Get Started for FREE
Sign up with Facebook Sign up with X
I don't have a Facebook or a X account
 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Scoop.it!
For decades to come, Antarctica is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve. But an array of countries are eager to assert greater influence.
Tags: Antarctica, climate change, political, resources, sovereignty. 
No comment yet.
Sign up to comment
Blake Joseph's curator insight,
April 24, 2015 3:48 PM
With Antarctica being the coldest, driest, and most isolated continent on earth, it is surprising that 51 different countries own pieces of land on it. As of now, the lands there can only be used strictly for scientific research, but I presume that treaty will not be in effect forever. Hidden resources yet to be discovered and future technology and is bound to give us some reason to permanently settle in this barren land someday. Discovering oil or minerals would be a good bet, as it was a leading factor in causing Dubai to form in the Arabian Desert, or the city of Perth in Western Australia. A healthy fishing industry could even help support future economies there. While weather has always been an important factor in human colonization, it does not make a place totally inhospitable. If economies can form in places like Barrow, Alaska and Longyearbyen, Norway, I don't see future settlements in Antarctica as an impossibility. 
Norka McAlister's curator insight,
April 25, 2015 5:20 PM
In reality, no one own Antarctica for now. However, it is governed under the Antarctica treaty of 1959. There are a few reasons why no one has been claimed Antarctica, one being that is has extremely cold temperatures that drop to -122 °F. The continent also has a vast amount of thick ice that is 3 miles deep and covers its surface. In addition, it would be very costly to explore these regions and difficult to build infrastructure and transport food due to the cold temperatures and frozen seas. The Antarctica treaty of 1959 is an international agreement which states that no one cannot own the Antarctica. However, some countries have claimed some part of Antarctica. These designated areas are only to be used for scientific research purposes. Also, since an international agreement has been putted in place, Antarctica cannot be used for military purposes. The agreement also stresses freedom of scientific investigation but prohibits nuclear testing and waste disposal in Antarctica. This research has helped scientists discover new truths about global problems, climate change, and geology. 
Kristin Mandsager San Bento's curator insight,
May 1, 2015 4:16 PM
It will be interesting to see what happens to Antartica as the climate shifts and continues to get warmer. What is under the frozen tundra? Will it be something of a natural resource or mineral? I think this is when the fight will get real about the slice of pie and how much each has.
Scoop.it!
"Trying to understand what’s actually going on in the world’s climate seems like it might be truly impossible. For one thing, there are so many different factors at work. Everything from how light travels through the atmosphere to how the winds move the ocean around to how rain hits the ground has an effect on what actually happens on Earth both now and in the future. That also means there’s absolutely no use in looking at each piece individually … to understand what’s really going on, the climate jigsaw puzzle needs to be complete.
Lora Tortolani's curator insight,
February 2, 2015 6:59 PM
This makes me think of so many more things than just Geography and climate!
Scoop.it!
"Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding is that the Arctic and Antarctic are similar. One’s in the north and the other is in the south; but other than that, they’re the same, right? No, this couldn’t be more wrong. These polar opposites are literally polar opposites. This may seem like no big deal, but it makes all the difference in the world. It takes a lot of energy to change water temperature compared to what it takes to change land temperature, which means Arctic seawater isn’t as cold as the continental ice sheet covering Antarctica. So, the Arctic sea ice (frozen sea water) is about 10 feet thick, whereas the Antarctic ice sheet (compacted freshwater ice) is over a mile thick." Tags: physical, weather and climate, Arctic, Antarctica.
|
Scoop.it!
After 10 years of conservation efforts, the huts that once housed the likes of Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton are ready for a new generation. Tags: Antarctica, National Geographic.
Scoop.it!
Video: This time lapse shows what 24 hours of a summer day (and I guess, a summer night) looks like in the Arctic Circle. You can see the Sun rising a... Via mrhill
Scoop.it!
The Vault is Slate's history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here.
|
