Nature

Relief and geological structure of the mainland

Relief and ice cover

Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth, the average height of the surface of the continent above sea level is more than 2000 m, and in the center of the continent it reaches 4000 m. Most of this height is the permanent ice cover of the continent, under which the continental relief is hidden and only ~ 5% of its area from ice - mainly in West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains: islands, coastal areas, the so-called. "dry valleys" and individual ridges and mountain peaks (), rising above the ice surface. The Transantarctic Mountains, crossing almost the entire continent, divide Antarctica into two parts - West Antarctica and East Antarctica - having a different origin and geological structure. In the east there is a high (the highest elevation of the ice surface is ~4100 m above sea level), an ice-covered plateau. The western part consists of a group of mountainous islands connected by ice. On the Pacific coast are the Antarctic Andes, whose height exceeds 4000 m; the highest point of the continent - 4892 m above sea level - the Vinson Massif of the Sentinel Range. The deepest depression of the continent is also located in West Antarctica - the Bentley depression, probably of origin. The depth of the Bentley depression, filled with ice, reaches 2555 m below sea level.

The modern ice sheet of Antarctica was formed several million years ago, which was apparently facilitated by the rupture of the bridge connecting South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, which, in turn, led to the formation of the Antarctic circumpolar current (Western Winds current) and the isolation of Antarctic waters from the World Ocean - these waters make up the so-called.

Geological structure

Geological structure of East Antarctica

East Antarctica is an ancient continental platform (craton) similar to platforms , and . All these cratons were formed during the breakup of a supercontinent. The age of the rocks of the crystalline basement is 2.5-2.8 billion years, the most ancient rocks of Enderby Earth are more than 3 billion years old.

The basement is covered by a younger sedimentary cover formed 350-190 . years ago, mostly of marine origin. In layers with an age of 320-280 million years, there are glacial deposits, but younger ones contain fossil remains of plants and animals, including ichthyosaurs and , which indicates a strong difference between the climate of that time and the modern one. Findings of heat-loving flora and fauna were made by the first explorers of Antarctica, and served as one of the hardest proofs of large-scale horizontal plate movements, confirming the concept.

Geological structure of West Antarctica

West Antarctica is a younger and more dissected area, formed over the past 500 million years by the addition of small continental microplate fragments to the Antarctic plate. The largest are the Ellsworth Mountains and Mary Bird Land. The collision of these microplates with the Antarctic plate led to the formation of the mountains of western Antarctica.

seismic activity. Volcanism.

Antarctica is a tectonically calm continent with low seismic activity, manifestations are concentrated in western Antarctica and are associated with that that arose during the Andean period of mountain building. Some of the volcanoes, especially island ones, have erupted in the last 200 years. The most active Antarctica -. It is called "a volcano guarding the path to.

Climate

Antarctica is characterized by extremely severe cold. The absolute pole of cold is located in East Antarctica, where temperatures down to -89.2 were recorded (area).

Another feature of the meteorology of East Antarctica is katabatic (katabatic) winds, due to its dome-shaped. These stable winds of southerly directions arise on rather steep slopes of the ice sheet due to the cooling of the air layer near the ice surface, the density of the near-surface layer increases and it flows down the slope under the action. The thickness of the air flow layer is usually 200-300 m; due to the large amount of ice dust carried by the wind, horizontal visibility in such winds is very low. The strength of the katabatic wind is proportional to the steepness of the slope and reaches its greatest strength in coastal areas with a high slope towards the sea. The katabatic winds reach their maximum strength in the Antarctic winter - from April to November they blow almost continuously around the clock, from November to - at night or when it is low above the horizon. In summer, during the daytime, due to the heating of the near-surface air layer by the sun, katabatic winds near the coast stop.

Inland waters

Due to the fact that the average annual temperatures in Antarctica do not exceed zero degrees, precipitation there falls only in the form of ( - an extremely rare occurrence). It forms an ice cover (snow is compressed under its own weight) with a thickness of more than 1700 m, in some places reaching 4300 m. Up to 90% of all fresh Earth is concentrated in Antarctic ice.

