Antarctica: Facts, Stats & Unveiling The Frozen Continent

The ice in Antarctica is three miles thick in places. The Astrolabe Subglacial Container has the thickest ice in the world: a jaw-dropping 4,776 m (15,669 ft). For context, that’s half the height of Mount Everest. (Resource: BBC).

Astrolabe Subglacial Container: The Thickest Ice

The Antarctic Circle is a line of latitude at 66 ° 33 ′ 49.0 ″ south of the Equator. Below this line, the sun stays continuously above the perspective for 24 hours at the very least annually. For tourists, the line marks an official crossing right into Antarctica (though it is possible to come down on continental Antarctica without going across the circle). Surprisingly, the placement of the line is not repaired and is presently wandering southwards at a speed of regarding 14.5 m (48ft) each year. (Resource: Britannica, Globe Ocean Testimonial).

Antarctic Circle: Wandering Southwards

The total inmost point on land, nonetheless, is in East Antarctica under the Denman Glacier. The canyon there is covered by ice and gets to 3,500 m (11,500 feet) below sea degree. (Source: BBC).

In January 1978, Emilio Marcos Palma ended up being the first person to be birthed in Antarctica. His expectant mom was reportedly sent out there by Argentine authorities in an initiative to declare a part of the continent. Since then, 10 various other babies have been born upon the continent. (Source: Guinness World Records).

First Human Born in Antarctica

A desert is specified as an area which receives very little yearly rainfall, so while Antarctica is absolutely not hot and sandy, it is classified as a desert provided its reduced precipitation. Antarctica is the driest continent on Planet (as well as the chilliest, windiest and greatest on standard). (Source: BBC).

Durable professional athletes can subscribe to the 26.2-mile Antarctic Ice Marathon, presently in its sixteenth year. The occasion happens at 80 levels south, just a couple of hundred miles from the South Pole, at the foot of the Ellsworth Hills. , if you’re keen– and have an extra $20,500 USD– you can sign up at icemarathon.com.. (Resource: Antarctic Ice Marathon).

Antarctic Ice Marathon: A Chilling Challenge

The coldest temperature ever before taped on Earth was at Vostok Station, a Russian research study station in Antarctica. (Resource: British Antarctic Study, BBC).

The South Pole has just one sunup (at the September equinox) and one sundown (at the March equinox) every year. Due to Planet’s slanted axis, the sun is constantly above the perspective in the summer and constantly listed below it in the wintertime. (Resource: National Geographic).

‘West Antarctica’ and ‘East Antarctica’ are mapped according to the prime meridian, a fictional line which passes with Greenwich in the UK at 0 levels longitude. If you deal with Greenwich from the South Post, every little thing to your left will be West Antarctica and every little thing to your right, East Antarctica.

West and East Antarctica Division

The Antarctic Treaty, which came into force on 23rd June 1961 has guaranteed that Antarctica continues to be a serene place where the environment is secured and clinical study takes concern. Military task ashore or on ice racks below 60 levels south is banned and the nations energetic in Antarctica seek advice from on making uses of the entire continent, with a commitment that it must not come to be the scene or object of global dissonance. (Source: British Antarctic Survey).

Antarctic Treaty: A Peaceful Continent

Antarctica’s ice sheet is so hefty that it has actually created the land underneath to sink in locations. Since of the colossal weight of the ice, Eastern Antarctica is about 2,500 m (8,200 ft) listed below sea level. (Source: National Geographic).

One of the most interesting facts about Antarctica is that a few of its fish varieties have special ‘anti-freeze’ healthy proteins in their blood to quit them from cold solid. Freshwater ices up at 0ºC (32ºF) yet seawater can drop to -1.8 ºC (28.75 ºF) before cold. Luckily, this evolutionary trait allows the fish to make it through in ice-cold temperatures. (Source: New York City Times).

‘West Antarctica’ and ‘East Antarctica’ are mapped according to the prime meridian, a fictional line which passes through Greenwich in the UK at 0 levels longitude. If you face Greenwich from the South Pole, everything to your left will certainly be West Antarctica and everything to your right, East Antarctica. For travelers, the line notes a main going across into Antarctica (though it is feasible to land on continental Antarctica without crossing the circle). One of the most intriguing facts concerning Antarctica pertains to Villas Las Estrellas, a settlement on King George Island and one of the couple of areas in the continent where individuals can live for years rather than months. The Antarctic Treaty, which came right into pressure on 23rd June 1961 has actually guaranteed that Antarctica continues to be a relaxed place where the atmosphere is safeguarded and clinical study takes priority.

Antarctica’s Mount Erebus is one of the most active volcanoes in the globe. (Resource: NASA).

The majority of visitors to Antarctica must cross the Drake Passage, an infamous body of water in between Chile’s Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands where 3 seas meet and waves can go beyond 12m (40ft), unrestricted by landmasses. The Drake is taken into consideration one of one of the most treacherous trips for ships. (Source: Britannica, NPR).

During our 10-day trip, we enjoyed a sleeping baby humpback whale; satisfied Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins; saw remarkable icebergs and landscapes; and fell for Heaven Bay. Along the way, we discovered myriad fascinating truths concerning Antarctica, the most effective of which we share below.

Antarctica is home to one of the world’s most significant chain of mountains: the Gamburtsev Mountains which stretch more than 1,200 kilometres throughout the inside of the continent. The tallest peaks are around 2,800 m (9,000 ft), yet right here’s the thing: they are totally buried beneath the thick Antarctic ice. The Gamburtsev Hills are understood as Antarctica’s ‘Ghost Mountains’. (Source: British Antarctic Study).

One of the most intriguing facts regarding Antarctica relates to Villas Las Estrellas, a settlement on King George Island and one of the few areas in the continent where individuals can live for years instead than months. (Resource: BBC, BBC, Australian Antarctic Program).

In a remote edge of Antarctica lies a glacier that ‘bleeds’. The deep red water of Blood Falls was very first observed in 1911 but it wasn’t up until 2017 that scientists uncovered the reason. The water streaming from Taylor Glacier originates from a subglacial lake high in salt and oxidised iron, which provides the drops a bloody shade. (Source: National Geographic).

Blood Falls: Antarctica’s ‘Bleeding’ Glacier

Port Lockroy, on the Antarctic Peninsula, is home to the world’s southernmost article office as well as a tiny gallery that serves as a time pill of early polar science. (Source: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Fund).

For a very long time, it looked like our trip to Antarctica wasn’t going to happen. Covid delayed it from 2020 to 2021, and after that once more to 2022. Even after we obtained the thumbs-up, our nerves really did not relieve. If we checked favorable for Covid, we wouldn’t be allowed to board the ship, and daily testing indicated that we can be quarantined in our cabins even after diving in. Basically, it was more demanding than expected.

Antarctica does not have its very own time area. (Resource: BBC).

In spite of the additional anxiousness, we were thoroughly charmed by the terrific white continent. Antarctica rapidly became our number one traveling experience– a testament to its majesty offered the day-to-day challenges.

In the winter, Antarctic sea ice advances from the continent by around 100,000 square kilometres (40,000 square miles) daily, inevitably doubling the dimension of Antarctica prior to melting again in the summer. (Resource: BBC, BBC).