10. Antarctica in Winter! Total darkness for a month! Antarctica in Summer! Total daylight for a month! Sun never rises Sun never sets
11. The sun skims the horizon. Sea ice thickens. Pancakes form. The sea freezes over. Antarctica doubles in size! In winter… Only one animal doesn’t leave town. . . ?
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13. 1½ times as big as the USA. Coldest – lowest temp - 89.2°C Vostok Windiest continent - up to 327 km/hour. Driest – 3cm of snow per year. As dry as hot deserts. Highest – 2,500m above sea level, because it is covered in an ice sheet 2-3km thick. Vinson Massif = 4,897m. History 1773 – Capt Cook saw seals & ice bergs, but no land. Too cold. 1819 – until humans saw it. (Russians) 1839- 43 – British expedition sets foot on Ross ice Shelf. 1911- Amundsen reaches South Pole. By 1900 – millions of seals and whales wiped out. Antarctica: the last wilderness
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17. Isn't this big! Aren't I small! Why do tourists visit Antarctica?
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21. should we be allowed ? Antarctica Aims- To understand why Antarctica could be known as the last Wilderness To understand why people want to visit Antarctica To begin to think about the issues facing Antarctica
22. Krill Penguins Seals Fish Whales The Antarctic food chain . . . . . .depends on krill and.. … plankton
26. . Abandoned fuel drums at the now closed Wilkes Station. Antarctica with tourist intervention! or this?
27. Should Antarctica be developed? Oil companies and tourist operators say yes. Environmentalists like Greenpeace say no.
28. Scientists aren’t allowed to dispose of rubbish or sewage, but leaks cause pollution. So do tourists. Birds could be disturbed in their breeding season. Some whales have nearly been ‘fished’ to extinction. Seals depend on fish. Fish and krill are fished by Japan and Russia. Against development Antarctica should be left as ‘the last wilderness.’ Oil drums
29. Oil is running out. Antarctica could keep cars running & bring down petrol prices. Tourism = money It does good, not harm. Only 100 are allowed at a time. For 1½ hours! More people see Antarctica’s unspoilt beauty and want to preserve it. For development There are other useful minerals there too.
31. Clean-up of abandoned sites is a current priority for the Australian Antarctic Division. Photograph Wayne Papps Even though tourists are not allowed to leave rubbish- this is what happens!!!!