In total, in 2006, a little more than a hundred were discovered in Antarctica.

organic world

Man and Antarctica

History of the study of the continent

The first existence in the cold south of the continent was suggested. However, a very difficult ice situation did not allow him to reach the shores of the continent. This was done 16 () years of the Russian expedition led by and.

After that, the study of the coast of the continent and its interior began. Numerous studies were done by English expeditions led by Ernest Shackleton (he wrote the book The Most Terrible Campaign about them).

Status of Antarctica

Territorial claims

However, the existence of a treaty does not mean that the states that acceded to it have renounced their territorial claims to the continent and adjacent space. On the contrary, the territorial claims of some countries are formidable. For example, it claims a territory ten times larger than its own (including the island of Peter I, discovered by the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition). Huge territories declared their own. considers almost half of Antarctica to be its own, into which, however, Adélie Land is wedged. Made territorial claims and. , and claim almost the same territory, including the Antarctic Peninsula and.

Population

Several virtual states have also “registered” on the territory of Antarctica, for example, Immortia. Claims for part of the mainland.

Why is it necessary to study and develop Antarctica?

• Antarctica is the last resource reserve of mankind, this is the last place where mankind will be able to extract minerals after its depletion on the five inhabited continents. Geologists have established that the bowels of Antarctica contain a significant amount of minerals - iron ores, coal, traces of copper, nickel, lead, zinc, molybdenum ores have been found, rock crystal, mica, and graphite have been found.
• Observations of climatic and meteorological processes on the continent, which, like

Until the beginning of the 19th century, a large white spot was placed on globes in the region of the South Pole, because there was no reliable information about these places. Navigators have been persistently, but unsuccessfully, searching for the unknown Southern Land since the 16th century.

The famous English captain James Cook, whose geographical discoveries created him worldwide fame and indisputable authority, was also looking for her. In 1775, his ships crossed the Antarctic Circle and reached 71 S, but icebergs, ice and snowstorms blocked their path. Cook's words: "I went around the ocean of the Southern Hemisphere and undeniably rejected the possibility of the existence of the mainland" extinguished interest in the search for an unknown land for many years.

Rice. 1. F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev

At the beginning of the 19th century, the young fleet of Russia entered the expanses of the oceans to discover and explore new lands. Summer 1819-1820 years, the Russian expedition under the command of F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazareva on the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" for the first time went around the southern mainland, came close to the coast of an unknown continent and mapped sections of the coasts of Antarctica (see Fig. 1).

In the 19th century, many ships approached the shores of Antarctica. In 1823, the Englishman James Weddell, in search of seal rookeries, reached 74 gr. Yu. sh., passing through the sea deeply protruding into the land. In 1840G. The French expedition of Jules Dumont d'Urville discovered several small islands off the coast of the mainland.

And the study of Antarctica by the English expedition of James Ross in 1841 led to the discovery on the mainland of a mountainous country named after the Queen of England - the land of Victoria, and two volcanoes - Erbus and Terror. The world's largest ice shelf has also been discovered. The greatest geographical discovery was achievement December 1911 Earth's South Pole Norwegian R. Amundsen. Scott's expedition, which repeated this feat a month later, perished.

Who owns Antarctica?

But no one!

Antarctica is the only continent that does not belong to anyone, but is the continent of international cooperation (see Fig. 2). The real masters of the continent are scientists from different parts of the world.

In accordance with the Antarctic Convention, signed on December 1, 1959 and entered into force on June 23, 1961, Antarctica does not belong to any state. Only scientific activities are allowed.

Rice. 2. International status of the mainland

The deployment of military installations, as well as the entry of warships and armed vessels south of the 60th degree of latitude, are prohibited. In the 80s of the XX century, Antarctica was also declared a nuclear-free zone, which excluded the appearance of nuclear-powered ships in its waters, and nuclear power units on the mainland.

Now the parties to the treaty are 28 states (with the right to vote) and dozens of observer countries. However, the existence of a treaty does not mean that the states that acceded to it have renounced their territorial claims to the continent and adjacent space.

On the contrary, the territorial claims of some countries are formidable. For example, Norway claims a territory ten times larger than its own (including the island of Peter I, discovered by the expedition Bellingshausen - Lazarev).

