10 fun facts about Antarctica | Some stunning facts of Antarctica
Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole, is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. Most cruises to the continent visit the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches toward South America. It’s known for the Lemaire Channel and Paradise Harbor, striking, iceberg-flanked passageways, and Port Lockroy, a former British research station turned museum. The peninsula’s isolated terrain also shelters rich wildlife, including many penguins.
The driest place on Earth is in Antarctica in an area called the Dry Valleys, which have seen no rain for nearly 2 million years. There is absolutely no precipitation in this region and it makes up a 4800 square kilometer region of almost no water, ice or snow. Water features include Lake Vida, Lake Vanda, Lake Bonney and the Onyx River. There is no net gain of water. The reason why this region receives no rain is due to Katabatic winds, winds from the mountains that are so heavy with moisture that gravity pulls them down and away from the Valleys.
One feature of note is Lake Bonney, a saline lake situated in the Dry Valleys. It is permanently covered with 3 to 5 meters of ice. Scientists have found mummified bodies of seals around the lake. Lake Vanda, also in the region, is 3 times saltier than the ocean.
10 fun facts about Antarctica | Some stunning facts of Antarctica
The next driest place in the world measured by the amount of precipitation that falls is the Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru. There are no glaciers that are feeding water to this area; and thus, very little life can survive. Some weather stations in this region have received no rain for years, while another station reports an average of one millimeter per year.
No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents. The only "settlements" with longer term residents (who stay for some months or a year, maybe two) are scientific base.
interesting facts about Antarctica | Hurtigruten Expeditions
The continent-wide average surface temperature trend of Antarctica is positive and significant at >0.05 °C/decade since 1957. The West Antarctic ice sheet has warmed by more than 0.1 °C/decade in the last 50 years, with most of the warming occurring in winter and spring.
There are seven sovereign states who have territorial claims in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Emilio Marcos Palma (born 7 January 1978) is an Argentine man who was the first documented person born on the continent of Antarctica.
50 amazing facts about Antarctica
Features :
Seriously thick ice. One of the most fascinating things about Antarctica is that it is, in fact, a landmass..
Abundant resources. Most of the planet's freshwater sits in Antarctica's ice. ...
Hidden lake.
Massive mountains.
Lots of research.
Midnight (or absent) sun.
Wind.
Volcanic activity.
Future conditions:
Though the environment of Antarctica is too harsh for permanent human settlement to be worthwhile, conditions may become better in the future. ... Even farming and crop growing could be possible in some of the most northerly areas of Antarctica.
People also ask
What is special about Antarctic?
Antarctica is the world's highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent. Its record low temperature is -94°C. But it doesn't actually snow much – the Antarctic is so dry it's classed as a polar desert. And it's in darkness part of the year.
Did you know facts about Antarctica for kids?
Antarctica is the driest continent of the seven continents. Antarctica is an icy desert with very little rainfall throughout the year. 4. Antarctica is the windiest place on the earth where windspeed of more than 350 kilometres per hour/218 miles per hour have been measured.
How big is Antarctica facts?
This icy expanse stretches out to cover more than 14 million square kilometres, making it the fifth largest continent in the world. It is situated almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle, which means that temperatures are consistently below zero throughout a majority of the year.
Why is Antarctica so beautiful?
There are few places (if any) more beautiful than the world's southernmost continent. Although 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice, the landscape still manages to be stunningly diverse—surreal blue glaciers, active volcanoes, the rough waterways of the Drake Passage, and 360-degree views of untouched snow.
How old is the Antarctic?
The oldest penetrated Antarctic ice is about 800,000 years old.
Is Antarctica the biggest desert?
Antarctica is the largest desert on earth, almost twice the size of the Sahara Desert.
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