Antarctica - The Story

Antarctica is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Considered to be the coldest and driest continent on average, it is actually one of the largest deserts on Earth, with an annual precipitation of just 200 mm. Roughly 98% of Antarctica is covered in ice, and the continent is surrounded by a constantly fluctuating rim of sea-ice that responds to seasonal temperature variations. While Antarctica is the 5th largest continent on Earth, no permanent human residents live here. The first documented landing on Antarctica was reportedly made in February of 1821. The Antarctic Treaty (1959), signed by 46 countries, prohibits development of this unique environment, supporting scientific research and environmental protection. Today, anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000 people of many nationalities are on Antarctica, conducting or supporting scientific research.

The Antarctic ice sheet is incredibly thick, roughly 1.6 km in average thickness, and 4.785 km at its thickest point. That’s equal to roughly 95 Olympic-sized swimming pools in length! The continent holds roughly 90% of the world’s ice, which is equivalent to roughly 70% of the world’s fresh water. This is so much water that if all of the ice on Antarctica melted, global sea levels would rise by roughly 60 meters! While Antarctica is nearly completely ice covered, roughly 2% of the land mass is ice free. Much of that ice free region is located in the Transantarctic Mountains, a mountain range that divides Antarctica into East Antarctica and West Antarctica.

Antarctica is home to one of the most extreme climates on Earth, with temperatures fluctuating on average between -60C in the winter to 10C in the summer. Because the land mass is located at such a high latitude (>60S), seasonal effects are much stronger here. During the height of summer, sunlight persists 24 hours a day and is absent during the peak of winter. As Antarctica is at the South Pole, the thinner ozone layer causes intense UV exposure to be a point of major concern. Though the extreme cold, UV exposure, and psychological effects of the temperature and light conditions are major health risks, luckily, large predators are not! Antarctica is home to very few terrestrial vertebrates. These include penguins, seals, albatross, as well as many other bird species. The polar bear is not found on Antarctica - it is native to the Arctic. A wide array of invertebrates such as nematodes and microscopic mites are found here as well.

As the only continent on Earth dedicated to scientific pursuits with no political borders, a number of permanent research stations from many different countries are located on Antarctica. These include:

Permanent Station                                                      Country               Established
Vernadsky Research Base                                            Ukraine                    1994
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station                            USA                         1957
Artigas Base                                                                 Uruguay                   1984
Belgrano II                                                                   Argentina                 1979
Bellingshausen Station                                                 Russia                      1968
Bernardo O’Higgins Station                                         Chile                        1948
Captain Arturo Prat Base                                             Chile                        1947
Casey Station                                                               Australia                  1959
Comandante Ferraz Base                                             Brazil                       1984
Concordia Station                                                         France/Italy             2005
Davis Station                                                                Australia                  1957
Dome Fuji Station                                                        Japan                       1995
Dumont d’Urville Station                                             France                     1956
Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva                      Chile                        1969
Esperanza Base                                                            Argentina                 1975
Great Wall Station                                                        China                       1985
Halley Research Station                                               UK                           1956
Henryk Arctowski Station                                            Poland                     1977
Jubany                                                                          Argentina                 1953
King Sejong Station                                                     South Korea            1988
Macquarie Island Station                                             Australia                  1911
Maitri Station                                                               India                        1989
Marambio Base                                                            Argentina                1969
Mawson Station                                                           Australia                  1954
McMurdo Station                                                         US                           1956
Mirny Station                                                               Russia                     1956
Neumayer Station                                                        Germany                  1992
Neumayer Station III                                                   Germany                  2009
Novolazarevskaya Station                                           Russia                      1961
Orcadas Base                                                               Argentina                 1904
Palmer Station                                                             US                           1968
Princess Elisabeth Base                                               Belgium                   2007
Professor Julio Escudero Base                                    Chile                        1994
Rothera Research Station                                            UK                           1975
San Martin Base                                                          Argentina                 1951
SANAE IV                                                                  South Africa            1962
St. Kliment Ohridski Base                                          Bulgaria                   1988
Scott Base                                                                   New Zealand            1957
Showa Station                                                             Japan                        1958
Siple Station                                                                US                           1973
Troll Station                                                                Norway                    1990
Vostok Station                                                             Russia                      1957
Zhongshan Station                                                      China                        1989
Willard Research Station                                            US                            1980

Scientific research has been conducted on Antarctica for over a century now on topics ranging from Solar System origins, climate change, and the evolution of life. Fortunately, due to its extremely remote location and international efforts to protect this unique environment, Antarctica is one of the most unaltered landscapes left on Earth.