The
Future of Science in Antarctica
Antarctica is being increasingly viewed less as a scientific curiosity
and more as a key part in the fabric of Earth's dynamic systems.
Its relevance as a legitimate location for intensive scientific
investigation cannot be questioned, which is why so many countries
are actively involved in Antarctic science. This international scale,
therefore, necessitates clear and open communication between nations.
Large scale planning of future programs and initiatives along with
cooperative problem solving are essential when tackling thorny research
issues.
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Changing
Climate
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) predicted that global mean temperatures
will rise by between 1°C and 3.5°C by the year 2100; their
"best" estimate is 2.0°C.
Studies on the ice sheet and its contribution
to world sea level rise are vital to our understanding of
global change.
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Some major new
international programs are already underway.
In
astronomy, there is great interest
in constructing some large telescopes at the South Pole for international
use. Geophysicists are sharing data to provide a more comprehensive
picture of the ocean floor. In addition, an international team of
geologists is drilling a deep core at
Cape Roberts in the Ross Antarctica Sea to investigate the history
of continental glaciation.
The processes taking place now in the Antarctic
affect the world's climate and its oceans, linking the continent
inextricably to what we experience thousands of kilometres away.
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Locked up in its 4 km thick ice sheet
is a record of past climate for the last 500,000 years.
Trapped bubbles in the ice hold an archive
of atmospheric gases.
Evidence for levels of global pollution
by industry, agriculture and atomic bombs is frozen into the
ice.
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There has been
much speculation that climate change
could lead to a collapse of the polar ice sheets. Future ice sheet
predictions must be based on reliable models of climate and an understanding
of the dynamics of Antarctic ice. This research in turn is crucial
to painting a clearer picture of global climate
change. What's more, the evidence for ozone depletion in the
upper atmosphere has strengthened the need for continued atmospheric
research.
In all these efforts, there is a genuine
attempt to utilize the unique characteristics of Antarctica to answer
key scientific questions. With the latest technology and sophisticated
equipment scientists involved in the mapping of the Antarctic will
be able to assess more accurately than ever before the changing
continent.
Geographical information systems can process
widely differing types of data to gain better understanding of how
glaciology interacts with meteorology
and geology. At the same time, scientists
are working to protect the continent for the future. Antarctic science
may be a long way from home, but it is important and relevant science
-now and for the future.
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