The Worlds Last Great Wilderness Antarctica

1
The Worlds Last Great Wilderness (Antarctica)

• Dr Julian Paren
• Schools Liaison Officer
• British Antarctic Survey
• Talk at RGS 8 February 2001

2
The Antarctic continent

• Coldest, driest, windiest, highest, and least
  accessible continent
• Winter population 1000 people, 10,000 in summer
• 10,000 tourists visit for a few days in summer
• Ice covered for the last 25 million years
• Less than 1 of continent is ice free
• Once the home of dinosaurs, trees and plants
• An insect is the lion of the Antarctic

3
The Southern Ocean

• Fifty million seals 15 million penguins
• Regional fishery of global economic value
• History of over-exploitation. Seals, whales.
  penguins and fish
• Fishery for krill and fish regulated by
  science-backed international body under Antarctic
  Treaty
• Pirate fishing due to lack of effective policing
• Decline of albatross due to mortality on long
  lines of tuna fishermen in sub-Tropics

4
The Antarctic Treaty

• Antarctica is a natural reserve devoted to peace
  and science
• The Antarctic Treaty manages the regions
  wildlife
• Mining is forbidden
• The Treaty runs indefinitely
• Forty-four countries have acceded to the
  Antarctic Treaty (80 of the world population)
• All 44 countries have to agree to Treaty revisions

5
Green fallacies about the Antarctic

• The Antarctic Treaty expires in 50 years
• Mining is only banned for 50 years
• Antarctica is under threat from developers
• People working in the Antarctic have polluted the
  continent
• Antarctica still has to be saved
• Penguins fall over backwards when planes fly
  overhead!

6
Home truths from the Antarctic

• The Antarctic is the most rigorously protected
  region of the world
• The protection is legally backed
• International inspection teams monitor compliance
  with the Antarctic Treaty
• Mans footprint on Antarctica is practically
  invisible
• More pollution enters the region through the
  atmosphere than is generated there (DDT, CFCs )

7
Antarctic discoveries

• The destruction of the ozone layer
• A 400,000 year demonstration of the link between
  greenhouse gases and climate
• The global impact of the Industrial Revolution
• A reduction of the height of the ionosphere
  consistent with global warming
• Lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet believed to
  contain life forms possibly millions of years old

8
Antarctica is part of the world

• The Earth system involves the whole Earth
• Antarctic studies are essential
• There can be no weak link in understanding the
  Earth system
• Climate feedbacks involving ice, snow, sea ice
  and ocean currents provide the greatest
  challenges in predicting the future

9
The Arctic

• Contains cities, towns and universities
• Indigenous population share the region with new
  settlers
• All Arctic land is under the jurisdiction of a
  sovereign state
• UK scientists regularly work in the Arctic
• There is far more science activity in the Arctic
  compared to the Antarctic

10
The Antarctic ice sheet

• Ice up to three miles (4500 m) thick
• Coldest surface temperature -89 degrees C
• Enough ice for each person in the world to have a
  block 180 m by 180 m by 180 m
• If all melted, sea level could rise 65 metres
• If all the glaciers doubled their speed of flow
  it would take 12,000 years for the ice to float
  into the Southern Ocean

11
Antarctic ice and sea level rise

• A small change in the size of the Antarctic ice
  sheet would be serious for sea level
• One small part of Antarctica is above freezing in
  the summer - the Antarctic Peninsula.
• The Antarctic Peninsula is warming and its
  coastline is changing
• Maps of Antarctica need updating regularly
  because of the changes to the coastline

• The disintegration of ice shelves from the
  Antarctic Peninsula has had no effect on sea
  level
• Most of Antarctica is not warming
• In a warmer world more snow will fall over the
  Antarctic
• Enhanced Antarctic snowfall is possibly the only
  natural way that sea level rise can be slowed

12
Future developments in Antarctica

• Exploring the largest lake under the ice sheet
• Obtaining a reliable climate record over half a
  million years
• Exploiting natural antifreeze in Antarctic
  organisms
• Studying the effects of increased UV-radiation
  and global warming on Antarctic life
• Celebrating the centenaries of the historic
  expeditions of Scott, Shackleton and Bruce

13
Antarctic Schools Pack

• Fifteen sections each with worksheet and tasks
  and resources for multiple photocopying
• Teachers notes
• Sent free to every UK secondary school
• Aimed at A-level standard
• Written by British Antarctic Survey scientists
  and an educational advisor
• Published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

14
Antarctic Schools Pack

• The nature of Antarctica
• Discovery of Antarctica
• Living and working in Antarctica
• Science in Antarctica
• The Antarctic Treaty System
• Geology in Antarctica
• Antarctic ice
• The Antarctic climate

• The ozone hole
• Geospace
• Terrestrial and freshwater lake ecosystems
• Marine ecosystems
• Management and conservation of marine species
• Environmental protection of Antarctica
• Tourism in Antarctica

15
Feedback on Antarctic Schools Pack

• An essential resource for school or college
• Packed with a variety of up-to-date and relevant
  information that can be used flexibly in the
  classroom
• Mori poll voted it one of the best four
  resources available for study of environmental
  change
• Received Gold Award of Geographical Association
  in Spring 2000

16
Future teaching resources on Antarctica

• BAS has signed a partnership agreement with the
  Geographical Association
• First priority is to develop a Work Package at
  GCSE level on Antarctica
• Propose to develop materials for Primary Schools
• BAS welcomes feedback on the Schools Pack
• BAS will develop www.antarctica.ac.uk

17
Resources on the web

• www.antarctica ac.uk (British
  Antarctic Survey)
• www.asoc.org
  (The Antarctica Project)
• www.antarctic.com.au
  (Antarctic Adventure)
• www.aad.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/news
  (tourism)
• http//files.fco.gov.uk/info/briefs/antarctic.pdf
  (Britain and
  Antarctica briefing document)
• news.bbc.co.uk (search
  for Antarctic)