Antarctica



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  Constructing Knowledge

What do you question?

Click Here for Slide Show and Worksheet

after you have listed questions on the worksheet, click on a thumbnail below for the full picture and description

What do you know?

Click here to take the Ice quiz

The Antarctic Continent

Click Here for a Satellite Image of Antarctica

Antarctica is not owned by any one country. Click here to view a map of Antarctic regions and general topographical sites.

The Break-up of Pangaea to form Antarctica

Antarctic Altitudes

 Antarctic Almanac

Check in now for an up-to-the-minute report on the weather conditions.

Check out a LIVE image at the South Pole.

and view the construction of the new station- LIVE!

Trivia About Antarctica

Antarctic Timeline and Explorers

Tales of Exploration

NOVA Online/Shackelton:

Quicktime VR images of Antactica

 

Ice is Ice is Ice??

Ice Gallery-requires flash

 

Glaciers and Icebergs

Glacier!

Pictures to help us understand

grounding zone | ice sheet | ice shelf | calved from an ice sheet | iceberg | iceberg alley | ablation and equilibrium

Why is Glacial Ice Blue?

Nasa animates 20,000 years of Antarctic Ice History

West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Sea Ice

Pictures to help us understand

Sea Ice Today | frazil ice | black (grease) ice | pancake ice | pack ice (sea ice) 

Sea Ice Tour (takes a while to load)

Animation of Sea Ice for 10 years from the Scientific Visualization Studio

Glossary on Antarctica

Antarctic Technical Glossary

The Poles

Three Poles?

Ceremonial Pole

South Pole on the Move?

Tell me more about the magnetic pole - an interactive mystery about the discovery of the north pole.

Locations of both poles and a simple explanation:

Magnetism terms

 

Antarctica in the News

B-15 Iceberg off Ross Ice Shelf-animtion

Pine Island Glacier Crack- animation ----and then it separated!

Ross Shelf Icebergs that have calved

Icebergs in the News
December 2002-Scientific American Article

What does Antarctica tell us about Global Climate change?

Weather Hand-out

Past Climate from Ice cores

Stories in the Ice

Secrets of the Ice

The Southern Ocean and Global Climate

Deciphering mysteries of Past Climate from Antarctic Ice Cores

The Antarctic Ice Sheet

NOVA Online/Warnings from the ice

NOVA Archives

"I heard the ice caps were melting, and if they all melt, most of the world's coastlines would be gone, such as most of Florida and some of Louisiana. Is this true?"

 

 

We are studying sea ice, frozen sea water which is floating on the ocean. There is some evidence that sea ice in the Arctic has decreased in the last 20 years, but not in the Antarctic. But even if the ice were to melt, it would not affect the sea level since the ice is already floating (a glass of water does not overflow when the ice cubes melt).

A number of ice shelves, which fringe the Antarctic coast, have broken up in recent years. These shelves are made of freshwater ice but they are also floating, and their collapse does not affect sea level.

If all the grounded ice on the Antarctic continent were to melt, it would raise the sea level by tens of meters. But there is no evidence that this is happening, and if it were, it would take thousands of years to melt completely.

Ian Allison

Voyage Leader, Antarctic CRC and Australian Antarctic Division

Program leader, Glaciology

Antarctic Variables for Global Climate Change

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The Iceberg Lab


Links to Antarctica Resources

Teacher Resources

Fluffy Snow to Glacial Ice Classroom Activity

Exploratorium: Antarctica

Get Involved in an Online Classroom about Antarctica- Blue Ice

Teachers Experiencing Antarctica - organization of teachers who have been to Antarctica doing research. Lesson plans, activities, and applications for you to go!

Special!! Teacher there now!!

Live from Antarctica - Teacher's guides and resources from past live telecasts from Antarctica.

Glacier, huge website from Rice University and the Education Development Center, with lots of information including an introduction to the continent of Antarctica and an excellent glossary on ice terms.

The New South Polar Times - Online Newsletter from Antarctica, with teacher resources.

Classroom Project on Antarctica- well prepared website with lots of information for students.

ZOOM SCHOOL Antarctica:

Rob Holmes' cool Antarctic Stuff

Underwater Field Guide to Ross Island:

Thermal Expansion of Water

 

Research Organizations

The Antarctica Project- conservation organization

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Joint Australian Center in Antarctica- JACARA

AMANDA-Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array

New Zealand Antarctic Institute

USGS TerraWeb:

General Knowledge

US South Pole Station-clickable map with images

South Pole Summer Diaries 2002- day by day journal of scientists at the pole.

Virtual Antarctica - Excellent site! Just like you were there! Pictures, journals, glossary, content.

Ice Trek - website about a trek across Antarctica- following in the footsteps of the explorers. Content information and great pictures.

The Chilling Fields - Discovery Channel online expedition, journal, pictures, content.

The Antarctic Connection- History, trivia and Giftshop

The Orient Lines- The MV Marco Polo was the cruise ship I took to travel to Antarctica.

The Food Web in Antarctica requires Java

Icebergs- link page about icebergs

Year at the South Pole- journal

The Drake Passage-journal by a photographer

The Seventh Continent-personal journal of scientist

Virtual Tour: Antarctica:

Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program. Learn how to survive!

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