
Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina when he designed the flag). This flag
was actually flown on the Antarctic continent for the first time in
2002, when Ted Kaye (editor of Raven, the scholarly journal of the
North American Vexillological Association) took several full-size
flags in the Bartram design on an Antarctic cruise. The bases of
Brazil, Ukraine, and the UK all flew it from their flagpoles,
making its raising "official". He presented a paper ("Flags Over
Antarctica") which described the first flying of the Bartram design
over Antarctica in Stockholm in 2003, at the 20th International
Congress of Vexillology. It is perhaps the most popular flag for
Antarctica, as seen by its prevalence on the Internet. The Graham
Bartram design:-
5. Whitney Smith The Whitney Smith design uses the
high-visibility color orange as its background (it is the
international rescue color, it contrasts the best against snow, and
to avoid any confusion, is unlike almost any national flag on
Earth). The emblem consists of several components. 'A' stands for
Antarctica. The bottom segment of the globe represents Antarctica's
"position" on Earth (according to the modern convention of drawing
maps with north on top), while the two hands holding up the globe
segment represent peaceful human use. The emblem is colored white
to represent the snow and ice of Antarctica and is offset toward
the hoist of the flag so as to maintain its integrity should the
flag fray badly in the high winds prevalent upon the continent.
However, there is no record of it ever being fabricated or used,
despite being displayed in some atlases.
6. The average thickness of this dome shaped ice sheet is 3000
meters with 4000 to 4500 meters, recorded at certain localities and
it sustains the worlds largest glaciers, such as the Lambert and
the Beardmore glaciers. The thin margins of this enormous ice
sheets are extended into the surrounding waters, along many coastal
areas. Known as ice shelves these are about meters thick in their
outer margins and large chunks of these flat topped platforms of
ice-break off and float away as icebergs. The largest iceberg so
far recorded in the world was sited in the southern pacific ocean
in 1956. covering an area of about 31,000 square kilometers, which
is slightly larger than Belgium in Europe.
7. http://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/continent/glaciers
Satellite Images Web Link for more reference:-
8. Lambert Glacier
9. East Antarctica West Antarctica
10. Vinson massif
11. 2.Climate: Strong west winds race clock-wise relentlessly
around the continent called West-Wind Drift. Antarctica, being the
coldest continent, records the lowest temperatures in the world
during the winter, in the late August, and they usually range from
20o C on the coast to -70o in the interior. The Vostok, a Russian
Research Station, which lies at an altitude of 3420 meters, 1300
kilo meters from the coast. The summer temperatures usually range
from about 0o on the coast to - 35o in the interior. In certain
ice-free areas of the Antarctic Peninsula, which extend beyond the
Antarctic Circle. How ever, temperatures as high as 15o C are
recorded during the summer.
12. The Vostok, a Russian Research Station
13. Usually, dense, cold and fierce winds known as Katabatic
winds, characterize the Antarctic coasts. At times, suddenly give
rise to the Antarctic Blizzards, with wind velocities reaching as
high as 225-250 Kilo metres per hour. On December 9, 1960 at Mawson
station, a standing aircraft was destroyed in these Blizzards.
Antarctica is the driest continent in the world. In the Dry valleys
region no rain fell in the past two million years. The
precipitation in the interior, which is in the form of dry, powdery
snow is equivalent to less than 5 centimeters of rain fall per
annum and it increases to 50 centimeters in the coastal
regions.
14. 3.Natural Vegetation:- The freezing temperatures and the
long periods of sunlight followed by the long periods of darkness
create the most adverse conditions for plant growth on the earths
surface, making it the only treeless continent in the world. There
are 400 species of lichens, a few species of mosses and algae and
only two species of flowering plants.
15. Flowering Plant in Antarctica Algae, Moss and Lichens in
Antarctica region
16. Birds in Antarctica:-
17.