Great territories declared their Great Britain. Australia considers almost half of Antarctica to be its own, into which, however, the “French” Adélie Land is wedged. Presented territorial claims and New Zealand. Great Britain, Chile and Argentina claim practically the same territory, including the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands.

The United States and Russia took a special position, declaring that they could, in principle, put forward their territorial claims in Antarctica, although so far they have not done so. Moreover, both states do not recognize the claims of other countries, as well as the claims of each other.

Modern study of the mainland

After the first acquaintance with Antarctica, its exploration seemed economically unjustified and unpromising. The scientific study of the sixth continent actually began only in the 20th century.

The first wintering expeditions to the icy continent encountered enormous difficulties and hardships. Names Robert Scott (see Fig. 3), Roald Amundsen, Karsten Borchgrevink, Ernest Shackleton, Douglas Mawson and other "pioneers" of Antarctica made a glorious page in its study.

Rice. 3. Robert Scott

In our time, the enthusiasm and courage of individuals have been replaced by the combined purposeful efforts of scientists from many countries. Large, well-equipped expeditions, numbering hundreds, and sometimes thousands of different specialists, work in Antarctica every year. Research is carried out with the help of modern icebreakers, all-terrain vehicles and aircraft.

The International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) should be considered the beginning of the latest stage in Antarctic research.

Soviet expeditions made a great contribution to the study of Antarctica.

Hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Mikhailovich led the First Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE) Somov, and on February 13, 1956, the first Soviet scientific station Mirny, located exactly on the Antarctic Circle, went into operation.

In preparation for the International Geophysical Year, about 60 bases and stations belonging to 11 states were founded on the coast, ice sheet and islands (including Soviet ones - the Mirny observatory, Oasis, Pionerskaya, Vostok-1, Komsomolskaya and Vostok stations) ( see Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Station Vostok

From the end of the 50s. in the seas surrounding the continent, oceanographic work is carried out, regular geophysical research is carried out at stationary continental stations; expeditions are also undertaken into the interior of the continent.

Soviet scientists carried out a sled-tractor trip to the Geomagnetic Pole, the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility, the South Pole (see Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Modern research

Australian, Belgian and French scientists also worked in the interior of Antarctica.

Why is it necessary to study and develop Antarctica?

Antarctica is the last resource reserve of mankind, this is the last place where mankind will be able to extract minerals after its depletion on the five inhabited continents. Geologists have established that the bowels of Antarctica contain a significant amount of minerals. Observations of climatic and meteorological processes on the continent, which, like the Gulf Stream in the Northern Hemisphere, is a climate-forming factor for the entire Earth. Antarctica is up to 90% of the world's fresh water reserves. In Antarctica, the effects of outer space and the processes occurring in the earth's crust are being studied. Glaciology, which studies the structure of ice, is already bringing serious scientific results today, informing us about what the Earth was like a hundred, thousand, hundreds of thousands of years ago. Antarctica provides a unique chance to see and study microorganisms that lived millions of years ago. The Antarctic bases, especially the Russian ones, located around the entire perimeter of the continent, provide ideal opportunities for tracking seismological activity throughout the planet. The Antarctic bases are testing technologies that are planned to be used in the future for the exploration, development and colonization of the Moon and Mars.

Bibliography

MainI

1. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: Textbook for general education. uch. / A.P. Kuznetsov, L.E. Savelyeva, V.P. Dronov, "Spheres" series. – M.: Enlightenment, 2011.

2. Geography. Earth and people. Grade 7: atlas. Series "Spheres".

Additional

1. N.A. Maksimov. Behind the pages of a geography textbook. – M.: Enlightenment.

5. Encyclopedia Around the World ().

After the terrible catastrophe of 1991, the collapse of the USSR, the dismemberment of the Russian people and the intensification of the zombification of the Russian people under the conditions of Jewish censorship, there was a grinding, spiritual and intellectual, of a huge part of the Russian people. Narrowing horizons. Transition to life in boxes. Even the pig way of life (eating, drinking, going to the toilet, having sex, getting money, staring stupidly at the TV box and monitor, sometimes yapping at the authorities). Millions of Russian people are unable to answer the question about the Meaning of Life.

