3.2.1.5 Antarctica Flashcards
(27 cards)
How many countries hold sovereignty over Antarctica?
Seven
Which countries hold claim over territory of Antarctica?
UK, Norway, France
Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand
Why is the Antarctic Treaty important?
Because of the lack of soverignty
When was the Antarctic Treaty signed?
1959
When does the ATS expire?
2048
What does the ATS rule?
No new soverignty claims will be considered
Freedom on scientific investigateion
The area is only to be used for peaceful purposes
Military activity and testing is prohibited
Dumping of nuclear waste is banned
What is the UNEP?
United Nation’s Environmental Programme
Has observer status in Antarctic Treaty Consultive meetings to provide expertise
How many countries have signed the ATS?
52
Continuing to grow
What are the purpose of NGO’s in Antarctica?
To monitor, understand or control aspects of Antarctica e.g. marine life and sea levels
how big is Antarctica?
covers an area of 14 million km2
what is the annual precipitation of Antarctica
166m
average temperature of Antarctic
-49 degrees c
what is the main plant life in Antarctica
moss and lichen
why is the ecosystem in Antarctica very fragile
due to the small amount of sunlight and rainfall it recieves
lack of warmth
making it very fragile
where do micro phyto plankton thrive in?
the Antarctic vonvergence
what are the main threats to Antarctica?
Climate change
Fishing and whaling
Search for minerals
Tourism and research
details of climate change as a threat
in the past 50 years, the west coast has warmed by 3degrees c
leading to the retreat of ice shelves, penguin population decline
sea levels have risen by 3mm a year since the 1990s
details of fishing and whaling as a threat
illegal fishing and whaling is unsustainable and damages the extensive food chain
whales are slow breeders which makes population recovery take a long time
details of searching for minerals as a threat
large oil reserves in the Southern Ocean
coal in the Transantarctic Mountains
details of tourism and research as a threat
pollution and risk of oil spills increase from ships
intrudence of tourists can disturb animals, destroy vegetation and erode the landscape
research facilities cam be damaging
what is a key NGO in Antarctica and when was it formed
ASOC - Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition
1978
what was ASOC set up for
to monitor climate change
for those that were concerned that some countries were planning to make it legal to exploit the Antarctic’s natural minerals
what does the IWC do
ensures whale populations are at a sustainable level
what strategy did the IWC introduce
the Whaling Moratorium