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_antarctica/wildlife/plants/
Additional Link for wild life and plants in Antarctica region
http://library.thinkquest.org/26442/html/life/plant.html
www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/alevel_3_2.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215022/animals.htm
http://www.coolantarctica.com/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/27068/Antarctica/24722/Mineral-
resources http://www.globalclassroom.org/antarct3.html
http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/alevel_5_2.html
18. The Oceanic waters surrounding Antarctica are as rich in
life as the land is barren. All the animals that live in abundance
in the cold Antarctic waters are insulated with blubber, a thick
layer of oily fat, just beneath their skin . They include different
species of seals and whales
19. Animals in Antarctica Weddell Seal Black-browed Albertross
Leopard Seal Blue whale Orcas
20. Antarctic Fur Seal Southern Elephant Seal Antarctic Shag
Ross Seal Crab Eater Seal
22. Penguin Rookeries in AntarcticaKrill in Antarctica
23. Scientific investigations reveled that the rocks of
Antarctica contained fossils remains of ferns, forest-trees, small,
primitive mammals and the giant dinosaurs, which are at least 140
million years old, indicating that much warmer climate prevailed
over this continent during that time.
24. Sea Shell New Species Dinosaurs New Species Dinosaurs Tree
fossil found on rock Sea Spider fossil Ancient Whale Jaw bone
25. 5. Mineral Wealth:- Antarctica contains minerals of
antimony, chromium, copper, gold, galena, lead, molybdenum, tin and
zinc, beside coal and rock phosphate. Recent studies indicate
locally high concentrations of Ferro-manganese nodules on the floor
of the southern pacific and Atlantic oceans.
26. 6. Scientific investigation:- Under an international
agreement called the Atlantic Treaty, this continent is and remain,
at least for the coming 50 years, as a huge Natural laboratory,
where different nations, including India, would work in harmony, on
scientific research, which enhances our knowledge of the earths
climate and other matters of common interest. Though many leading
nations of the world have been contemplating scientific research on
Antarctica since 1957 58, India has entered the fray in 1981. our
country, has established all weather, permanently manned research
stations, Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri on the continent and is
conducting scientific expeditions to Antarctica, every year.
27. Dakshin Gangotri Bharathi Maitri Indian Antarctic Research
Stations
28. Tourism Potential:- This continent contains vast and
not-yet polluted scenic resources, which seem to hold a rich
potential for the future economic growth, in the field of tourism
industry, which has already commenced.
29. Conclusion:- For the present, how ever, this continent is
able to export only the result of fruitful scientific research and
friendship to all the countries in the world. The important points
that you have learnt in this lesson are: The continent of
Antarctica is the worlds fifth largest, the coldest, the highest ,
the driest and the stormiest of all the continents in the world.
about 98 percent of its surface is covered by a permanent, the
thickest and the largest ice sheet in the world. strong west-winds
race clock wise relentlessly around the continent causing the
formation of westerly ocean currents called the West-Wind Drift.
Usually dense cold and fierce winds, known as Katabatic winds,
characterize the Antarctic coasts. The Katabatic winds, at times,
suddenly give rise to the Antarctic Blizzards with wind velocities,
reaching as high as 225-250 kilometers per hour. In the Dry Valleys
region, no rain fell in the past 2 million years. Sunlight and
darkness divide the year in the polar regions. In Antarctica the
conditions for plant growth are most adverse. The Ocean waters
surrounding Antarctica are rich in life unlike its land which
barren. Our country has established all-weather, permanently-manned
research stations Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri on this continent and
is conducting scientific expeditions to Antarctica, Every year. for
the present, this continent is exporting only the results of
fruitful scientific research and friendship to all the countries in
the world.
30. Additional resources Some additional information about
Antarctica is given in the form of PDF files and Video files in the
same
31. I. Answer the following Questions. 1) When compared to the
other continents, Antarctica has many distinctions what are they?
2) Describe the physical features of this continent? 3) Sunlight
and darkness divide the year in the polar region. Explain this
statement asking the south polar region as the example. 4) Describe
the native Animal Life of Antarctica. 5) Describe the natural
vegetation of Antarctica. 6) Describe the mineral wealth of
Antarctica. 7) Describe the climate of Antarctica.
32. 8. What do you know about the scientific investigations
being carried out on Antarctica? 9. Describe about the tourism
potential of Antarctica.