Why do Russians need Antarctica? They don't need Antarctica at all. “We have a huge country Russia, we have enough territory, why do we need this or some kind of Antarctica”

But there is another trend. There is a slow, but the revival of the Russian people. The number of new Russians is increasing.

They need Antarctica.
Antarctica is included in the sphere of their vital interests. The interests of Russia, the interests of the Russian people are their vital interests.

Hitler had a strategic grand plan. A large expedition was sent from Germany. German pilots marked a huge piece of Antarctica with swastikas. A banner red with a white circle with a swastika developed in this region. A station was built on the coast. Submarines penetrated the tunnels, work began in huge caves. A cool German naval base began to be created. And if Hitler won the Second World War, probably the whole of Antarctica would become part of the Greater German Empire. But he did not win, but shamefully lost, to the chagrin of the then Germans and Hitler's fans in other countries.

Then the United States after the war tried to lay its paw on Antarctica. But Stalin did not allow it. And he gave a little jug to Admiral Byrd, who led a whole squadron to the shores of Antarctica. The expedition returned to the United States noticeably mutilated. Then many more states began to drool, looking at Antarctica, and stretched out their paws to this continent.

The question arose: either divide Antarctica into pieces between predatory states, or let there be no man's land, and on it everyone can put their scientific stations.
The option chosen is no man's land.
For the first time, let it be no man's or common land, and then it will be clear.

The current position of Antarctica is regulated by two international documents. This is the Convention on Antarctica, signed on December 1, 1959 and entered into force on June 23, 1961. And the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection in Antarctica in 1991. According to the Convention, the continent is declared a neutral demilitarized territory with freedom of scientific activity, cooperation and information exchange. Antarctica does not belong to any state. Only scientific activities are allowed in Antarctica. The deployment of military installations, and even the entry of warships and armed vessels south of 60 degrees south latitude is prohibited. In the 1980s, Antarctica was also declared a nuclear-free zone. This means that entry into the waters of Antarctica is prohibited even for civilian nuclear-powered ships, and it is forbidden to have nuclear power units on the mainland. The protocol established a 50-year moratorium on any geological exploration. No one has the right to extract oil, gas, coal, uranium, gold, jewelry, etc. in Antarctica.

Currently, 28 states (with the right to vote) and dozens of observer countries are parties to the treaty.

And taking advantage of the ignorance of the Russian people, the anti-Russian authorities began to send ships and planes to Antarctica less and less. Accordingly, the United States and other states began to strengthen in Antarctica. And those who objected were "explained": Antarctica is located 15 thousand kilometers from Russia. Swim and fly far and expensive. Russia will not be able to maintain bases in Antarctica. And why would the Russian people need this inhospitable, cold, icy continent. We already have the largest territory on the globe. We are not even strong enough to master the Russian North. Most of our people live in poverty. Why else spend money on Antarctica?

Russia, the Russian people began to get one of the important strategic goals - the development of Antarctica. And what is the value of a people who do not have large and important goals? The people turn into guzzling, drinking, pooping, sexing inhabitants, sitting for hours in front of a television box and a monitor.

By the end of the 70s, the USSR had the most developed network of Antarctic bases. In the mid-90s, out of more than 40 bases operating all year round, six stations belonged to the USSR. And there were also three seasonal Soviet stations. At that time, 6-8 ships went to Antarctica.

And in 1999, under the new Russophobic government, the entire budget for Antarctica amounted to only 104 million rubles, or only 4 million dollars. One T-80 tank, wrote Ivan Lentsev, cost three times as much. Of the 6-8 ships annually sailing to Antarctica, only one remains - the Akademik Fedorov. The project (still Soviet) is to establish a permanent air connection with Antarctica through long-range aviation, through the creation of large airfields, etc. and remained on paper.

There was talk in the government about the refusal or mimicry of the Russian presence in Antarctica. There was a threat for Russians to be thrown out of Antarctica due to Russophobes and fools.

After all, what is taking place. Although 28 states (with the right to vote) and dozens of observer countries are now parties to the Treaty on No Man's Antarctica, many predatory states are already burdened by the 1959 Convention on No Man's Antarctica. They consider this Convention outdated and unprofitable for themselves. Many predatory states are eager to have their own huge piece. Norway, for example, claims a territory that is ten times larger than its own, including the island of Peter 1, which was discovered by the expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev.

