It seems to us that there is solid ice there, but this is not the case, the continent is large and very heterogeneous in its climatic zones. For example, the driest desert is located there. It’s not about the lack of rain. The fact is that the South Pole accumulates all the moisture in itself. Frost can dry the air more than heat.
But the northern regions of Antarctica have a rather temperate climate compared to the central regions of the continent. There is vegetation in Antarctica. Yes, yes, there are flowers, mushrooms, mosses, and so on. But in very small numbers, on the northernmost pieces of land, and not in the depths of the continent.
It is possible that the seeds come from neighboring Patagonia, from lands at the tip of South America, or from Australia, New Zealand — with birds and currents. Although it is not surprising that there are no trees there as such — the climate is just painfully harsh.
Antarctica has a very wide variety of marine life, some fish and other marine life exist only here. Whales love this region of the planet very much because it has very fat and tasty fish and rich plankton.
Cold waters are actually quite abundant, they have a huge potential for artificial cultivation of marine food. The only difficulty is that these waters are located very far away, and the climate is quite harsh for humans, especially during the winter period of storms and hurricanes.
In Antarctica, melting ice releases methane in the amount of several tons daily, as well as other gases. They escape into the ozone hole in the atmosphere, thereby preventing it from decreasing. The same thing is happening at the North Pole, in the Arctic. This is a natural process, but it is aggravated by human activity.
In the early days of the Earth’s existence, there was no such pressure on nature. In Antarctica, you can get badly sunburned in a matter of minutes and get a tan unevenly. This, again, is due to the fact that there is a thin atmosphere here, as well as the reflection of sunlight from the ice.
Antarctica is sometimes very hot, with a record of almost +40°C. This is due to the calm weather during the polar summer, and the same reflection of sunlight from rocks and a huge mass of ice.
Antarctica has a huge amount of minerals: oil, gas, coal, gold, diamonds, metals and precious minerals. Therefore, humanity has a supply of these substances, even if they run out in other places. Antarctica is a kind of “piggy bank” of fresh water and minerals.
Antarctica is divided into parts between the most influential countries in the world, meaning even it has not escaped politics. The most explored part of the Vostok station is the Russian one. This is where the famous Yuri Senkevich began his career, who left his memories of wintering at this station.
You can get to Antarctica either by hiring a ship that goes there, or by getting a job in those organizations that explore the continent there, or by buying a ticket from a travel agency. There’s nothing to see in the depths of the continent — it’s a desert area.
Antarctica was not always covered with ice, tens of millions of years ago it had a subtropical climate, there were amazing animals, the ancestors of dinosaurs, the dinosaurs themselves, and early mammals, reptiles, and the ancestors of birds. Scientists have found traces of their activity, skeletons, nests, and so on.
Antarctica itself was located closer to the equator, but due to the drift of the continents, it took its present place and glaciated. Antarctica is melting today, just like the Arctic at the North Pole. This leads to natural changes along its shores, and affects all living beings.
Although this also makes it possible to make more and more scientific discoveries — in the sense that the broken off and melted ice exposes minerals. But if the Arctic and Antarctic melt by half, most of the coasts of other continents will be flooded along with cities and technical facilities.
Antarctica is considered the birthplace of penguins, a species of flightless birds. Penguins do not live in the depths of the continent, they live on the shores, on the outskirts of the mainland.
Some penguin species live in South America, South Africa, Australia, and other places.
There are also many other animals here: whales, seals, birds, an abundance of fish and krill.
Antarctica is one of the wonders of our planet. A distant continent, hidden by eternal ice, but so necessary to all the people of the Earth.
