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Antarctica and the surrounding area are natural laboratories
for scientific research that can not be done anywhere else
on Earth. Among the unusual aspects of the continent are its
harsh climate and extreme cold, frigid ice-filled oceans,
vast polar ice cap and large glaciers, geologic formations
and structures that are related to more northerly land masses,
uniquely adapted forms of plant and animal life, and unusual
meteorological phenomena. These are covered by scientific
disciplines that have attracted exploration and scientific
curiosity for more than a hundred years. Here is the place
for the meteorologist, oceanographer, atmospheric physicist,
geologist, glaciologist, seismologist, geophysicist, biologist,
and zoologist, and even the people of medicine who are examining
the effects of the Antarctic environment on human physiology.
The research involving so many disciplines is carried out
by scientists among the faculty and students of colleges and
universities, government agencies and private industry. More...
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 Aeronomy:
The polar regions have been called Earth's
window to outer space. With the discovery of polar stratospheric
ozone depletions, a window previously thought "closed" (the
ultraviolet window) is now known to "open" in certain seasons.
Current research focuses on stratospheric chemistry, aerosols,
and the vital role played by ozone.
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Astrophysics:
Antarctica is an astronomer's dream come
true. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is arguably
one of the best places on earth to study the stars. Observers
there take advantage of the unique characteristics of the
South Pole to study the evolution and structure of the Universe.
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Biology:
Conditions on the frozen Antarctic surface
are so harsh that few life forms survive year-round above
the ice. Of particular interest to biologists, the McMurdo
Dry Valleys represent a region where life approaches its
environmental limits. While below the surface and along
the coast, ocean ecosystems teem with life that is rich,
complex, and abundant.
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Geology:
Much of the story of Antarctica is written
beneath the ice, in the rocks that make up about 9 percent
of Earth's continental crust. Geologic evidence indicates
that at one time the continent had a temperate climate and
was part of an ancient, considerably larger land mass, known
as Gondwanaland .
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Glaciology:
An ice sheet covers all but
2.4 per cent of Antarctica's 14 million square kilometers.
This ice contains 70 percent of all the world's fresh water.
In order to predict the ice sheet's future behavior and
its effect on global climate, glaciologists must have a
thorough understanding of its history, current state, internal
dynamics.
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Meteorology:
The weather systems that constantly circle
Antarctica drive storms across the Southern Ocean and beyond,
while the seasonal formation and melting of sea ice has
an important effect on the world's weather. Antarctic stations
collect daily meteorological observations and broadcast
them to surrounding countries to help in weather forecasting.
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Oceanography:
The Antarctic Convergence divides the cold
southern water masses from the warmer northern waters, creating
the world's largest current flowing at an average speed
of half a knot eastward around the continent. In addition,
sea ice forms outward up to 1500 kilometers from the continent
every winter. Oceanographic studies focus on these two interrelated
phenomena and their effects on both marine ecosystems and
Earth's climate patterns. |
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