Great territories of the continent were declared by Great Britain. The British are planning to mine ore and oil on the Antarctic shelf in the near future. Australia considers almost half of Antarctica to be its own, including Adélie land. This irritates France, which considers Adélie's land to be French territory. The British, Australians and French are already starting to get angry at each other.

Presented territorial claims and New Zealand. And Great Britain, Chile and Argentina claim practically the same territory, which includes the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. China, Korea, India and Japan are making their claims. We can say that dozens of states are making their claims, and their number will grow. Attract oil, gas, coal, uranium, gold and jewelry, and in the future - fresh water

Both China and Korea have announced the construction of powerful icebreakers in order to come close at any time to the coast of Antarctica. China plans to create cities with thousands, and then millions of Chinese.

The quality of many foreign bases is much better than Russian ones. At some bases there is already a whole village. There are schools for children of polar explorers, a post office and a hotel.

The Americans have bases with excellent airfields and helicopter pads. The Americans have already invented a bicycle with wide and strong tires, faster transport than skis. The Americans are planning to build a transantarctic highway. Some foreign bases already have greenhouses where greens, cucumbers and tomatoes are grown. There are bases - a masterpiece of engineering art.

So Iran already announced in 2012 that it intends to build its research base at the South Pole over the next three years. The director of the Iranian National Institute of Oceanography, Vahid Cheghini, told ISNA that the most advanced technical achievements will be used to build the Iranian research station. Research and transport vessels, as well as icebreakers, will be built. Technologies for towing icebergs, creating special textiles for tailoring clothes that allow working in Antarctic conditions, as well as ice drilling technologies and many others will be mastered.
http://mignews.com/news/technology/world/090112_64825_00478.html

Currently (2012) there are already 45 year-round bases in Antarctica.

At present, the forceful option of capturing pieces of Antarctica by various predatory states is restrained only by the weakness of these states. It is not possible to send troops to Antarctica to protect the occupied territories. The troops will freeze and freeze in a few days. And the industrialists have little strength to open the bowels. But after the extraction of oil, gas, coal and uranium begins, the settlement of Antarctica and the construction of settlements will inevitably begin. And inevitably the appearance of troops to protect these settlements. All talk about the fact that it is impossible to extract minerals and send troops, international documents forbid, is talk for fools.

The military and intelligence agencies have been present in Antarctica for a long time. But not yet for protection and invasion, but for secret military research. But the growth in the number of military and intelligence officers will increase year by year.

Under such conditions, reducing the Russian presence in Antarctica means not having a single piece in Antarctica in the future. Everything will be captured and divided among other predator states.
But, alas, the Russian authorities are not itching yet. They did not stop the work of all stations, but there is still little progress. It seems (for 2012) that the development of Antarctica is not among the STRATEGIC TASKS of the authorities. I have a sad assumption that at present the Ministry of Defense and the Strategic Center of Russia do not even have a Strategic Plan for the Development of Antarctica, a plan to strengthen the presence of Russia in Antarctica, a plan for the development of Antarctica by Russians, a plan ... for Russia's behavior in case dozens of predator states rush to capture pieces and divide Antarctica.

After all, expelling the "invaders" from the occupied territories will not be a very simple matter, and is fraught with an aggravation of international relations. In Antarctica, there may be a big fight with the participation of "limited contingents" from different countries, who arrived on ships and planes. And how would we not be deprived. The Great World War over Antarctica is not ruled out.
In order to protect the interests of Russia and the Russian people in Antarctica, it is necessary to have many strong bases there. On ice, under ice and in caves.

And the Russian people still do not even know what territory Russia claims? I would very much like to hear this from the President, the Government and from the Strategic Center of Russia. There is no answer yet. And how will Russia repel the attacks of other predatory states? No answer yet...

Why does Russia spend billions of rubles on expeditions to Antarctica, but still lags behind in research, why are geographical discoveries needed today and why study ice that is 2 million years old?

The researcher of the glaciers of Antarctica Alexei Ekaikin, who delivered a lecture on the geographical discoveries of the 20th century, told "Paper" that studies and discovers modern geography.

-Geography in the 17th century was for the most part the science of discovering new lands. What is geography today?

