What will happen if there is no Antarctica?
Antarctica is a continent of rock that is covered by ice and surrounded by the Southern Ocean – this sets it apart from the Arctic, which is all sea ice and no land. Human activities elsewhere are impacting upon Antarctica and in particular the Antarctic ice – for instance, traces of the industrial revolution can be found within ice cores from the Antarctic, dating to before humans had set foot on the continent. That means we were influencing the place before we even knew that it existed. Now Antarctica is one of the most surveyed places on earth, thanks to mapping, monitoring, and satellite technology. If there was no Antarctica at all, the world’s ocean currents would behave differently. There would be no circumpolar current, and no cold bottom water to drive the circulation of the currents from the south. The animals that live in Antarctica would not have a habitat, so we would have less biodiversity on earth.
It is important to take care of Antarctica because it is a home for many species of animals, such as penguins and seals, and the surrounding oceans are home to whales and krill. Antarctica plays a key role not only for the creatures that call Antarctica and the Southern Ocean home, but also for people who live in far-away places. For instance, melting ice sheets in Antarctica can contribute to sea level rise on distant tropical islands. That means it’s not only scientists who have a role to play in speaking up for and protecting Antarctica – we all have some responsibility. There are many ways to connect with Antarctica from back home – these include participating in citizen science projects (such as counting penguins on Penguin Watch), learning about the similarities between Australia and Antarctica (such as how to identify the trees that have been found in fossils in Antarctica), or enjoying books and films about the continent. The Antarctica that lives in the public imagination is shaped by these sorts of inputs and is super important because most people never visit the continent.
