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?
There are many things that we can do to help save Antarctica, such as:
Start using more renewable energy
Stop burning fossil fuels
Work together
Try, care, help.
What was the coldest temperature ever recorded in antarctica?