Antarctica: Global Science from a Frozen ContinentDavid W. H. Walton Antarctica is the coldest and driest continent on Earth – a place for adventure and a key area for global science. Research conducted there has received increasing international attention due to concerns over destruction of the ozone layer and the problem of global warming and melting ice shelves. This dramatically illustrated new book brings together an international group of leading Antarctic scientists to explain why the Antarctic is so central to understanding the history and potential fate of our planet. It introduces the beauty of the world's greatest wilderness, its remarkable attributes and the global importance of the international science done there. Spanning topics from marine biology to space science this book is an accessible overview for anyone interested in the Antarctic and its science and governance. It provides a valuable summary for those involved in polar management and is an inspiration for the next generation of Antarctic researchers. |
Contents
| 1 | |
A keystone in a changing world | 35 |
Ice with everything | 67 |
Climate of extremes | 102 |
Stormy and icy seas | 137 |
Life in a cold environment | 161 |
Space science research from Antarctica | 211 |
Living and working in the cold | 229 |
Common terms and phrases
activity Antarctic Circumpolar Current Antarctic continent Antarctic Expedition Antarctic ice sheet Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic plateau Antarctic research Antarctic Treaty Arctic areas ATCMs ATCPs atmosphere benthic biological British Cambridge University Press carbon dioxide CCAMLR climate change climate system cold continental Credit deep difficult Earth East Antarctica ecosystems environment environmental exploration Figure first fish fishing flora flow glacial global Gondwana greenhouse hemisphere ice core ice shelf impacts increase influence krill land latitudes layer locations magnetic field major marine measurements melting million years ago nations observations ozone hole Parties penguins plants polar regions polynyas programmes reflected Ross salinity satellite SCAR scientific scientists sea ice sea level seals ships significant sinking snow solar radiation South Georgia South Pole Southern Ocean species stations stratosphere sub-Antarctic islands subglacial summer surface temperature terrestrial Transantarctic Mountains volcanic warming water masses weather Weddell Weddell Sea whales whilst winds winter Zealand