Antarctica

About Antarctica

• Antarctica is at the South Pole.
• It is the driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth.
• Antarctica is 1.4 x bigger than the USA and it doesn't have any permanent residents, there never has been. 
• Only about 4,000 scientists in the short summer and 1,000 total in winter.
• Although, there are around 30,000-40,000 tourists in summer.

Wildlife And Food Chains

• Eskimos and polar bears are found in the Arctic, not the Antarctic.
• Antarctica has many food chains.

Here are some examples of food chains:

• Phytoplankton
• Krill
• Baleen Whale

• Algæ
• Krill
• Penguin
• Killer Whale

Here is a picture of Antarctica's Food Web:

Here are some examples of wildlife in Antarctica:

There are many animals in Antarctica such as:

• Whales
• Penguins
• Seals
• Sea birds
• Invertebrates 

Whales

Penguins

Seals

Sea Birds

Invertebrates

Weather Patterns And Conditions

Antarctica's Temperature:

• Three factors: cold, wind and altitude. Antarctica holds the world record for each of these three things.
• Lowest temperature recoded on earth: (Vostok station) -89.2°C 
  Average summer temperature at South Pole: -27.5
  Average winter temperature at South Pole: -60°

Antarctica's Wind:

• Mawson station in Antarctica is the windiest place on earth.
• Average wind speed: 37 kmh
  Maximum recorded gust: 248.4 kmh / 154 mph

Ice Cores And Information That We Can Gain From Them

Ice Cores

• Cylinders of ice, which are drilled out of glaciers. 
• Contain information about past temperatures and other aspects of the environment.

How climate Change Is Affecting Both The Ice And Wildlife

Climate Change:

• World is getting warmer
• Greenhouse gases.
• Burning of fossil fuels

Affects:

• Ice caps are melting
• Sea levels rising
• Animals will become extinct

What Would Happen if Antarctica Dissapeared?

If Antartica disappeared,

• Sea levels would rise by about 61 m.
• Many cities would disappear
• Many animals would become extinct
• Bye-bye Monaco

How Can We Help Save Antarctica?