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The continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region.Lesser Antarctica, in fact, is part of the "Ring of Fire," a tectonically active area around the Pacific Ocean. Tectonic activity is the interaction of plates on Earth's crust, often resulting in earthquakes and volcanoes. Mount Erebus, located on Antarctica's Ross Island, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. The majority of the islands and archipelagos of Lesser Antarctica are volcanic and heavily glaciated. They are also home to a number of high mountains. The oceans surrounding Antarctica provide an important physical component of the Antarctic region. The waters surrounding Antarctica are relatively deep, reaching 4,000 to 5,000 meters in depth. Climate?Antarctica has an extremely cold, dry climate. Winter temperatures along Antarctica's coast generally range from -10?C to -30?C. During the summer, coastal areas hover around 0?C but can reach temperatures as high as 9?C. In the mountainous, interior regions, temperatures are much colder, dropping below -60?C in winter and -20?C in summer. In 1983, Russia's Vostok Research Station measured the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth: -89.2?C. An even lower temperature was measured using satellite data taken in 2010: -93.2?C. Precipitation in the Antarctic is hard to measure. It always falls as snow. Antarctica's interior is believed to receive only 50 to 100 millimeters of water (in the form of snow) every year. The Antarctic desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. The Antarctic region has an important role in global climate processes. It is an integral part of Earth's heat balance. The heat balance, also called the energy balance, is the relationship between the amount of solar heat absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and the amount of heat reflected back into space. Antarctica has a larger role than most continents in maintaining Earth's heat balance. Ice is more reflective than land or water surfaces. The massive Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from Earth's surface. As global ice cover decreases, the reflectivity of Earth's surface also decreases. This allows more incoming solar radiation to be absorbed by Earth's surface, causing an unequal heat balance linked to global warming, the current period of climate change. Interestingly, NASA scientists have found that climate change has actually caused more ice to form in some parts of Antarctica. The waters surrounding Antarctica are a key part of the "ocean conveyor belt," a global system in which water circulates around the globe based on density and currents.The ACTM and IAATO hope more sustainable tourism will reduce the environmental impacts of the sensitive Antarctic ecosystem.Flora and Fauna?Lichens, mosses, and terrestrial algae are among the few species of vegetation that grow in Antarctica.Blue, fin, humpback, right, minke, sei, and sperm whales have healthy populations in Antarctica.Their wings serve as flippers as they "fly" through the water in search of prey such as squid and fish. The Heroic Age?Because early explorers confronted extreme obstacles and debilitating conditions, this period of time became known as the "Heroic Age."More of this vegetation grows in the northern and coastal regions of Antarctica, while the interior has little if any vegetation.Fish and a large variety of marine mammals thrive in the cold Antarctic waters.The plan failed.

The continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region. The ACTM and IAATO hope more sustainable tourism will reduce the environmental impacts of the sensitive Antarctic ecosystem. Lesser Antarctica, in fact, is part of the "Ring of Fire," a tectonically active area around the Pacific Ocean. Tectonic activity is the interaction of plates on Earth's crust, often resulting in earthquakes and volcanoes. Mount Erebus, located on Antarctica's Ross Island, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. The majority of the islands and archipelagos of Lesser Antarctica are volcanic and heavily glaciated. They are also home to a number of high mountains. The oceans surrounding Antarctica provide an important physical component of the Antarctic region. The waters surrounding Antarctica are relatively deep, reaching 4,000 to 5,000 meters in depth.
Climate
Antarctica has an extremely cold, dry climate. Winter temperatures along Antarctica's coast generally range from -10°C to -30°C. During the summer, coastal areas hover around 0°C but can reach temperatures as high as 9°C. In the mountainous, interior regions, temperatures are much colder, dropping below -60°C in winter and -20°C in summer.
In 1983, Russia's Vostok Research Station measured the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth: -89.2°C. An even lower temperature was measured using satellite data taken in 2010: -93.2°C.
Precipitation in the Antarctic is hard to measure. It always falls as snow. Antarctica's interior is believed to receive only 50 to 100 millimeters of water (in the form of snow) every year. The Antarctic desert is one of the driest deserts in the world.