Any science is engaged in discoveries - geography is engaged in the same. The climate, hard-to-reach territories, the history of the planet are being studied. Now the term "geographical discovery" has simply changed. This is not so much about new objects, but about phenomena and new patterns: there are areas that study weather conditions, there are those that study ancient rocks, and the like.

The site's last major geographic discovery seems to have been the discovery of Lake Vostok. This is a very revealing example of how a new object is being studied now. In the 60s, the first theories were born that there is water under the Antarctic ice: studies (for example, echo from explosions) spoke about this, but no one could prove it in practice. They talked about this for a long time, and in 1970, well drilling began in this area. And only in 1998, at a depth of 3539 meters, the Russian-French-American well reached the subglacial Lake Vostok. True, during this time everyone has already proved that it exists, and it was only necessary to make sure in fact. But the geography doesn't end there. Since it was discovered, this phenomenon has been constantly studied: how such a lake could have appeared at all, how it interacts with surrounding objects.

It is difficult to find practical application for many geographical discoveries; they may be useful only after a few decades. But thanks to, for example, the knowledge that there is water under the ice of Antarctica, we have already learned a lot about the dynamics of the glacier. It's interesting and exciting: it's like you're exploring space.

But even without taking into account the craving for knowledge, not to mention the fundamental nature of the study of everything new, geographical discoveries can help improve the current environmental situation. It is already clear that it will get warmer, because of this the ice is already melting. And how to warn yourself against melting ice is not clear. You need to constantly monitor the ice, understand how they are arranged, and predict their behavior. Let's understand this - we will understand what is happening with the planet.

-Can we say that in the future most of the discoveries will occur in Antarctica?

It is very difficult to understand where and when discoveries will happen. But the discoveries in Antarctica are definitely not over - there will be many of them, including geographical ones. Traditionally, they explore the ocean around Antarctica itself, marine species, ice and snow, and their indicators. It is in these areas that the next discoveries can occur.

Now, for example, many [geographers] are concerned about finding the oldest ice in Antarctica - ice from the time of global climate change, which is more than 2 million years old. Since global climate change is also happening now, this needs to be studied. To predict the future, you need to know how the climate has evolved in the past.

We can only say that it is unlikely that these will be the same powerful discoveries as in the study of DNA, space or small particles. In these sciences, everything is changing before our eyes, but in geography everything is quite static.

-Why then are so many expeditions to Antarctica needed?

Despite the fact that many countries are now doing this, not all of them have their own polar stations. But this direction is popular: recently even Malaysia began to be based there. Everyone wants to be closer to Antarctica, but everyone has a different scale.

Russia now has the most stations in Antarctica - five. In addition, we have several seasonal bases there, which open only in the summer, two research expedition ships. About 1.5 billion rubles a year is spent on the Antarctic expedition. It only looks impressive, in fact, in relation to GDP, this is an insignificant amount, many countries spend much more.

Although the scale of our expeditions is huge, in scientific terms they could be more useful: upon returning home, Russian scientists cannot conduct research, they lack funding.

Many politicians openly declare that it is not science that is more important now, but the geographical presence in Antarctica. Science here becomes a cover for geopolitical interests.

-What does Russian science lose in this situation?

Due to lack of funding, we have no opportunity to open something new. For example, now we are not studying the most ancient ice, we have actually frozen the project to study Lake Vostok, we don’t even have the technology for research. And time is running out, we are losing our advantage on the world stage. If we don't do it now, someone else will.

Our scientists are sometimes even the first to bring samples from Antarctica, but they cannot study them. And this is an obligatory part: science begins in the field, and continues in the laboratory. Scientists are forced to look for sources of funding on their own, despite the fact that this requires even more money than the expeditions themselves.

This has been going on for probably five years now. From 1999 to 2013, we had the federal program "World Ocean", in which there was a subprogram "Antarctica". Everything was financed quite normally, after which a successor program should have been opened. Everything was launched into development, everything was promised, but it simply did not appear.

Of course, some researchers raise money for the study of Antarctica through crowdfunding or grants, but these are insignificant amounts. We, like many others, for example, need billions of rubles to work. We received grants for 20 million rubles a year, but even that money is not enough.

