found instead that the net change in ice mass is slightly positive at approximately 82 gigatonnes per year (with significant regional variation) which would result in Antarctic activity reducing global sea-level rise by 0.23 mm per year. The Polar Geospatial Center uses geospatial and remote sensing technology to provide mapping services to American federally funded research teams. Another well-known volcano is found on Deception Island, which is famous for a giant eruption in 1970. The frozen surface of the lake shares similarities with Jupiter's moon Europa. A little known fact about Antarctica is that it the largest desert on Earth. Models of the changes suggest that declining CO2 levels became more important. There are no countries on Antarctica and no permanent population. By 1959, 12 countries came together to create the 1959 Antarctica Treaty: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, the French Republic, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Union of South Africa, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States. [72] However, new techniques such as remote sensing, ground-penetrating radar and satellite imagery have begun to reveal the structures beneath the ice. No country owns Antarctica, although several countries have claimed parts of it. The number of people conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent and its nearby islands varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 5,000 in the summer, giving it a population density between 70 and 350 inhabitants per million square kilometres (180 and 900 per million square miles) at these times. The mass balance of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet as a whole is thought to be slightly positive (lowering sea level) or near to balance. [80], Several governments maintain permanent manned research stations on the continent. [108], The passing of the Antarctic Conservation Act (1978) in the U.S. brought several restrictions to U.S. activity on Antarctica. [99], About 1,150 species of fungi have been recorded from Antarctica, of which about 750 are non-lichen-forming and 400 are lichen-forming. Many astronomical observations are better made from the interior of Antarctica than from most surface locations because of the high elevation, which results in a thin atmosphere; low temperature, which minimises the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere; and absence of light pollution, thus allowing for a view of space clearer than anywhere else on Earth. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista, and certain animals, such as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Around 23 Ma, the Drake Passage opened between Antarctica and South America, resulting in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that completely isolated the continent. [45] The first women to step onto the South Pole were Pam Young, Jean Pearson, Lois Jones, Eileen McSaveney, Kay Lindsay and Terry Tickhill in 1969. Antarctica Countries - Know how many countries in Antarctica with list of all Antarctic … The extent of sea ice around Antarctica (in terms of square kilometers of coverage) has remained roughly constant in recent decades, although the amount of variation it has experienced in its thickness is unclear. Although widely thought of as not being owned by anyone, Antarctica is actually claimed by seven different countries - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Norway, New Zealand and the United Kingdom-- and all of these countries maintain a base on Antarctica. [105] Growth is restricted to a few weeks in the summer. Beneath the ice there is land with the Transantarctic Mountains dissecting Antarctica into Eastern Antarctica and Western Antarctica. The flora of the continent largely consists of bryophytes. [78][79] Sunburn is often a health issue as the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light falling on it. [10], Aristotle wrote in his book Meteorology about an Antarctic region in c. 350 BC. She was a daughter of Fridthjof Jacobsen, the assistant manager of the whaling station, and Klara Olette Jacobsen. This happened three days before Bransfield sighted the land of the Trinity Peninsula of Antarctica, as opposed to the ice of an ice shelf, and ten months before Palmer did so in November 1820. Look at the map of Antarctica, there are no countries on this continent! In 1985, three British scientists working on data they had gathered at Halley Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf discovered the existence of a hole in this layer. [142], In 2007 The Polar Geospatial Center was founded. In West Antarctica, coniferous forests dominated through the entire Cretaceous period (146–66 Ma), though southern beech became more prominent towards the end of this period. [11] Marinus of Tyre reportedly used the name in his unpreserved world map from the 2nd century CE. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. In the summer more than 4,000 scientists operate research stations; this number decreases to just over 1,000 in the winter. [33], On 22 January 1840, two days after the discovery of the coast west of the Balleny Islands, some members of the crew of the 1837–40 expedition of Jules Dumont d'Urville disembarked on the highest islet[34] of a group of coastal rocky islands about 4 km from Cape Géodésie on the coast of Adélie Land where they took some mineral, algae, and animal samples, erected the French flag and claimed French sovereignty over the territory.