Virtual Tour: Antarctica Before you start this tour, here are some things you should know: There is a way to get back to this page and a link to a site map of the virtual tour at the bottom of every page on this virtual tour. The tiny ("thumbnail") images of people and places found throughout this tour are meant to just give you the idea of the image; to retrieve the full-sized image, simply click on the thumbnail. (We did it this way to make the pages load faster.) Regardless of where you live or which country you work for, to get to the South Pole, you almost certainly go through New Zealand and then land at McMurdo on the coast of Antarctica on your way to the center of the continent and the bottom of the Earth: the South Pole. This image came from The Earth and Moon Viewer, specifically a request like this. Want to learn more about the territorial claims on Antarctica? Go on to New Zealand, McMurdo, and South Pole. All photos on this tour are from CARA unless otherwise specified. For more information
Home - Sky Rainforest Rescue Cool Antarctica, pictures of Antarctica, information and travel guide 1 Continent — Classroom Antarctica Introduction and materials This 'Continent' unit will enable students to appreciate the uniqueness of Antarctica, while developing skills in critical analysis, working scientifically, literacy, language and arts skills. The activities will lead to an understanding of the nature of Antarctica, and of how and why it is such a different place from Australia. Sun and earth Students can experiment to discover why the curvature of the earth causes the seasons and why such extreme seasons are experienced in Antarctica. Geology Students will research the pre-history of Antarctica and how it formed the centre of an ancient mid-latitude supercontinent called Gondwana. Weather Students will discover that Antarctica is the coldest and driest place on the earth, why this is and why climate data recorded there is so critical to help us forecast climate change. Windiest... Highest... Glaciers Snow and ice falls on the interior of the Antarctic continent. Icebergs Sea ice Snow flakes Auroras
Antarctica Earth's southernmost continent Antarctica ()[note 1] is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. The ice shelves of Antarctica were probably first seen in 1820, during a Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. Antarctica is governed by about 30 countries, all of which are parties of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty System. Etymology Geography The lakes that lie at the base of the continental ice sheet occur mainly in the McMurdo Dry Valleys or various oases. Geologic history Paleozoic era (540–250 Ma) Mesozoic era (250–66 Ma) Fungi
Recce 3D Maps - discover the world around you Sounds of Antarctic wildlife Wildlife The Antarctic and subantarctic are home to an incredible array of wildlife. Please visit the Wildlife page for more information. Penguins Among the wide variety of penguin species are some quite different calls. Seals Seals use a variety of calls underwater during the breeding season, and these are accompanied by the sound of sea ice breaking and cracking. Whales Blue whale song MP3The song of the pygmy blue whale (sped up 4× to raise the pitch to be audible to humans). Transport A variety of aircraft, vehicles and vessels are used for Antarctic operations. Aviation Ground vehicles Hägglunds driving by MP3Hägglunds are used to support field activities both close to station and thousands of kilometres away. Watercraft Ship’s anchor being raised MP3Aurora Australis’ anchor chain breaking through the ice; then the anchor emerges and clashes against the side of the ship.
Antarctica Teaching Resources Arctic Marine Life For marine life, the Arctic Ocean is a unique place to live. It is the coldest ocean on Earth and is often capped with sea ice. During the coldest winter months there is little or no sunshine penetrating the water. During the summer months, the sun shines up to 24 hours a day. Animals that can survive in the Arctic Ocean are adapted for this extreme environment. Some have a special substance within their bodies that prevents their blood from freezing. Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store! The Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist, which includes articles on student research into building design for earthquakes and a classroom lab on the composition of the Earth’s ancient atmosphere, is available in our online store. You might also be interested in: Kingdom Protista Members of the Kingdom Protista are the simplest of the eukaryotes. Sea Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic Sea ice is frozen seawater. The Cryosphere Frozen water is found in many different places on Earth. Arctic Tundra