Bottom at Victoria Land

-How far behind is Russia because of this?

Back in Soviet times, geography was not a priority. Now we have a big backlog in terms of specialists, in terms of technology. There is a simple example: once every two years, absolutely everyone who is involved in Antarctica can come to a meeting of the scientific committee for the study of Antarctica. The last such meeting was attended by only six specialists from Russia - out of a total of 1,000 participants. That is, our contribution to this science is about 0.6%.

Of course, we have bright projects like Vostok Lake, but these are isolated cases. We have, as many like to say, a complex systemic crisis: most specialists are over 60, the state's priorities are not focused on science. Of the five Russian stations in Antarctica, four are obsolete. The rest are in complete decline, in place of some it is already necessary to build new ones.

-Are there any trends for improvement in Russian geography?

Speaking of Antarctica, there are few reasons for optimism. In the foreseeable future, there is no likelihood that the state will want to solve these problems. There is only hope that domestic private business will start investing money, as is done in the West. We can cooperate with foreign colleagues only at the level of science, but not at the level of funding. We have the Russian Antarctic Expedition, which receives money from the state budget. However, no one will allow you to receive money, even if one of the foreigners wants to give them.

We can only hope that our businessmen will follow the example of Nobel. When he was 62 years old, a newspaper mistakenly published his obituary, describing him only as the inventor of dynamite, "a man who sows death." After that, he became a philanthropist, established his own award. And everyone now knows him as a man who helped science. The same can happen to our entrepreneurs who made their fortune in the 90s.

Antarctica is one of the most unexplored and unexplored corners of our planet.

Despite this fact, the boundless and cold lands of Antarctica have always attracted brave travelers, scientists and explorers.

Beginning in 1820, when this continent was discovered by Russian scientists under the leadership of Bellingshausen, ships were regularly sent to Antarctica.

Modern Antarctica is already a fairly “inhabited” continent, on which there are even tourists.

Story

Throughout the nineteenth century, numerous expeditions were made here, mainly by English and American explorers. Thanks to them, new, previously unexplored corners of Antarctica were discovered, such as Adélie Land, Louis Philippe Land, Joinville Island. A great contribution to the study of the mainland was made by scientists and navigators J. Biscoe, J. Ross, J. Dumont-Derville and others. In the late nineteenth century, Antarctica became a highly sought-after whaling destination. The icy shores of these cold lands were visited by Scottish, Belgian, French, Norwegian expeditions, who not only engaged in whaling in these waters, but also discovered many new territories. Many of the navigators, arriving in Antarctica, also studied weather conditions, measured the depth of the sea, and performed many other important studies.

A particularly rapid rise in the study of Antarctica was observed at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The first voyage in the new century was made by Robert Scott, who in 1901 approached the waters of the continent on his powerful ship Discovery, exploring the coast of the Ross Sea, discovering the Edward VII Peninsula, the Ross Glacier and many other important objects on the continent. During this trip, Scott collected a lot of information about Antarctica. At that time, it was the most extensive material on the flora, fauna, geology and minerals of the continent. In 1907-1909, Scott's research was continued by the sledge expedition of E. Shackleton.

It ended not so well: in the middle of the journey, the researchers realized that they would not be able to complete the expedition due to lack of provisions and the death of dogs. Therefore, Shackleton decided to return, quite a bit before reaching the South Pole.

As a result, the discovery of the pole was carried out by the famous Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen, who landed on the coast of the continent in 1911. This name is forever associated with the history of Antarctic exploration.

In the future (starting from the 1930s), research was carried out not only on the land and water territories of Antarctica, but also on its airspace.

Flights over these lands were made by American pilots, thanks to which new territories were discovered, deposits of coal and other minerals were discovered.

In the second half of the twentieth century, exploration of Antarctica acquired a systematic character. Since the 1950s, constant oceanological and geological work has been carried out here, expeditions have been undertaken deep into the icy continent.

The first Soviet expedition reached the shores of Antarctica in January 1956, Russian scientists founded the village of Mirny. In total, 59 expeditions were sent to Antarctica in 59 years.

