Antarctica is one of the continents in the south. The geographic location of Antarctica is in the South Pole. To your surprise, it is the fifth-largest continent and it is twice the size of Australia. Among all of the seven continents on this planet, Antarctica is the least populated continent. In summers, there are 5,000 people in Antarctica and only 1,000 in winters.
If you are willing to go there, then you are not wise enough to make this decision, because 98% of Antarctica is covered with snow of 1.9kms thickness. Antarctica, also known as the white continent is an unspoiled continent in terms of beauty. It is having a surreal glacial landscape. Antarctica is one of the unique places in this world having a lot of surprises in the store.
Facts You Should Know About Antarctica
Antarctica Holds Most of The World’s Fresh Water
60 to 90 percent of the world’s freshwater comes from Antarctica. It is because Antarctica is the largest ice store on this planet. The ice sheet in Antarctica covers 5.4 million square miles and 4.5kms thick. The thickness of ice in Antarctica is half the height of Mount Everest. If it melts down, the sea levels around the globe would rise by 200ft.
Almost 98 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice. All of the valleys, mountain ranges, and plateaus are covered with ice. Only Antarctica Peninsula is ice-free in summers.
Antarctica Is a Desert
Even if Antarctica is having a lot of thick ice sheets but still, it is a desert. When the word desert comes in front of you, you think of a place with sizzling temperatures and dunes. Technically, to define a desert, it does not have to be sandy or hot. It depends on the rain, fog, mist, and snow, that defines a desert. If an area is having a little annual precipitation, it is a desert.
Antarctica is a desert because the annual rainfall at the South Pole for the last 30 years is just 10 mm. Precipitation is more towards the coast on average but not across the continent. This makes Antarctica a desert.
Antarctica Was as Warm as Melbourne
Antarctica is the coldest land on Earth. The lowest temperature recorded in Antarctica was -89.2°C (-128.6°F). Seeing this much cold temperature makes it hard for you to imagine that Antarctica was once a warm temperature paradise. To your surprise, Antarctica was not always an icy continent. It was as warm as Melbourne today.
According to the researches, 40 to 50 million years ago, the temperature of Antarctica reached up to 17°C (62.6°F). To prove it, the researchers have found fossils proving that Antarctica was once a land of green forest. It is said that it was inhabited by dinosaurs.
Antarctica Peninsula, Warms Up Rapidly
Antarctica Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming areas on the planet. For the past 50 years, the average temperature of the Antarctica Peninsula has risen by 3°C (37.4°F). If we compare it with other areas on the Earth, it is five times more than average.
The rapidly warming up has caused some changes like where and when penguins form colonies and sea ice forms. Also, the lush mosses get more season to grow in Antarctica Peninsula.
No Time Zone in Antarctica
The lines of longitude that define the different time zones across the globe meet at a single point at the South Pole. We have day and night but in Antarctica, you will experience 6 months of constant daylight in summers and 6 months of constant darkness in winters. If you are living over there, you will not be experiencing the same time as you do in other continents. There are no normal markets of day and night.
There are different research stations in Antarctica Peninsula. The scientists working in these research stations follow the time zone of the country they are departed from. For example, there are research stations from China, Chile, UK, Russia, and other countries. If one of the neighboring stations wakes up another station for sharing of data and resources, then one might be getting up in the middle of the night.
The travelers usually follow the Ushuaia time zone. If you are traveling from the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, then you will be following your local time zone.
Every Way Is North
If you are standing at the South Pole, then you are the Southernmost point on Earth. If you are holding a compass and looking for North, then you will find North in every way. It is because of the prime meridian. It is an imaginary line that passes through Greenwich in the UK at 0 degrees of longitude.
When you stand at the South Pole facing towards Greenwich, then everything at your left will be West Antarctica and East Antarctica on your right.
Active Volcanoes
Volcanoes in Antarctica are a surprising thing but in reality, Antarctica is home to volcanoes. The two volcanoes in Antarctica are active. The second-highest volcano in Antarctica is Mount Erebus and it is the southernmost active volcano on this planet. Mount Erebus is located on Ross Island. It is an icebound volcano which is having a unique feature of twisted ice statues and ice fumaroles.
In 1908, the first ascent of Mount Erebus was made by the team led by Australian scientist Edgeworth David with companion Douglas Mawson. They completed this back-breaking and chilly ascent in 5 days and climbed to the steaming crater.
On Deception Island, there is a second active volcano. It was once home to a whaling station but later on, it became a scientific station. In 1969, it was abandoned because of an eruption. Today, it is one of the fascinating places in the Antarctica Peninsula.
Subglacial Lake That Flows Blood Red
A strange phenomenon was observed in 1911 on a remote glacier in East Antarctica. Taylor Glacier was stained because of deep red water flowing within the deep glacier. For years, the red color was a mystery but in 2017, scientists discovered the cause of the red color.
The water that was flowing within the glacier from a subglacial lake was having a high content of salt and oxidized iron. When iron came into contact with oxygen, the iron rusted and gave the water a red color. Since then, it is named Blood Falls.
Antarctica’s Treaty
In 1820, the humans caught the first glimpse of Antarctica. Now it became an issue that which country will be claiming as their continent. The reason for the issue was the indigenous population on this continent as compared to other continents. To resolve the issue a treaty was signed by 12 countries in December 1959. The treaty was signed as an agreement for peace and science.
Since then, 41 countries have signed the treaty and have attended the annual meetings to manage human activities in Antarctica. All decisions are made with mutual consent, agreement, and collaboration. Now the Antarctica Treaty System is having strict guidelines about commercial sealing and fishing. Also, there is a complete ban on mineral exploration and mining.
Diamon Dust
Antarctica is a desert because of low levels of precipitation. However, there are wonders about this continent, and diamond dust is one of them. Diamond dust is caused by tiny ice crystals. They precipitate because of humid air near the Earth’s surface. It is also known as icy fog. Diamon dust is caused because of suspended ice crystals in the air and when sunlight falls on them, it gives a glittering effect.
Diamond dust gives an optical phenomenon, beautiful sightseeing of halos, sun dogs, and light pillars.
Antarctica – A Continent with Wonders
Antarctica is having a lot of surprises hidden inside the continent. It is known as a white continent because of ice covering throughout the continent. The ice coverings are having at least 300 unfrozen lakes. Other than this, there are a lot of surprises hidden in Antarctica but they cannot be extracted because of thick ice sheets but only less than 1 percent of the continent is ice-free.
The ice-free area in Antarctica is having 7 Christian Churches and only 1 atm. Wonders and surprises in Antarctica attract a lot of travelers but only in summers. Winters are too cold to bear.