Antarctica: An OverviewSamantha Hansen, University of Alabama

PolarTREC Orientation MeetingFebruary 2012

Antarctica Fun Facts- 5th largest land mass; 1.5 times the size of the U.S.

- Coldest, windiest, driest, highest, quietest, most remote, and least understood continent on Earth

- World’s largest desert- Record cold: -129°F

- 99.6% covered by ice, making direct observations very difficult

Who owns Antarctica?

Technically, no one, but

territory claims have been made.

Antarctic Treaty• Signed by 12 nations in 1959; 42 nations included

now.Antarctica is to be used for peaceful purposes only;

no military activities of any kind are permitted. Scientific program plans, personnel, observations, and results shall be freely exchanged. All land and

ice shelves south of latitude 60°S are covered.

U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP)• Supports Antarctic Treaty by fostering

cooperative research; about 3,000 Americans involved each year

Research Goals:• To understand the region and its

ecosystem• To understand its effects on and responses

to global processes, such as climate• To use the region as a platform to study

the upper atmosphere and space

Disciplines: astronomy, atmospheric science, biology, earth science, environmental science, geology, glaciology, marine biology, oceanography, geophysics

Why Antarctica?

• The research being done in Antarctica cannot be done anywhere else!

– Arguably the most undisturbed region on the planet

– Unique environment make it the ideal location for many studies

• A few examples…

= ?

Astrophysical Observatory• Measuring radiation

arriving to Earth from space; cold/dry air and clear skies are crucial

• Infrared and millimeter wavelength telescope

• Study how planets, stars, and galaxies are born

South Pole telescope with

Milky Way behind;

Hrubes (2010)

Aurora australis

over South Pole station; Cullis (2009)

Pine Island Glacier (PIG)• What is driving ice

loss and causing glacier to flow rapidly into the sea?

• Impact on sea-level rise

• Properties of bedrock beneath ice (impact on how they move)

Landsat Image (2001)

Bindschadler (2011)

Seal and Penguin Science

• Investigating the diet, behavior, breeding, etc. of Antarctic critters

• Impacts on their ecosystem

Pictures near McMurdo; Hansen (2009)

Drilling into Lake Ellsworth• British, Russian, and

American scientists trying to sample lake that has been isolated for at least 125,000 years

• Buried beneath 2 miles of ice

• Thought to be extreme habitat for microbial life; important record of ice sheet and climate history in lake sediments

Images from the

Subglacial Lake

Ellsworth Consortium

Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Province (AGAP)• Investigating the

Gamburtsev Mtns.– How did they form?– Role in E. Antarctic

ice sheet formation?

• GAMSEIS and GAMBIT (seismic and aerogeophysics)

Deretsky (2009)

GAMSEIS field pictures; Hansen (2010)

Collaboration with K-12 Educators• As a researcher, it is fun

and exciting to share your work with the education community

• Readily lends itself to K-12 education and outreach– inspire the next generation

of polar scientists Australian Antarctic Division

Antarctic Education and the “Bigger Picture”

• Getting students interested in math, science, and technology requires showing them things that are new, different, and exciting.

• Basically EVERYTHING in Antarctica can be described this way!

• Get them thinking about what they might do in the future

Thanks for your attention.Any comments/questions?