[35]. [42][43][44], It was not until 31 October 1956, that anyone set foot on the South Pole again; on that day a U.S. Navy group led by Rear Admiral George J. Dufek successfully landed an aircraft there. [48] Ousland got aid from a kite on parts of the distance. Satellite images from 25 years ago seemingly show it. Antarctic krill, which congregate in large schools, is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, icefish, penguins, albatrosses and many other birds. The continent has about 90% of the world's ice (and thus about 70% of the world's fresh water). [56], There is some evidence, in the form of ice cores drilled to about 400 m (1,300 ft) above the water line, that Lake Vostok's waters may contain microbial life. how many countries in antarctica is one of the most frequently asked questions. [1], Although coal, hydrocarbons, iron ore, platinum, copper, chromium, nickel, gold and other minerals have been found, they have not been in large enough quantities to exploit. The portion west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called West Antarctica and the remainder East Antarctica. The three main stipulations surrounding Antarctic land use: Antarctica's goal is for minimal human-derived human impacts and for researchers to leave no trace. During the Permian period, the land became dominated by seed plants such as Glossopteris, a pteridosperm which grew in swamps. Antarctica covers more than 14 million km2 (5,400,000 sq mi),[1] making it the fifth-largest continent, about 1.3 times as large as Europe. Australia currently claims the largest area. In 1998, a compromise agreement was reached to place an indefinite ban on mining, to be reviewed in 2048, further limiting economic development and exploitation. The largest lake, Vostok, is one of the largest sub-glacial lakes in the world. This means that it is a very cold continent where water is mostly in the form of ice. Most countries have a research center in Antarctica within the area claimed by them. Several bases are now home to families with children attending schools at the station. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was conducted by a team of Norwegians. Mount Erebus on Ross Island is the world's southernmost active volcano. [183], Coordinates: 90°S 0°E / 90°S 0°E / -90; 0, This article is about the continent. Because meteorites in space absorb and record cosmic radiation, the time elapsed since the meteorite hit the Earth can be determined from laboratory studies. On top of this base are coal and various modern rocks, such as sandstones, limestones and shales laid down during the Devonian and Jurassic periods to form the Transantarctic Mountains. [127][128], There is no economic activity in Antarctica at present, except for fishing off the coast and small-scale tourism, both based outside Antarctica. It is roughly the size of the United States and Mexico combined and is almost completely covered by a layer of ice that averages more than one mile in thickness, but is nearly three miles thick in places. This list contains: Sovereign states (country names in bold), consisting of: . All attempted crossings, with no kites or resupplies, that have tried to go from the true continental edges, where the ice meets the sea, have failed due to the great distance that needs to be covered. The most common rocks in West Antarctica are andesite and rhyolite volcanics formed during the Jurassic period. West Antarctica is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Travel is largely by small or medium ship, focusing on specific scenic locations with accessible concentrations of iconic wildlife. Altogether they staff anywhere from 1,000 to 4,00… Astrophysicists at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station study the celestial dome and cosmic microwave background radiation. [98], A census of sea life carried out during the International Polar Year and which involved some 500 researchers was released in 2010. Biologists, in addition to examining the wildlife, are interested in how harsh temperatures and the presence of people affect adaptation and survival strategies in a wide variety of organisms. [74] The lowest natural air temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983. [69], Fossil Nothofagus leaves in the Meyer Desert Formation of the Sirius Group show that intermittent warm periods allowed Nothofagus shrubs to cling to the Dominion Range as late as 3–4 Ma (mid-late Pliocene). Sea ice extent expands annually in the Antarctic winter and most of this ice melts in the summer. Today, seven countries have territories on Antarctica: France (Adélie Land) United Kingdom (British Antarctic Territory) New Zealand (Ross Dependency) [69] It was first recorded near the Beardmore Glacier by Frank Wild on the Nimrod Expedition, and now low-grade coal is known across many parts of the Transantarctic Mountains. Multicoloured snow algae and diatoms are especially abundant in the coastal regions during the summer. This study also noted that West Antarctica has warmed by more than 0.1 °C (0.2 °F) per decade in the last 50 years, and this warming is strongest in winter and spring. Painting of James Weddell's second expedition in 1823, depicting the brig Jane and the cutter Beaufoy, Nimrod Expedition South Pole Party (left to right): Wild, Shackleton, Marshall and Adams, Explorer James Clark Ross passed through what is now known as the Ross Sea and discovered Ross Island (both of which were named after him) in 1841. [168][169] The net contribution to sea level from the Antarctic Peninsula is more likely to be a direct result of the much greater atmospheric warming there. King penguins, chinstrap penguins, and gentoo penguins also breed in the Antarctic. In January 2015, reports emerged of a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) circular structure, supposedly a meteorite crater, on the surface snow of King Baudouin Ice Shelf. These specimens, particularly ALH84001 discovered by ANSMET, are at the centre of the controversy about possible evidence of microbial life on Mars. Popular Quizzes Today. Minor eruptions are frequent, and lava flow has been observed in recent years. [177], In February 2020, the region recorded the highest temperature of 18.3 °C (64.9 °F), which was a degree higher than the previous record of 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) in March 2015. Exploitation of all mineral resources is banned until 2048 by the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. [89] As of 2009, eleven children were born in Antarctica (south of the 60th parallel south): eight at the Argentine Esperanza Base[90] and three at the Chilean Frei Montalva Station. 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