The Straits Times, which visited the icy continent a year ago, explores how helping it stay frozen could keep global sea levels from rising too quickly.It feels apt that the southernmost continent of Antarctica, whipped by harsh winds and covered in ice, should be relegated to the end of the world, beyond the realm of human existence.
As sea levels continue to rise, low-lying parts of the world could disappear from the maps, says sea-level rise expert Benjamin Horton from Nanyang Technological University .Antarctica is important in other ways as well, one of which is to cool the waters around the continent. Dr Andy Smith, science leader of the ice dynamics and palaeoclimate team at the British Antarctic SurveY
“Changes in the deep water formation could affect this global circulation, which redistributes heat, nutrients and carbon around the world.” Geographers divide Antarctica into three regions: East and West Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Tourists going up the scenic slopes at Damoy Point. Sites like this are threatened as sea levels could rise by 1m by 2100, but experts warn that projections could exceed that as there are compound factors, like the thermal expansion of seawater as the world heats up. ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
Called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, it is the world’s largest ocean current, with a flow equivalent to about 150 times the flow of all the world’s rivers combined, says the Australian Antarctic Survey on its website. Port Lockroy is home to the only post office in Antarctica and also to some gentoo penguins, which like to nest on the rocks there. ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIMThe Antarctic tundra, like the tropical rainforests of South-east Asia, is never silent.
Sea ice is also crucial to marine animals, like this pair of crabeater seals using it as a platform to rest.The sooty albatross, found only in the southern hemisphere, is a medium-sized albatross with a 2m wingspan.A lone crabeater seal napping on a floating bed of ice, oblivious to the sound of cameras snapping away.
Yet, in a warming world, these pot-bellied birds are turning out to be important indicators of the health of the Antarctic ecosystem. “We’re seeing the expansion in range of penguins that are better adapted to a warmer climate, such as the gentoo penguins,” says Mr Baker, who was also onboard the Ocean Atlantic during last November’s expedition cruise.
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