Transcript Antarctic Exploration

Antarctic Exploration
By: Alex Singleton
Grant Hatch
Jordan Selk
Location and Description of Antarctica
• How we arrived at our
destination: Took an
twin otter plane it took
four hours from Puente
Chile.
• Antarctica is located in
the southernmost area
of the earth. This
landmass is the largest
of any continent.
• Description: This land is
comprised of mostly
frozen seawater that
extends from the
coastline. The actual
landmass is covered
with snow and ice
continually throughout
the year. The ground
consists of a hard layer
of permafrost.
Climactic Data of the Antarctic
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The weather conditions of the
Antarctic are harsh and allow for little
life. Antarctica is the windiest
continent on earth and this is
sometimes accompanied by
precipitation which is almost always
found in the form of snow. These
deadly combinations make for
hazardous blizzards that you can
easily die. Sometimes rain falls in the
coastal regions during the summer.
Gathering this data was easy because
of previous explorations and stations
that have been erected that gather
information on all temperatures and
climate data in the area they were
built. We therefore just gathered
data from these locations and
therefore have the Climactic Data.
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Coldest Temperature:
-129°F (-89°C) on July 21, 1983
Location: Vostok Station
Warmest Temperature:
+59°F (+15°C) on Jan 5, 1974
Location: Vanda Station
Average Temperatures:
Winter: -40 to -94°F (-40 to -70°C)
Summer: -5 to -31°F (-15 to -35°C)
Soil Analysis of the Antarctic
• Antarctica is a continent surrounded on all sides by the
ocean.
• 98% of the entire continent which is bigger than any other
on earth is covered in snow and ice. The other two
percent consists of mainly fumarole communities which
are volcanic ground that generates a great amount of heat
which melts the snow and ice around it creating an
environment that plants and animals can survive on
because of the abundant sources of water and fertile soil.
• A soil analysis can be obtained by going to the actual site
of the fumarole and dig up a small soil sample and take it
back to the lab to conduct chemical and content tests to
determine the soil composition and makeup.
Vegetation Found in Antarctic
• The majority of Antarctica
is covered by permanent
ice and snow leaving less
than 1% available for
colonization by plants.
There are no trees or
shrubs, and only two
species of flowering
plants, Antarctic hair
grass and Antarctic
pearlwort.
• We estimated the amount
of plant life by studying
the amount of plants in
several fumaroles and
taking the average. Then
multiplying the average
by the estimated number
of fumaroles.
Vegetation Found in Antarctic
• The vegetation is
predominantly made up
of lower plant groups
that are specially
adapted to surviving in
extreme environments
which include mosses,
liverworts, lichens, and
fungi.
Fauna of the Antarctic
• The Antarctic provides harsh conditions in
which little can survive. Despite this fact there
are several species which have evolved to
support themselves and reproduce in these
conditions. These species include penguins,
birds of flight, seals, and whales. There are
also many microscopic organisms that support
the base of the Antarctic ecosystem.
Antarctic Invertebrates
• Insects:
• There is a limited amount
of insect diversity with
only 67 species recorded.
• Most are parasites living
off of other living
organisms. Springtails are
the only free-living insect.
• Mites:
• Small organism belonging
to the spider family.
• They survive by a process
of super cooling.
• Krill:
• Small organisms that live
in the water.
• Mainstay of many larger
animals of the ecosystem.
Penguins
Penguins are one of the
most common animals
found in Antarctica. The
best way to estimate
population is tag and
release.
Types of Penguins:
• African Penguin
• King Penguin
• Royal Penguin
• Emperor Penguin
• Gentoo Penguin
• Emperor Penguin
• Population: 200,000 pairs
or 400,000 individuals
• Location: Weddell and
sea regions
• Size: 40” tall
• Weight: 88 Lbs
• Diet: Fish, Squid, and
crustaceans
Birds of Flight
• Birds play an important
role in the Antarctic
ecosystem. They can be
found through tag and
release and include:
• Albatross
• Petrels
• Turns
• Gulls
• Fulmars
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• Key Species
Gulls
Population: Several
Hundred thousand
Location: Sub Antarctic
region
Wingspan: 3-4 Ft
Weight: 2-3 Lb
Diet: Shellfish,
invertebrates, and fish.
Seals
• There is a large
population of seals that
balance the precarious
ecosystem. They can be
found and counted
through the method of
tag and release.
• Leopard Seals
• Ross Seals
• Elephant Seals
• Crab eater Seals
• Fur Seals
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• Key Species
Fur Seal
Population: 4 million
Location: Southern Polar
islands
Size: 6-7 ft
Weight: 200-300lbs
Diet: Krill, Squid, and fish.
Whales
• Whales comprise a large
portion of the
underwater aspect of the
Antarctic ecosystem.
They are tracked through
radio tagging.
• Blue Whale
• Fin Whale
• Humpback Whale
• Sperm Whale
• Orca Whale
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• Key Species
Orca Whale
Population: several
hundred thousand
Location: Worldwide but
main population is
concentrated in southern
seas close to Antarctica.
Size: 25-35 Ft
Weight: Up to 7 tons
Diet: Fish, Birds, and Seals
Food Web of Antarctica
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The harshness of the conditions makes the animals
extremely dependent on each other for survival.
Phytoplankton is the base of the web. Bigger things
such as krill and copepods feed on them. Plankton
and fish then feed on these.
The fish are the base for most of the land animals.
Penguins, seals, and whales all feed off of the fish.
Seals feed off of the penguins and some seals even
eat other seals as a mainstay of their diet.
The interactions of the species was found through
observing the different wildlife and seeing how they
interacted with each other.
There are also interactions of competition. For
example the penguins have to compete with each
other for the fish that are available. The whales also
compete for the available fish.
Parasites also infest several of the seals fur and
support themselves by irritating the seals that they
use to gain nourishment.
Works Cited
• io.uwinnipeg.ca/~simmons/16cmo5/1116/16e
cosys.htm
• www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/wildli
fe/index.html