Antarctic Exploration

By: Alex SingletonGrant HatchJordan 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• 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.

• Coldest Temperature:-129°F (-89°C) on July 21, 1983 Location: Vostok StationWarmest Temperature: +59°F (+15°C) on Jan 5, 1974Location: Vanda StationAverage 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

• 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

• 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

• 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• 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/16cmo5/1116/16ecosys.htm

• www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/wildlife/index.html