The Antarctic region has an important role in global climate processes. It is an integral part of Earth's heat balance. The heat balance, also called the energy balance, is the relationship between the amount of solar heat absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and the amount of heat reflected back into space. Antarctica has a larger role than most continents in maintaining Earth's heat balance. Ice is more reflective than land or water surfaces. The massive Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from Earth's surface.
As global ice cover decreases, the reflectivity of Earth's surface also decreases. This allows more incoming solar radiation to be absorbed by Earth's surface, causing an unequal heat balance linked to global warming, the current period of climate change. Interestingly, NASA scientists have found that climate change has actually caused more ice to form in some parts of Antarctica.
The waters surrounding Antarctica are a key part of the "ocean conveyor belt," a global system in which water circulates around the globe based on density and currents. The cold waters surrounding Antarctica, known as the Antarctic Bottom Water, are so dense that they push against the ocean floor. The Antarctic Bottom Water causes warmer waters to rise, or upwell. Antarctic upwelling is so strong that it helps move water around the entire planet.
Flora and Fauna
Lichens, mosses, and terrestrial algae are among the few species of vegetation that grow in Antarctica. More of this vegetation grows in the northern and coastal regions of Antarctica, while the interior has little if any vegetation.
The ocean teems with fish and other marine life. The waters surrounding Antarctica are among the most diverse on the planet. Upwelling allows phytoplankton and algae to flourish. Thousands of species, such as krill, feed on the plankton. Fish and a large variety of marine mammals thrive in the cold Antarctic waters.
Blue, fin, humpback, right, minke, sei, and sperm whales have healthy populations in Antarctica. One of the apex predators is the leopard seal. The leopard seal is one of the most aggressive of all marine predators. This three-meter, 400-kilogram animal has unusually long, sharp teeth, which it uses to tear into prey such as penguins and fish.
The most familiar animal of Antarctica is probably the penguin. They have adapted to the cold, coastal waters. Their wings serve as flippers as they "fly" through the water in search of prey such as squid and fish.
The Heroic Age
Because early explorers confronted extreme obstacles and debilitating conditions, this period of time became known as the "Heroic Age." Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Adrian Wilson, and Ernest Shackleton all competed in the Race to the South Pole.
In 1911, Amundsen, of Norway, and Scott, of the United Kingdom, began expeditions with the aim of becoming the first man to reach the South Pole. Amundsen's team set out from the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea on October 19, while Scott set out from Ross Island on November 1. Amundsen's team relied on dog sleds and skiing to reach the pole, covering as much as 64 kilometers per day. Scott's team, on the other hand, pulled their sleighs by hand, collecting geological samples along the way.
Amundsen's team became the first to reach the South Pole on December 15. The team was healthy, and successfully made the journey out of Antarctica. Scott's team reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912, suffering from malnutrition, snow blindness, exhaustion, and injury. They all died on their journey home.
Hoping to one-up his predecessors, Shackleton attempted the first transcontinental crossing of Antarctica in 1914. Shackleton planned the trip by using two ships, the Aurora and the Endurance. Aurora would sail to the Ross Sea and deposit supplies. On the opposite side, Endurance would sail through the Weddell Sea to reach the continent. The plan failed. The Endurance became frozen in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. The pack ice crushed and sank the ship.
Shackleton's team survived for roughly four months on the ice by setting up makeshift camps. Once the ice floe broke, expedition members used lifeboats to reach safer land and were picked up on Elephant Island 22 months after they'd set out. Although some of the crew sustained injuries, they all survived.
Science and Discovery
In 1984, a meteorite from Mars was found in Antarctica. The markings on this meteorite were similar to markings left by bacteria on Earth. If this meteorite, millions of years old, actually has the remains of martian bacteria, it would be the only scientific evidence for life outside Earth.
Daily Life at Antarctica's Research Stations
McMurdo Station is a U.S. research center on the southern tip of Ross Island. McMurdo is the largest station in Antarctica, capable of supporting 1,250 residents. McMurdo has more than 80 buildings and operates like a small city.
Once a year, cargo ships bring more than five million kilograms of equipment and supplies. These cargo ships can only reach Winter Quarters Bay during summer, when the pack ice can be breached.