Modern exploration of Antarctica

Today, scientists already have much more significant information about Antarctica than a century ago. Thanks to numerous studies, in the 21st century, people know information about the climatic features of the mainland, its geology, features of the sea, and the inhabitants of the continent. Nevertheless, the development of Antarctica is actively continuing today. Scientists pay special attention to the following points:

Exploring ice

Today in Antarctica, extremely extensive research is being carried out in this area.

Specialists study the features of Antarctic ice movements, their speed, thickness, temperature regime, physical and chemical properties, various types of ice, etc.

Thanks to these studies, a complete picture of the ice age was recreated, and the potential possibilities of the ice of Antarctica as potential sources of fresh water were calculated.

Geological research

Antarctica is of great interest not only for modern glaciologists (ice researchers), but also for geologists. Scientists are studying the oldest continental moraines, sediments at the bottom of Antarctic waters. As a result of these works, in particular, it was found that the ice of Antarctica formed much earlier than the ice sheets.

Exploring the "oases" of Antarctica

"Oases" in relation to this continent today are called land areas free of ice.

Most of these "oases" are located along the coast of the continent. The total area of ​​such territories, according to modern researchers, is more than 40 thousand square meters. km (this is less than one percent of the total area of ​​Antarctica).

Search for minerals

This part of the research is perhaps the most relevant today and is of the greatest interest. The boundless lands of Antarctica contain many valuable resources in their ice thickness: coal, iron ore, non-ferrous metals. Recent studies have led to the conclusion that in its geological structure, Antarctica is very similar to South Africa. Scientists suggest that in the bowels of Antarctica, it is likely that huge deposits of gold, uranium, etc. are lurking. The search for these minerals in the lands of Antarctica is now very active;

It is no exaggeration to say that over the past few decades, scientists have made great strides forward in the study of the icy continent. Many new territories were studied, new features of the geological, biological, oceanological structure of the mainland were discovered. These studies are currently actively continuing, and the close attention of scientists from all over the world is riveted to Antarctica.

Impact of human activity on the ecosystem of Antarctica

Due to the peculiarities of its climate, Antarctica is the only continent on which people do not live. Only polar explorers, oceanographers, biologists, geologists and other scientists work on this continent. Despite the fact that Antarctica is an uninhabited territory, human activity still has a rather serious impact on the ecosystem of the icy continent. Moreover, it should be noted that this influence is most often negative. Consider the main factors that have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem of Antarctica.

Whaling

People sailed to these lands to hunt the inhabitants of Antarctica, a century ago.

Many species of local whales and seals have been seriously affected as a result of such many years of human exploitation of the nature of Antarctica.

At present, the fauna of the mainland is under strict protection, but its full restoration will still take more than one decade, and maybe even a century.

Animals

Another threat to the inhabitants of the continent is the so-called introduced (that is, imported from other continents) animal species. The most common among them are rats and cats. They destroy a large number of birds, as well as local vegetation.

Tourists

Recently, Antarctica has been visited not only by specialists from various fields of scientific knowledge, but also by wealthy tourists.

Unfortunately, this fact also has a detrimental effect on the state of the mainland. Yes, Antarctica has become more open and accessible for romantic travelers who have dreamed of polar expeditions since childhood.

But nevertheless, a huge influx of tourists leads to many sad consequences, such as pollution of Antarctic waters, depletion of fish stocks, environmental pollution.

Many scientists today are sounding the alarm: the growing number of tourists has a negative impact on the ecological system of the continent, creating

warming

Perhaps the most serious damage to the icy continent is caused by global warming, which has affected the entire planet. An increase in temperature leads to a change in global processes, such as water circulation, carbon dioxide balance, etc.

At such an alarming rate, which is warming today, large-scale melting of Antarctic ice may occur in the future, which will lead to a change in sea level and affect not only the ecosystem of the mainland, but the entire World Ocean.

All the factors described above pose a rather serious threat to the integrity of the ecological system of the continent.

Sorry for the fantastic questions....))))
Thanks in advance!

Is there any other flora there?
And where did the sleigh expedition begin?
Of course, the attention of the whole world will be riveted to the continent, albeit such a harsh one. Still would! If they swung at the moon and sold it all in parts. And Antarctica does not belong to anyone personally. So how? We must take it before it's too late. But it is very problematic to extract minerals there.