Antarctica is the world’s last unexploited continent, and the latest site of a global race over resources and status.
Antarctica is the coldest, driest and stormiest of all continents. It is almost forty times as large as Germany and is the only uninhabited continent. Even in summer (from December to February) 99% of Antarctica is covered in ice, up to 5000 metres thick in places. It is regarded as a natural archive of Earth’s natural history and has a major role in the global climate system and the marine ecosystems associated with the South Polar Sea.
Antarctica is the Earth’s southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent manned research stations throughout the continent. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. On average, it is known to be the coldest, driest and windiest continent and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.
Antarctica’s population is very difficult to account for since the number is so small and varies during the year. Antarctica has a permanent human population of zero. Antarctica’s population is made up entirely of researchers and scientists from around the globe. About 1,000 scientific personnel live there during the winter and this population increases to about 5,000 during the Antarctic summer. Antarctica experiences summer while it is winter in North America and Europe so a lot scientists go to Antarctica during the Northern hemisphere’s winter.
For numerous countries it serves as an “open‑air scientific laboratory”, resulting in the discovery, for instance, of the hole in the ozone layer.
Over the weekend, China unveiled its fourth research station in Antarctica, where sovereignty is unclear and countries try to stake their claims on the area by building large research bases. The 1,000 square-meter (10,763 sq. feet) Taishan base, also known as “the lantern” because of the shape of its main building, sits near stations run by the US, Italy and South Korea.
The Taishan—which will be used to study geology, glaciers, and climate change and is equipped with aircraft designed for flying in snow and ice, according to state media—is part of a larger expansion of China’s polar footprint. Chinese spending on operations in Antarctic has jumped from $20 million a year to $55 million over the last 20 years as the country has conducted 30 voyages to the continent and builds a second icebreaker. If a fifth Chinese station is built next year, as planned, China will have quickly caught up with countries like Italy, Germany, and Japan, and will have only one fewer than the US or the UK. Chinese mappers have already named 359 sites on the continent. Here’s where China’s three previously built research stations are, compared with those of 29 other countries.
Antarctica is the coldest, driest and stormiest of all continents. It is almost forty times as large as Germany and is the only uninhabited continent. Even in summer (from December to February) 99% of Antarctica is covered in ice, up to 5000 metres thick in places. It is regarded as a natural archive of Earth’s natural history and has a major role in the global climate system and the marine ecosystems associated with the South Polar Sea.
Antarctica is the Earth’s southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent manned research stations throughout the continent. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. On average, it is known to be the coldest, driest and windiest continent and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.
Antarctica’s population is very difficult to account for since the number is so small and varies during the year. Antarctica has a permanent human population of zero. Antarctica’s population is made up entirely of researchers and scientists from around the globe. About 1,000 scientific personnel live there during the winter and this population increases to about 5,000 during the Antarctic summer. Antarctica experiences summer while it is winter in North America and Europe so a lot scientists go to Antarctica during the Northern hemisphere’s winter.
For numerous countries it serves as an “open‑air scientific laboratory”, resulting in the discovery, for instance, of the hole in the ozone layer.
Over the weekend, China unveiled its fourth research station in Antarctica, where sovereignty is unclear and countries try to stake their claims on the area by building large research bases. The 1,000 square-meter (10,763 sq. feet) Taishan base, also known as “the lantern” because of the shape of its main building, sits near stations run by the US, Italy and South Korea.
The Taishan—which will be used to study geology, glaciers, and climate change and is equipped with aircraft designed for flying in snow and ice, according to state media—is part of a larger expansion of China’s polar footprint. Chinese spending on operations in Antarctic has jumped from $20 million a year to $55 million over the last 20 years as the country has conducted 30 voyages to the continent and builds a second icebreaker. If a fifth Chinese station is built next year, as planned, China will have quickly caught up with countries like Italy, Germany, and Japan, and will have only one fewer than the US or the UK. Chinese mappers have already named 359 sites on the continent. Here’s where China’s three previously built research stations are, compared with those of 29 other countries.
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